Houston Futures - Recently Updated Pages

Alumni

jmancuso73 — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:10:37 CDT

Community TIMELINE
Keep us informed. Contribute to the houstonfutures community timeline . It's easy! Join dipity.com. Then just select "Add an Event." When the information box pops open, fill it in, add a photo, a link to the event or a video!

Alumni News

Garry Golden -- Check out Garry's new website, The Energy Roadmap, an excellent collection of all things energetic!

Alumni Directory

The following are some of the enterprises and positions that UH futures graduates have worked with and in over the last 30 years.

Commercial firms –

Administaff
American Express
Boeing
Booz Allen Hamilton
Cheskin
Coca-Cola
Compuserve
Dow Chemical

General Dynamics
General Electric
Halliburton Energy Services
Houston Lighting & Power
IBM
Kellogg Company
Kimberly Clark
Medtronics

New York Times
Pacific Gas & Electric
Perot Systems
Pitney-Bowes
Prudential Insurance
Solutia
Social Technologies
Toshiba
URS Corporation

Government agencies –

Canadian Ministry of Education
Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Canadian Radio and Television Commission
Central Intelligence Agency
Clarkson Public Schools
Congressional Clearinghouse for the Future
Congressional Research Service
Electric Sheep Company
Galena Park ISD
Houston Police Department
Life Insurance Council of America

NASA Johnson Space Center
NASA MidContinent Tech Transfer Center
National Air Intelligence Center
Naval Undersea Warfare Center
Quebec Prime Minister’s Office
Sam Houston State University
Swedish Postal Service
Texas Parks and Wildlife
UH Small Business Development Center
United Space Alliance
UUNet (Virginia)

Non-profit enterprises –

Acceleration Studies Foundation (California)
Center for Houston's Future
Center for Jungian Studies (Houston)
Chaordic Alliance (California)
Harvard Business Review (Massachusetts)
Institute of Noetic Sciences (California)
KUHT

Los Angeles County Bar Association
Mott Foundation (Michigan)
Population Council (Washington DC)
University of Houston
University of Texas Med Branch (Galveston)
Waitt Family Foundation (California)

Futures-related research firms --

Alidade (Rhode Island)
Cheskin Market Research (California)
Coates & Jarratt (Washington DC)
FastFuture (London, UK)
Fletcher Mountain Group (Vermont)
Global Business Network (California)
Yoon Choi Futures Studies(Korea)

Global Foresight Associates (Massachusetts)
Institute for Alternative Futures (Virginia)
Social Technologies (Washington DC)
Stratevarois (Bulgaria)
The Futures Lab (Texas)

Advanced degrees –

CNAM (Paris)
Cornell University (Law)
Leeds Metropolitan University
University of Hawaii

University of Houston
University of Kansas
University of Washington

On-going enterprises founded --

Acceleration Studies Foundation (California)
Early Signals (Washington DC)
Future Impact Education (Texas)
Futures Studies Center (Brazil)
Humancode (Texas)

Infuse (Texas)
Leading Futurists (Washington DC)
New Moon Research (Atlanta)
Prospectiva (Texas)
Social Technologies (Virginia)
The Personal Futures Network

Representative job titles –

Analyst
Consultant
Director of Futures Strategy
Editor
Environmental Engineer
Founder
Futurist
Global Trends Manager

Human Resources Planner
Ideation Leader
Issues Manager
Manager
New Business Developer
Performance Consultant
President
Professional Speaker

Project Manager
Researcher
Scanner
Senior Project Executive
Strategic Planner
Teacher, Instructor, Professor
Writer

If you are an alumni looking to add your info to this page, please scroll down for instructions. Thanks.

