# Sacrificial Lambs and Rallying Cries: The Politics of Adult Education at the University of Manitoba, 1907–1949

## TL;DR

This paper explores how the University of Manitoba approached adult education from 1907 to 1949, contrasting it with other Canadian universities.

## Contribution

The paper provides a novel historical analysis of the political dynamics behind adult education at the University of Manitoba.

## Key findings

- The University of Manitoba delayed institutionalizing extension work until 1949.
- Extension work was politically leveraged as both a sacrificial lamb and a rallying cry.
- Manitoba's approach to adult education differed from neighboring provinces due to economic and institutional factors.

## Abstract

This article narrates the engagement of the University of Manitoba in two waves of the extension movement that shaped adult education work at universities across North America: one rooted in the delivery of public lectures and another rooted in the “Wisconsin idea” of serving citizens and the state. In contrast to developments at provincial universities to the west and east, extension work at the University of Manitoba was not institutionalized until 1949. The article analyzes the politics of adult education at the University of Manitoba, arguing that extension work was treated at different times as a sacrificial lamb and as a rallying cry by university administrators in relations with the provincial government. It analyzes economic and institutional factors that explain why the politics of adult education were so different in Manitoba than in nearby provinces. It offers insight for those interested in adult education programs delivered through universities beyond Canada.