Founded in 1933, the Boston Center for Adult Education is the oldest, nonprofit adult education center in New England. Its founder, Miss Dorothy Hewitt, envisioned a place where "small groups of men and women would meet together in living room settings to learn, discuss, and create for the sheer pleasure of doing so." Today, the BCAE offers nearly 3,000 courses in 33 subject areas and welcomes nearly 20,000 students per year.