Name (Location)	Current Work	Futures Interests/Domains
Graduation Date	Pre-Futures Work	Full Profile Link
Anthony Baber	Business Development Manager	Business Planning/International Relations (Hobby)
2002	Student	My Profile is here.
Garry Golden (Brooklyn, NY)	Freelance Consulting; Editor, The Energy Roadmap	Energy, transportation, business, youth culture
December 2005	Various non-professional jobs	www.garrygolden.net (but in process of revamping site!!)
Daniel Switzer	Construction Manager	Planning, Scanning, Environmental Issues, Helpful Technologies, Alternative Energy Research. Enjoy WFSF and WFS ListServes.
December 1999	Construction and Management	My Profile is here.
Denise Chiavetta (Atlanta, GA)	Lead, Technology Foresight, Social Technologies	Science & technology, sustainability
May 1996	Engineering	My Profile is here
Verne Wheelwright, PhD. 2000	Research, writing, and speaking about Personal Futures International trade	Personal Futures, applying futures methods to individual lives.
I am temp text.	I am temp text. And I'm happy about it.	I am temp text.
Sarah Bombardier, Vermont	Owner/ Licensed Electrologist www.bluedoorvt.com	Personal futures, demographics, environmental
December, 1996	Accountant, Financial Analysis, Procedure Documentation, Competitive Intelligence, Corporate Trainer, and much more...	My profile is here but I don't know how to add the link. Just look at www.bluedoorvt.com Thanks!
Yoonsik, Choi	President/CEO, Yoon Choi Futures Studies	Planning, Scanning, Environmental Issues, Helpful Technologies, Alternative Energy Research.Personal futures, and so forth.
May, 2004	Research, writing, and speaking about Futures Pastor	www.cys.name
Timothy Sullivan	Biotech and Medical Devices	www.mysticpharma.com
December 1987	INFUSE Corporation	www.infuse.com
Natasha Vita-More	PhD Candidate, University of Plymouth	I am temp text.
2005	Researcher, Lecturer, Media/Science/Design	http://www.natasha.cc
Name	Current Work	Futures Interests/Domains
Graduation Date	Pre Futures Work	Full Profile Link
Jim Cumming, M.S., M.A.	Mentor, Teacher, Institute for Applied Meditation Educator, Houston Ind. School District	Visionary Futures; Sufism; Survival post economic-societal collapse; Noah's Ark 2; Sharing Futures, Ltd.
August 1986	Captain, US Army Air Defense, 82nd Abn, Harvard Business Review Magazine	www.sharingfutures.com
Linda Brown	Researcher	Education and workforce development; families and lifestyles'; healthcare; scanning frameworks
May 2000	Teacher, College Advisor, Social Services Director	Brown Bear (will complete profile later)
John M. Smart (Mountain View, CA)	President, Acceleration Studies Foundation	Foresight Education, Networking Foresight Educators, Sci, Tech, Business and Social Foresight
Spring 2007	Science Education, Computer Programming, Entrepreneurship	http://www.accelerationwatch.com/bio_johnsmart.html
M. J. Michael, MBA, MS December, 1994	Future Tools - EnterpriseCircle Entrepreneur - Oilfield Services, Mining & Minerals	http://www.enterprisecircle.com
Kerry Ramirez	Technical Writer, Lockheed Martin, Houston, Tx	www.futureimpacttechnology.com
Adam Gordon, MS, MBA	Futurist, Author, Facilitator	Futures methods, education, welfare, finance, media
Summer 1996	Journalist	http://futuresavvy.net
Jeremy M. Mancuso, MS December 2005	Researcher/ Content Director, Shaping Tomorrow Student	Urban development, Science & Technology, Social trends http://www.shapingtomorrow.com/
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Posting Directions:
If you are an alumni and you wish to post your profile here and you have "writer" privileges for the site, then please click on the "easy edit" button at the top of the page and replace the temp text in the first available 3x2 set of cells. If you don't have and/or don't want write privileges, please just put your answers in an email and send them to pbishop@uh.edu. There is also a longer list of questions to answer when you fill out your member profile page. If you do fill out your profile, please create a link to it, if you so wish.

News

seandaken — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 10:40:11 CDT

READ the houstonfutures News (Newletters attached at bottom of page--way at the bottom!)

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July 9, 2010

Five students from the UH futures program presented their best work at the World Futures Society meeting in Boston MA. The students and their presentations were --

Sean Daken (Boulder, CO), The Future of Small Business Financial Management

Martin Siebold (Southwest Germany), Nanotechnology Applications:A Focused View on Energy Generation and Storage

Morgan Kauffman (Houston, TX), Post-Copenhagen: Scenarios for the Future of Climate Change

Carlos Lobo (Toronto, Canada), Neuroscience & Cognitive Enhancement

Darko Lovric (video from Zurich, Switzerland), The Futures of Human Health Treatment

The presentations are available here. Click of Best_of_Houston_2010.zip.

****************************************
November 7th (SA), 9 PM

Alum Mark Niles' band, Super Pancho Combo, is having a CD release party on Saturday, November 7th to support the release of their first album, Fast Awake.
Doors open at 9PM---Dan Electro's located in the Heights at 1031 E 24th St, Houston
Cover is only $7 and their CDs will be on sale for a special introductory price.

Contact: Mark Niles [ markniles19@gmail.com ]

****************************************
Oct. 27th (T), 8:30 AM

The program "Invisible Children in North Florida" will air on FM 89.9 or http://www.wjct.org/radio (Jacksonville, FL)
Students from local high schools and colleges will talk about www.invisiblechildren.com, an amazing organization of American young people dedicated to helping African young people.

Contact: FS Alum Steven L. Stoll [ stollsociology@aol.com ]

****************************************************

READ the Sep09 houstonfutures News (Attachment at bottom of page--way at the bottom!)

Waldo is now track-able!
A real-time electronic Futures Program Timeline reflecting the activities of Dr. Peter Bishop, program coordinator, and the U of Houston's futures program has been developed. Check out the Map feature to view the reach of the futures program worldwide.

Dr. Peter Bishop at Santa Fe Institute 14-17 Sep 09
The Business Network theme of the Week:The_Future_is_Not_What_it_Used_to_Be

The Santa Fe Institute is devoted to creating a new kind of scientific research community, one emphasizing multi-disciplinary collaboration in pursuit of understanding the common themes that arise in natural, artificial, and social systems.

Renowned scientists and researchers come to Santa Fe Institute from universities, government agencies, research institutes, and private industry to collaborate in attempts to uncover the mechanisms that underlie the deep simplicity present in our complex world. <http://www.santafe.edu/about/>

Larry Payne & Dialogue Houston Aug 09

Dr. Peter Bishop and three UH futures graduates appeared with Larry Payne, host of Dialogue Houston on HCCTV. The discussion centered on the futureHouston get the city that they want. New futures faculty member Dr. Kay Strong, freelance futurist Alexandra Montgomery, Stephanie Carroll who works with KUHT, the UH PBS affiliate comprised the panel. The hour-long show aired on Thursday, 6 Aug at 7 PM. on Saturday, 7 Aug, @ 2 PM and on Sunday, 8 Aug, @ 4 PM.

