The archive of the National Society for Experiential Education arrived at Southern Utah University July 11 for permanent collection in the Gerald R. Sherratt Library. The donation represents the first institutional home for the archive.
Founded in 1971, the National Society for Experiential Education is a membership organization of educators and businesspeople promoting experiential education and engaged education. Its archive contains historical documents and records capturing the emergence and history of the organization. Previously, the collection was housed at a location inaccessible to the public in Alexandria, Virginia, and at other locations throughout the United States.
“It is a real honor for SUU to be able to house the archive of a national organization as successful as this,” said Patrick Clarke, dean of SUU’s School of Integrative and Engaged Learning. “The contribution recognizes SUU as a real leader in experiential learning.”
The addition of the archive joins with several SUU initiatives for promoting experiential learning and educational leadership. The SUU EDGE program engages all undergraduate students in experience-based learning projects. For experience-based educators, SUU publishes a national journal titled “Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education” and hosts an annual ELLI conference.
“Partnering with an established organization such as NSSE to produce an academic journal provides a natural outlet for speaking to professionals about higher education topics such as this,” said Richard Saunders, SUU’s dean of library services.
