IS THE ACADEMY READY FOR ADULT STUDENTS?

The intention of this article is to assesss developments which have occurred in the universities of western Europe and North America in the twenty‐year period since UNESCO began work on a long‐term programme to promote the concept of universities as centres of lifelong learning. After describing ways in which universities and other higher education institutions have pursued the goal in question, citing cases drawn from Europe and North America, the author presents a number of conclusions with regard to how well traditional universities have wholly or partially adopted this new role. He concludes that much remains to be done before universities have fully accepted their roles as centres of lifelong learning but that they will be greatly stimulated and aided by the increased availability and use of the new information technologies.