Watch the show on YouTube at

Patti Gras & Living Smart July 09
On Living Smart Patricia Gras and Dr. Peter Bishop discuss future possibilities and consider the steps to get ready for the transformations and changes that lie ahead. (Attachment at bottom of page--way at the bottom!)

World Future Conference July 09

UH futures faculty and students from the fall 2008 course on the Futures of the US assembled material on seven key long-term issues affecting the future of the United States as a prelude to the 2008 Presidential election. New futures faculty member Kay Strong and graduate student Morgan Kauffman presented their insights on the future of the U.S. federal budget and the future of climate change and energy , respectively, at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the World Future Society on Saturday, July 18 (4:00 PM session), in Chicago IL.

Material from this class is available at http://thefuturesoftheus.wetpaint.com.
Some of the other program presentations are available at http://www.wfs.org/2009sessions.htm.

Regional Foresight in the United States 11 June 09

Dr. Bishop delivered a presentation "Regional Foresight in the United States" to the European Conference on Regional Foresight in France in June 11, 2009 at Centre International de Deauville.

Catch a glimpse of the master on YouTube at
http://www.youtube.com/user/creactiveplace#play/uploads/23/Uq2ljDmIm7o

2009 Future of Houston's Children Conference 30 June

Alexandra Montgomery, Staff Futurist for Children At Risk and graduate of the UH futures program, organized a Future's Cafe at the third Future of Children Conference recently. She adapted the technique from the World Cafe that allows a meaningful discussion among the network of professionals, educators and researchers in attendance about the implications of emerging trends and the future of children.
Several program graduates, Stephanie Carroll, Jeremy Mancuso, Anne Boysen, and Verne Wheelwright served as table facilitators. Dr. Peter Bishop also presented a keynote at the event entitled, “You know you are talking about the future when…”

Singularity University June 09

Ross Shott, advanced student in futures studies at the University of Houston, was one of the 40 students accepted into the first class at Singularity University (SU). SU is an extensive (nine-week) program set up by the luminaries of the futures field, notably Ray Kurzweil, author of The Singularity is Near

Ross, a businessman from Houston, specializes in Transhumanism, the enhancement of human performance using electronic and biological technologies. The list of faculty and students is truly extraordinary. And SU is making quite a splash in the futures world.

See more at http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/02/02/world-renowned-scientists-team-with-google-and-nasa-to-launch-singularity-university/.

UH futures program joins forces with the UScholars' College Success Program

This fall, the UH Futures program, a graduate degree program in the College of Technology, is partnering with the the UScholars' College Success Program to deliver a 10-week one credit hour course for undeclared majors. The UScholars’ College Success Program (CSP) is the formal home to some 5000 undergraduate students who are yet to decide about their college major. Approximately, 1500 undeclared undergraduate students will participate in a mandatory course identified as Core 1101. The program’s goal is to close the gap on the number of undeclared undergraduates at the University of Houston who have earned 45 credit hours. The course has been designed to integrate content across three curricular areas, college life skills and career placement with a strong futures component. The course outcomes are designed to assist participating students in declaring an undergraduate college major by strengthened personal life skills and self-management, by deepening understanding of career options and by developing a greater self-efficacy in a world of uncertainty and growing complexity. The futures faculty will help students make that declaration in light of changes in the careers in the future. and other well-known books, and Peter Diamandis, founder of the X-Prize and the International Space University.

Association of Professional Futurists, Pasadena CA, March 19-21, 2009

Members of the Houston Futures community traveled to Pasadena to participate in the seventh annual gathering of the Association of Professional Futurists. The meeting was held at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena CA. The Art Center is a renowned design school (ranked first in undergraduate and graduate programs) in automotive, product and entertainment design.

The gathering was entitled Futures by Design. We learned how the design process worked, and then we practiced creativity and visualization with 2D drawing and 3D Lego construction. Lots of fun in the APF tradition of meetings that are unusual for a professional association.

The meeting was organized by Garry Golden ('04), and the program was hosted by Lloyd Walker ('91). Lloyd is a graduate of the Art Center and the UHCL futures program, and he teaches design and futures studies at the Art Center now.

Houston folks attending the meeting included Peter Bishop, Andy Hines Terry Grim, and Cindy Frewen (faculty) and Sara Robinson, Patricia Tynan, Ross Shott and Sean Daken (students) plus a number of other program graduates.

Here is a group photo, thanks to Cliff Grim, Terry's husband, and another showing Ross and Terry working diligently on their visualization drawings!

Ted Gordon at UH February 09

It is my pleasure to announce that Ted Gordon is visiting the University of Houston for the month of February. He will be appearing in all the classes and in some other scheduled events.

Any student or graduate of the futures program is welcome to attend these classes. The classes will be held in Room 229 of the Cameron Bldg (Cullen at Wheeler), or you can call into the class through WIMBA.

Ted Gordon, one of the founding methodologist in the Futures Studies field, is visiting the University of Houston for the month of February. Ted’s name is linked to the early RAND Corporation and development of the Delphi Method and Cross Impact tools. He is now co-director of the Millennium Project , a global outlook organization responsible for producing the State of the Future Index and 15 global challenges to assess the prospects for humanity.

January '09 -- The futures program was featured in a UH Moment, a feature of KUHF, the public radio station in Houston.

