If your institution or organization is seeking guidance, solutions, or support from CAEL, or if you have an idea for a future collaboration initiative with us, please reach out. We'd love to connect.
The annual CAEL Conference is widely known as the leading place for leaders to connect and network with industry experts from postsecondary education, workforce and economic development, and industry.
Our 49th annual conference will take place in Baltimore, MD at the Hilton Baltimore from November 8-10, 2023.
The CAEL conference is a unique opportunity to network with and learn from educators, employers, and community leaders focused on aligning learning and work so that adults achieve continuous economic advancement. You’ll have a unique opportunity to meet the best minds in adult learning, inside and outside of postsecondary education.
2023 CAEL Awards
(Now Open) Deadline May 31
The 2023 CAEL Awards are now open for nomination entries! Being recognized as a CAEL Annual Award winner is a mark of distinction! CAEL strives to honor the work of individuals, institutions and programs that commit to adult learner excellence, innovation and impactful, outstanding programs.
We welcome nominations for our four awards that honor excellence through key lenses in the adult learning experience. Our shared mission prospers when we recognize and encourage individual, organizational and institutional excellence in supporting adult learners. Every day, you see their work in action and no one is more qualified to identify the latest heroes than the CAEL community. So we’re asking for candidate submissions for the following awards:
Learner of the Year
CAEL’s Learner of the Year is a lifelong learner who has successfully navigated the winding path that adult students face on the road to meeting their educational goals. We present the award to an individual who has overcome multiple barriers and has successfully returned to a learning environment. In doing so, we not only recognize and celebrate the individual learner and his or her own commendable achievements, but also those of the millions of other adults striving for excellence in higher education.
2022 Learner of the Year Award Winners
Morris T. Keeton Award
CAEL established the Morris T. Keeton Award in 1989 to honor our founding president for his independent voice for innovation and improvement in education. We present this award to a leader who is committed to making experiential learning an integral part of education, to increasing access for adult learners and minorities to postsecondary education, and to improving the theory and practice of assessment, teaching and learning.
2022 Morris T. Keeton Award Winner
Pamela Tate Rise Award
This award, named after the former longstanding CAEL president, recognizes those who forge connections between higher education and the workplace with incredible tenacity, enhancing both the lives of adult learners and our nation’s workforce. We present this award to an individual who has forged important connections between education and the workplace in support of adult learners.
2022 Pamela Tate Rise Award Winner
Adult Learner Impact Award
CAEL presents the Adult Learner Impact Award to recognize institutions and organizations that have provided outstanding programs and services for adult learners. It recognizes the significant impact institutions and organizations create for adult learners and embodies CAEL’s vision that “Every adult has a pathway to lifelong learning and meaningful work.”
2022 Adult Learner Impact Award Winner
(New!) Community Impact Award .png?width=95&height=95&name=CAEL%20Connectors%20badge%20(1).png)
(Available in Baltimore, Md. and surrounding areas)
The CAEL Community Impact Award recognizes organizations for their roles as community leaders, innovators and employers in professional service to the broader higher education and workforce development community. We are seeking nominations for organizations that have contributed to their community in a way that exemplifies the core areas of CAEL's mission and vision. (Adult/Lifelong Learning, Economic Mobility, Career Pathways, Equity)
CAEL’s Mission: CAEL engages with educators, employers, and community leaders to align learning and work so that adults achieve continuous, long-term career success. CAEL’s Vision: Every adult can navigate lifelong learning and career pathways that fuel economic mobility and community prosperity.
Examples of Organizations that could self-nominate or be nominated: Workforce Development Boards, Nonprofit Community Entities, Chambers of Commerce, Economic Development Boards, Apprenticeship Providers, Convention Visitors Bureau
Community Impact Award: Each year CAEL would like to recognize one outstanding organization that positively impacts the lives of adult learners/workers. The winner will be chosen from within the region where our annual conference is being held each year. (2023: Baltimore, Md.)
The deadline for submissions is May 31st. You may nominate yourself and your program(s) and/or another individual and his or her program(s). We will select nominees and notify winners in July. We will honor the recipients at this year's conference at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor on November 8-10. CAEL will provide travel reimbursement for award winners.
Let's bridge the gap between education and the workplace with linking learning and work to fuel economic mobility and community prosperity.
Earl Buford
President
CAEL