The Association of University Evening Colleges (AUEC) -- which changed its name in 1973 to the Association of Continuing Higher Education (ACHE) -- was founded in 1939 in New York by the directors of twenty-seven evening college programs who were affiliated with the American Association of Urban Universities. Originally known as the Association of Deans and Directors of University Evening Schools, its purpose was "the study of the problems of the evening college and the mutual interchange and stimulation of ideas on the part of the members," providing a forum for administrators of university evening programs, and focusing public attention on, and encouraging acceptance and understanding of, the aims of collegiate education of adults. The objectives expanded through the years and, while the AUEC still aimed at providing a "clearinghouse" of information for administrators, it recognized the importance of encouraging public understanding and support of the values of adult continuing education, especially in cooperation with other organizations. Adult collegiate education is considered a primary responsibility of institutions of higher learning, and the AUEC was concerned specifically with the place of the evening division within the university, improvement in instruction and course offerings, and standards for faculty and administration.
Its membership categories were institutional, associate, association, and personal. Its standing committees were: Evening Student Personnel, Legislative, Local Arrangements, Membership, Membership Promotion, Nominating, Program, Public Relations, Regions, Relationships With Other Associations, Research, and Resolutions. It had such special committees as Finance and Liberal Education. Over the years, its regular publications have been Newsletter (quarterly), Proceedings (annual), and "From the Dean's Desk" (occasional).
From the guide to the Association of University Evening Colleges (AUEC) Records, 1927-1969, (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)