January '09 -- We talked about this last semester, but just to let everyone know, Alexandra Levit is still listing Futurist as one of the 7 coolest jobs to get. These 7 are the top ones from her earlier book, How'd You Score That Gig?: A Guide to the Coolest Jobs-and How to Get Them.

January '09 -- Rachel Tubman (FS '08) was featured in a review of the 2008 annual meeting of the World Futures Society for her presentation on Waste to Energy as part of all UH panel from the course on the Future of Energy and the Environment. (Jump to Page 20)

Fall '08 -- Peter Bishop was featured in the recent issue of the University of Houston Magazine.

December '08 -- The inaugural issue of the houstonfutures news-- a new quarterly newsletter from the program.

November-December 08 -- Program graduates Joan Foltz (independent futurist), John Jackson (strategic planner with the Houston Police Department), and Amy Oberg (corporate futurist with Kimberly Clark) collaborated with Stephen Aguilar-Milan, director of the Greenways Partnership in the UK, on "The Globalization of Crime" in the current issue of The Futurist from the World Future Society. Joan and Stephen are Board members of the Association of Professional Futurists, and Amy is on the Board of Advisors for the futures program. The article is based on their presentation at the World Future Society meeting in Washington DC in July.

October 08 -- Peter Bishop published an overview of the future of energy in the Houston Chronicle on Sunday, October 26. He reviewed the various alternatives for substituting for the inevitable decline in oil production, now or in the medium-term future, along with ideas on how efficiency and ultimately human behavior would "square the circle" and maintain a form of human life if those alternatives fail to produce the same amount of energy we enjoy today. The longer version of that article is attached.

October 08 -- Students in the class on the Futures of the United States have posted material that we hope teachers will use in teaching about the long-term issues involved in this year's election. Check out the site at the Futures of the U.S. The class project is supporting the Foresight Education Project that the UH is sponsoring to introduce futures thinking throughout education.

September 08 -- Adam Gordon has just published his first book, Future Savvy, with AMACOM, the publishing arm of the American Management Association. Here's what they say about the book --

In order to succeed in their industries, decision-makers today need to anticipate the future outcomes not only in their own industry but also in society and technology as well. The better their view of the future, the better their decisions--and the bigger their profits–will be. Future Savvy is a hands-on, how-to book on evaluating the business, social, and technology forecasts that appear in everyday communications such as newspapers and business magazines, as well as in specialized sources like government and think-tank forecasts, consultant reports, and stock-market guides. Futures analyst Adam Gordon has spent his career deciphering changes and trends in a variety of industries. Now, he shows business leaders how to gain a clearer view of the future, as well as:
• Recognize potential trends and outcomes more effectively • Discount poor and biased forecasts more confidently • Anticipate relevant opportunities and potential threats earlier

September 08 -- Lue Bishop has published the lead article in this month's Instructional Leader published by the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association. The article is entitled "The Chemistry of a Collaborative Culture." It points out the difference between organizational climate (the feelings that people have about their work) and an organizational culture (the norms and values they practice at work). Lue makes the point that, while making people feel good is relatively easy, creating high performing culture is not.

Summer 08 -- The Texas Department of Transportation has just released the latest issue of Horizon, the Department's public magazine, that is completely devoted to the results of the Texas Transportation Scenario Project, which the UH futures program conducted for the Department (ftp://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/gbe/horizon/horizon_summer2008.pdf). The study was conducted by Dr. Peter Bishop, principal investigator, and Garry Golden, project manager and program graduate, supported by a research team consisting of Jason Siko, Mark Niles, Rachel Tubman, Simeon Spearman--all students in the program when they worked on the project.

8/20/08: Aron Branam ('08) has just accepted a positiion with the Energy and Resources Team at the Rocky Mountain Institute. The Institute, as you know, is the research and consulting organization founded by Amory Lovins, noted environmentalist and efficiency expert. Aron came to the futures studies program in 2006 with a degree in aerospace engineering and a year working at Jacobs Engineering. He has just completed his internship with Austin Energy working on a project called the Utility of the Future.

Sept-Oct 2008: Andy Hines continues his series with Part 2 of "Global Trends in Culture, Infrastructure and Values" in the latest issue of n The Futurist. Copies of this and the previous article in the July-August issue are available at http://wfs.org/futurist.

8/7/98: Kudos to Lloyd Walker who received two awards for his Mobility Vision Integration Process including the scenario card deck and Flash web site. He worked on this project with Art Center College of Design. It is a deck of 109 cards that rapidly builds future scenarios for personal mobility circa 2040.

http://www.mobilityvip.com/

The school entered the project in the annual IDEA awards (International Design Excellence Awards) sponsored by Industrial Design Society of America and BusinessWeek.

The project was awarded a silver in the category of Interactive product experiences http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/07/0717_idea_winners/118.htm
and a bronze in the category of ecodesign
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/07/0717_idea_winners/63.htm

8/1/08: The Emerald LiteraiNetwork from Emerald Publishing, publishers of foresight, one of the major journals in futures studies, has selected Peter, Andy and Terry's paper ("The Current State of Scenario Development: An Overview of Techniques," Vol 9, No 1., 2007) for the 2008 Oustanding Paper Award. As those in this community know, Peter has not published much of anything although Andy is veteran. But since Peter has moved to the University of Houston, a university that takes publication very seriously, he has challenged himself to rectify that. And what a boost to begin!
Wendy Schultz, a visiting Associate Professor with the program for five years, won the same award in 2007 for her article on scanning. So Houston is even contributing to the academic literature. Who woulda thunk it?

