William Swart is a Professor of Marketing and Supply Chain Management at East Carolina University. He received his BS in Industrial Engineering from Clemson University and his PhD in Operations Research from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has held leadership positions in industry, including Corporate Vice President, and in the academia, including Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. He is the recipient of a NASA/JFK Group Achievement Award, the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) Operations Research Practice Award, and the Achievement in Operations Research Medal from the Institute for Operations Research and Management Science (INFORMS).

Our view of the future when this conference first took place some 22 years ago bears little resemblance to the realities of today. And, surely, the world 22 years from now will bear little resemblance to what we imagine it to be today. Nevertheless, without adopting a view of the future, we will find ourselves subject to another popular saying (attributed to the hall of fame baseball player/manager Yogi Berra): “You got to be careful if you don’t know where you are going because you might not get there.”

The presentation will begin by conjuring up a vision of the future by examining current trends in globalization, demographics, and technology. It will then discuss how individuals, and businesses are evolving to respond to this changed and changing future and the challenges and opportunities that these present to academia. The presentation will then discuss how future changes and challenges are inexorably moving academic institution toward technology enhanced personalized learning – from mass dissemination of information, as in traditional lectures, to mass customization of learning, where learning coaches and consultants provide just-in-time learning only to those that need it when they need it.