Program Management

This year has seen a number of very significant changes at the Texas Center for Adult Literacy and Learning. In this issue we have chosen to break with tradition and acknowledge the contributions of the people who have contributed to our work over the last thirteen years and who are now moving on.

July marked the official retirement of Dr. Don Seaman from the TCALL Director's position. Dr. Seaman worked at Texas A & M for thirty years, and was instrumental in founding the adult education department. Dr. Seaman worked to develop TCALL in 1988-89 and to win the Texas Adult Literacy Clearinghouse grant shortly afterwards. That grant is the basis for our close relationship with Texas Education Agency and supports Literacy Links, our website, and the work of the Clearinghouse. Dr. Seaman was President of the American Association of Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) and is a member of the Adult Education Hall of Fame.

Happily for TCALL, Dr. Seaman will be continuing as a Research Associate for at least the next year, so he will still be popping up all over the state. In honor of his contributions, this issue of Literacy Links features an edited version of one of his earliest papers on the retention of adult learners. Our thanks go to Florida State University for permission to reprint it here. It is a remarkable article, as relevant to today's practice as it ever was.

Dr. Victoria Hoffman, the Director of the Adult Literacy Clearinghouse, left TCALL at the end of June. Dr. Hoffman had worked with TCALL for eight years and was responsible for our connections with the Adult Education Consortium. She will be missed at TCALL, and we wish her luck and great success in her future endeavors.

Kay Perry, the Editor of Literacy Links, retired at the end of May. Ms. Perry was responsible for taking the newsletter from a few sheets to a nationally recognized, professional publication. Her contributions have been invaluable, and we hope she enjoys a peaceful and productive retirement with no deadlines!

The incoming Director of TCALL is Dr. Ralf St.Clair. Dr. St.Clair has come to Texas from Scotland via Canada, so brings significant international experience in adult education and literacy. He is also an Assistant Professor in EAHRD, with research interests in adult and family literacy and curriculum studies.

The new Editor of Literacy Links is Peggy Sue Durbin. Ms. Durbin has many years experience at Texas A & M, and a Master's Degree in Educational Psychology. She is looking forward to getting to know the Texas adult and family literacy community as she becomes more deeply involved with the work of TCALL.