7/27/08: The following members of the Houston Futures community appeared at the Annual Meeting of the World Futures Society in Washington DC, July 27-29 -- Peter Bishop, Terry Collins, Chris Fair, Joan Foltz, Roumiana Gotseva-Yordanova, Terry Grim, Jennifer Jarratt, Jim Mathews, Pam McConathy, Amy Oberg, Scott Reif, John Smart, Kay Strong, Rachel Tubman, Vernue Wheelwright.

7/9/08: What's Ahead by Ellen Ryan, Washingtonian.com, February 1, 2008. This article features UHCL alum, Tom Conger, who has established a very successful futures firm in Washington DC called Social Technologies.

6/25/08: Futurists are, evidently, quite cool. In her new book from Random House, "How'd You Score That Gig?: A Guide to the Coolest Jobs-and How to Get Them" author Alexandra Levit names Futurist as one of the 65 Coolest Jobs. Alexandra has also narrowed the list to seven cool jobs, and futurist is still one of them. Check it out at AOL Jobs.

6/25/08: The Future Survey seeks new editor.

The World Future Society offers a challenging career opportunity in identifying, condensing, and packaging leading edge ideas shaping the United States and the world. Published monthly since 1979, FUTURE SURVEY is a unique abstract journal covering books, reports, and key articles on trends, forecasts, and proposals. The new editor must be able to work independently, preferably located in the Washington, D.C., metro area. PhD in social science or information science preferred. The editor must be able to deal fairly with new thinking about technology, environmental issues, and a wide variety of socio/economic issues. Transition to new editorship to begin ASAP, no later than January 2009.Request sample issue of FUTURE SURVEY (mailto:info@wfs.org) before submitting your vita, with cover letter, references, and writing samples. Contact: Tim Mack, President, World Future Society, 7910 Woodmont Avenue, #450, Bethesda, Maryland 20814; mailto:tmack@wfs.org; 301-656-8274; www.wfs.org.

6/25/08:Fall applications deadline for the Futures Program at UH Fast Approaching. July 1 is the deadline for fall applications for the graduate Futures program at the University of Houston. See the Prospective Students page for more information.

6/25/08: UH Futures Professors Dr. Peter Bishop and Andy Hines co-wrote, Thinking About the Future, which details the processes and tools that futurists use in their work. Contributions were made by a host of incredible futurists, many of whom are program graduates. Also, see the review in the Futures Library

To get information posted: If you are a student or alumni with write privileges to this site (what are write privileges and how do I get them -- click here) just use the easy edit button and post your info at the top of the page. Others can post comments and questions on the Threads button below.

Thank you.

Welcome home, houstonfutures!

ProfessorWantanabe — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:45:15 CDT

--> NEWS for the latest click here!

"So you want to be a futurist"
Now and then I hear from people who want to be futurists. They get what I see as "the call" and there's no dissuading most of them who have discovered the field and what (they assume) it has to offer. It's not an easy profession to enter, but there ....[10 Nov 09]

Continue at So You Want to be a Futurist
View the Video at http://www.jimcarroll.com/blog/2009/04/video-clip-what-is-a-futurist.html
Read the Career Spotlight on Futurist (in Attachments bottom of page)

Certificate in Strategic Foresight: A 5-day project based workshop. 17-21 May 2010
Providing Professionals with tools to help navigate today’s constantly changing business environment and
create a positive future for their communities, enterprises and themselves. See Attachments below.
Content questions?...contact Dr. Bishop (pbishop@uh.edu) - 281.433.4160 ·
Logistical questions, call (713.743.4637)

May 1st Celebration at University of Houston VIEW the live feed
http://mediaweb.tss.uh.edu/nonacademic/future_studies/35th_anniversary/35th_anniversary_20080501_lan.qtl

History of the University of Houston's Futures Studies Program
Created by Mark Niles, futures program graduate) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2jxMKrr29Q

Prospective Students

Earn a Master's Degree in Futures Studies at the University of Houston
Apply for Spring 2010 admissions. The ATTACHMENTS below will give you a feel for the course content.

Test-Drive our learning experience. Contact the Graduate Assistant (futuresga@uh.edu) for the GUEST ACCESS link to visit the real-time classroom: Classes meets from 5:30-8:30 PM (Central time) on Monday: World Futures; Tuesday: ProSeminar; Wednesday: Advanced Strategies; Thursday: Systems. Syllabi in the Attachments below.

WHAT SHOULD I DO ON THIS SITE?:
If you're a prospective Master's student, welcome, welcome to the wonderful world of Futures Studies. Yes, it's a real academic discipline and, yes, leads to interesting work in a wide variety of fields. To learn more, please, visit our links and other resources. The Current Program link will guide you to information on the current program. Also, check out the Student & Alumni pages to see the interests and backgrounds of others studying in the program. Discover more about your Master's degree in Futures Studies at the University (online or F2F). Get in touch with Dr. Peter Bishop, program director, or the current Graduate Assistant (futuresga@uh.edu) for the program. Feel free to post a message to any discussion thread.

If you are a current student or an alum, by all means register. Let us know what you are up to by filling out your member profile.

For passerbys with questions about futures studies or anyone looking for qualified futurists browse the site or make contact with Dr. Peter Bishop or the Graduate Assistant.

IS THIS SITE THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON?
This site is NOT an officially University of Houston site. Visit UH Futures Studies.

