University Council on Education for Public Responsibility

The University Council on Education for Public Responsibility (UCEPR) was founded in 1961 and incorporated in the state of Illinois by the presidents of eleven institutions. It was the brainchild of F. Scott Fletcher, president of the Fund for Adult Education (FAE), and arose from the members' interest in liberal adult education and education for public responsibility. The various institutions had received grants from the FAE which was then terminating its activities. The purposes of UCEPR were (1) to perpetuate and strengthen the ideas and practice of continuing education; (2) to foster the exchange of ideas, specific program materials, and suggestions among the cooperating institutions and others; and (3) to undertake cooperative and experimental programs within the field of activity of the Council.

The Council undertook several ambitious projects. One of the more successful was the urbanism project, demonstrating the positive and negative forces at work in the American city, which resulted in a nationally televised series and a book of selected readings. George Stoney, writer/director/producer of more than 50 documentaries and television series, was involved in the development of the series. Another less successful project was the study of automation. Carl Tjerandsen, chairman of the program planning committee and well-known in the field of civic education, competence, and responsibility, was closely involved with UCEPR from its inception.

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