AND, UM, WHAT IS FUTURES STUDIES EXACTLY, THAT CAN'T BE A REAL THING, CAN IT?
Futures Studies is a multi-disciplinary study of change and its implications in the context of the future. It synthesizes a wide variety of fields including economics, engineering, sociology, politics, systems theory, creativity and community building. As a multidisciplinary field, futurists tend to build domains or areas of expertise (see: Student/Alumi ). Futurists do not predict the future; rather we seek to uncover the context for many alternative futures. Futures Studies fuses intuitive strategic thinking with pragmatic strategic planning, helps organizations prepare for many plausible futures by increasing the adaptability of their strategies should the likelihood of one or more forecast alternatives increase significantly. Futurists with a wide variety of values and social commitments comprise the field. Many are employed as consultants, writers, workshop facilitators, public speakers, teachers, government employees and social activists. All find expresion in the tools, information and knowledge they gain during their studies of futures.

Just as we study history in order to avoid repeating it. We study the future to avoid being paralyzed by a surprise, shock, or even fear.

Future studies gives us tools, techniques, and methods to help ourselves and others prepare for a preferred future. It facilitates a chosen future instead of a future that chooses us.

Still need answers? Graduate Assistant (futuresga@uh.edu)

Links/ Resources

JohnMSmart — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 21:26:49 CDT

Futures History / FuturesLibrary / Futures Quotes

Hi, Have a fab Futures Studies link? Please list it below. Not sure if you can or how to edit this page? Directions are at the bottom of the page.

Department Contacts and Links
To speak with the current grad assistant of the program: futuresga@uh.edu
To speak with Dr. Peter Bishop who heads the program: pbishop@uh.edu or 281-433-4160.
To ask about specific deadlines, testing or other admissions requirements, contact the graduate advisor for the program, Tiffany Roosa at troosa@uh.edu

University of Houston Links
University of Houston: http://uh.edu/
University of Houston College of Technology: http://tech.uh.edu/
University of Houston Futures Studies on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/houstonfutures
University of Houston class of 2005 podcast project: http://www.natasha.cc/futurists.htm

Other Futures Education Programs
There are only a handful of accredited Futures programs in the world. Futures Studies is sometimes known as Strategic Foresight and we've included those programs here as well.

Manoa School of Futures Studies in Hawaii: http://www.futures.hawaii.edu/academics.php
Regent University: http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/academics/mol/courses.shtml
Swinburne University in Australia: http://courses.swinburne.edu.au/Courses/ViewCourse.aspx?mi=100&id=19792
The Institute for Futures Research in South Africa: http://www.ifr.sun.ac.za/MPhil/default.htm
LIPSOR : Laboratory for Investigation in Prospective Strategy and Organisation: http://www.cnam.fr/lipsor/eng/phdprogram.php
TamKang University - Graduate Institute of Futures Studies: http://future.tku.edu.tw/en/1-4-3.htm
Tecnologico de Monterrey Consulta Plan de Estudio: https://serviciosva.itesm.mx/PlanesEstudio/Consultas/Planes/ConsultaPlanEstudio.aspx?form=PLANESTUDIO&contenido=caratula&modovista=area&Idioma=ESP&UnaCol=SI&claveprograma=MPE04

Futures Organizations & Foundations
Association of Professional Futurists: http://www.profuturists.org/
World Futures Society: http://www.wfs.org/
World Futures Studies Federation: http://www.wfsf.org/
Millennium Project: http://www.millennium-project.org/
Acceleration Studies Foundation: http://accelerating.org/
World Watch Institute: http://www.worldwatch.org/
The Long Now Foundation: http://www.longnow.org/
Shaping Tomorrow (a social networking site for any kind of futurist) http://shapingtomorrowmain.ning.com/

Futures Consultancies
There are many different types of Futures consultancies big and small some of which specialize in working with businesses, others with governments and/or community organizations. An * indicates that a University of Houston Futures Studies graduate either started or is principal in the consultancy.

*Social Technologies: http://www.socialtechnologies.com/
*Leading Futurists: http://www.leadingfuturists.biz/
Global Business Network: http://www.gbn.com/
The RAND Corporation: http://www.rand.org/
The Institute for Alternative Futures: http://www.altfutures.com/
*The Personal Futures Network: www.personalfutures.net
The Futures Lab: www.futures-lab.com
*INFUSE Corporation: www.infuse.com
Next Corporation (helped establish Swinburne's Streategic Foresight program): http://www.nextcorporation.net/

Other Interesting Links
Futures Books from the World Futures Society: http://www.wfs.org/bkshelf.htm
Top Ten Strategic Planning Books from the Association of Professional Futurists (APF):http://profuturists.org/content/blogcategory/37/78/
A Futurist at the Movies: http://www.futuristmovies.com/
The 27+ habits of highly effective futurists by John Mahaffie: http://foresightculture.com/the-27-habits-of-highly-effective-futurists
KurzweilAI.net: http://www.kurzweilai.net/
The official site dedicated to the memory of Marshall McLuhan: http://www.marshallmcluhan.com/
Most Important Futures Work from the APF: http://profuturists.org/content/blogcategory/54/160/

Site Note: Only current students,alumni, invited professors and those who have an ongoing relationship with the program are usually given write privileges for this site. If you are one of those types of folks and don't yet have said privileges (or aren't sure) send an email to houstonfutures@mac.com. If you have privileges, all you need to do is click on the "easy edit" button at the top of the page and document works pretty much the same as word processing software. Let us know if you have any questions. Thanks.

Courses

ProfessorWantanabe — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:44:41 CST

The M.S. in Futures Studies is an interdisciplinary, high-tech program that prepares strategic foresight professionals for careers in long-term forecasting and planning. Futures Studies uses a wide range of theoretical and practical models to examine the sources, patterns and causes of change and stability in order to map probable, plausible and preferable futures.

Syllabi for select courses are located in the ATTACHMENTS section at the bottom of this page.

Fall courses

TECH 6311: Introduction to Future Studies
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: Graduate standing. An introduction to the methods, practitioners and issues of futures research. (The first course for students beginning in the Fall semester.)

TECH 6353: Scenarios and Visions
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: TECH 6311, or consent of instructor. An overview of the important explanations for social change.

TECH 6351: Futures Research
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: Tech 6311 and HRD 6300, or consent of instructor. An introduction to and practice in the tools
and techniques used in traditional and in alternative futures forecasting.

Spring Courses

TECH 6371: World Futures
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: TECH 6311, or consent of instructor. A review of global trends shaping the future, including
the most important demographic, environmental, technological, economic, political, and cultural changes. (The first course for students beginning in the Spring semester.)

HDCS 6332: Consumer Issues and Futures Applications
Cr. 3 (3-0). Prerequisite: Graduate standing. Consumer issues for retailing and futures applications for systems
thinking.

HDCS 6331: Advanced Strategies for Futures Planning in Consumer Sciences and Retailing
Cr. 3 (3-0). Prerequisite: Graduate standing. Strategic thinking for changing retail environments and organizations,
focusing on research, best practices, and planning.

TECH 6319: Proseminar in Futures Studies
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: TECH 6311, or consent of instructor. A review of futures studies as a professional discipline
and practice, including the latest techniques and the ethics of professional practice.

Summer course

HRD 6300: Quantitative and Statistical Methods for Human Resources Development
Cr. 3. (3-0). A survey of statistical and quantitative methods for data analysis applied to human resources development.

Domain Electives

The formal degree plan requires three elective courses in a specific futures topic area (domain) to act as a type of specialty for each student. Almost any long-term futures topic is appropriate for a domain. Students may select courses in their domain offered at the University of Houston, at a university close to them or from an online courses at any accredited university. Students should consult with Dr. Bishop during the first semester to choose a domain specialty that will complete their graduate degree plan.

Master's Options

HDCS 6396: Master's Project
Cr. 3 (3-0). Prerequisite: Graduate standing and approval of the department chair. Master's project. May be repeated with
approval of the department chair.

HRD 6396: Internship
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: Approval of program advisor. Part- or full-time experience in the field.

Undergraduate Classes (offered every semester)

TECH 4397 –Selected Topics in Tech
Survey of the Future --Tu/Th @ 8:30-10 AM
Covers introduction to the futures field, futures methodologies, framework forecasting, and personal strategic planning.

TECH 4397 –Selected Topics in Tech
The Future of Energy & the Environment [online]
Discover how the future of energy and the environment will impact your area of study and your life.

Site Note: Because we want to make sure that the information on certain pages reflect the most current information, we've locked the pages. If you are a student or alumni with write privileges or are a student or alumni who would like privileges and you want to add to this page, please email houstonfutures@mac.com. More info on this can be found here. Anyone however can start or respond to threads/messageboards, the link for which can be found below.

Foresight Education Project

ProfessorWantanabe — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:13:51 CST

Visit the site at http://foresighteducation.wetpaint.com/

Modern society is awash in a sea of change; therefore, anticipate a future starkly different from the past and unlike the present.
People really DO try to influence the future, particularly, that of families, work spaces, and community with good intentions in mind.

Unfortuately, most are novices at best since formal education offers little preparation for "divining" the future.
As such, each new graduating class is set adrift on this sea of change called the future with little more than "a wish on a wing!"

The partial truth only!

The future hasn’t happened yet, how can one teach it?
The future is too complicated, how can anyone know it?
I myself have no formal training about the future.
My state’s curriculum standards don't include "futures-related" content.

Teaching more about the future in all of education is the mission of the Foresight Education Project!

Strengthen our collective FUTURE by partnering with teachers in secondary, college and graduate programs around the world

--to facilitate access to Ready-to-GO! instructional materials

augmenting regular lessons with a tip, tool or strategy involving foresight education.
developing foresight units and stand-alone courses within the regular school environment.
promoting "foresight" enhancing programs.

--to facilitate access to Foresight Experts (both educators and others).

--to serve as a link in the worldwide Foresight Community
among teachers who teach/have taught foresight courses
among the graduate foresight programs located around the world
with professional futurists in business, government and not-for-profit organizations

The Futures of the US

ProfessorWantanabe — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:13:28 CST

Visit the site at http://thefuturesoftheus.wetpaint.com/

It is our pleasure to welcome you to The Futures of the U.S. project conducted by graduate students in the Futures Studies program at the University of Houston. The graduate students in this course have assembled material on the seven key long-term issues affecting the future of the United States and provide critical information important to public discussion of the Presidential election. The Futures of the U.S. material can be used before and after the Presidential election in discussions about the likely long-term future of our country. We have chosen the year of 2028 as our time horizon. By 2028 another five Presidential elections and many other events will occur and the potential for change and surprise is vast. Our mission in the University of Houston Futures Studies program is to bring futures thinking into the whole educational system so that we are better informed and prepared for they ways in which our country and the world might develop. You may be interested in visiting our wiki, Foresight Education Project at http://foresighteducation.org .

History of the Futures Field

ProfessorWantanabe — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 09:44:43 CST

The desire to know the future stretches into antiquity. Most cultures had some form of divination which promised to foretell future events. The most famous was probably the Delphic Oracle that advised rulers and common people alike on their fate and the implications of their choices. The Oracle, though very successful, was probably nothing more than modern day astrologers and fortune tellers, giving sufficiently vague pronouncements so that people could read into them whatever they wished. We hope that our approach to the future these days is somewhat more systematic, but one never knows how historians of the future may treat our meager attempts today.

The formal consideration of the future began with the Enlightenment--that optimistic time when men believed that science would conquer all. Newton’s laws of motion had brought regularity and understanding to many disparate fields. The Enlightenment thinkers generalized from that great scientific victory to all manner of human affairs. They believed, sincerely, that it was just a matter of time before the laws of society would be revealed as well and used to create good people and good institutions.

That belief was expressed by Louis-Sebastian Mercier in his book L'Ann 2440, first published in 1770. L’Ann 2440 was a utopian story, the first work of utopian fiction set in the future. Utopians since Thomas More, the inventor the genre, were traveling the seas so they had always placed their utopias on some far away land. The Enlightenment, however, introduced the idea of continuous progress as a function of increasing scientific and technological capability and thereby changed our image of the future, perhaps forever. Another influential utopian in Mercier's tradition was Edward Bellamy. Bellamy's positive image of the future was so strong that Nationalist clubs sprang up around the country to implement his ideas.

Darker images of the future also appeared, first in H.G. Wells classic The Time Machine and later in George Orwell's 1984 and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. The future was now on the literary agenda. Works of science fiction began appearing in the 19th century following Jules Verne's tremendous success. More speculative works on the future began to appear following H.G. Well's Things to Come. The popular imagination was stirred by the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 which showed the wonders of electric lighting, appliances, the kinetoscope (Edison’s first motion picture camera) and the telephone. The Chicago Tribune asked 74 notables of that time to speculate on the coming century (Today Then: America’s best minds look 100 years into the future on the occasion of the 1893 World Columbian Exposition compiled by Dave Walter, American and World Geographic Publishing 1993). They were optimistic for the most part although they missed almost all of the significant events of the 20th century--such as the automobile, heavier than air flight, radio and television, the world wars, atomic energy, spaceflight, and, of course, the computer.

The formal study of the future began under the direction of William F. Ogburn, director of President Hoover’s Committee on U.S. Social Trends from 1930-33. Leading a team of researchers from the nascent discipline of sociology, Ogburn developed the first catalog of trends for the United States. Published in 1933, Recent Social Trends documented changes in the U.S. from 1890 to 1930.(http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/coolhtml/coolenin.html) They noted perennial trends like technological and economic growth and some trends which no one had expected, such as widespread immigration and the rise of divorce. That study launched the scientific study of the future using trend extrapolation and analysis as its method.

New methods were created following World War II. Technological forecasting began with an analysis of German and Japanese technology immediately following the war. Conducted by Theodore von Karmen under the direction of General Hap Arnold of the Army Air Force, it forecast a number of technological achievements of the 1950s and 60s including the radar, intercontinental ballistic missile and the jet transport.

The Cold War also presented military planners with new problems for which they had to come up with new solutions. The first problem was the incredible speed of a nuclear exchange compared to conventional warfare. Planners in conventional war typically had months or even years to plan and prepare for combat while armies were assembled and moved into place. A nuclear exchange, on the other hand, could take place in less than an hour. Once the missiles started to fly, planning time was over!

The Department of Defense with the aid of the RAND Corporation, the first government sponsored think-tank, developed the war game as a response. War games are simulated combat, first employed to "play out" the realities of a nuclear exchange. They were not predictions of how World War III will happen; rather they were possibilities of how it might happen. The war game grew up to be the scenario, a common tool of business planning today. Herman Kahn, a researcher at RAND during this period, claimed that the scenario allowed people to "think the unthinkable," notably nuclear war, in an atmosphere that allowed time for reflection and preparation (On Thermonuclear War). The same can be said of the scenario method today.

A second difficulty of military affairs in the Cold War was the complexity of the weapons. Airplanes, tanks, even ships could be turned out in relatively short order as demonstrated by the incredible production during World War II. Improvements to those devices could be incorporated almost immediately into the next version.

Intercontinental missiles and nuclear submarines are a different story. Design and development might well take a decade. The problem is the technology available at the beginning of that decade was far less capable than what was available at the end. A weapons systems that incorporated the technology that existed when development started would be obsolete when it was finally deployed. Military planners therefore had to anticipate the technological capabilities that would be available when the system went into production. That requirement gave rise to the field of technological forecasting, still practiced today primarily under the auspices of competitive intelligence.

The need for technology forecasts also spawned perhaps the most famous futures technique, the Delphi, survey in 1964. Again under the auspices of the RAND Corporation, Olaf Helmer and Ted Gordon conducted an extensive survey of technology experts on what new technologies would occur in the next 100 years. The study covered six topics: scientific breakthroughs; population control; automation; space progress; war prevention; weapon systems. The technique asked experts to give their estimates, consider the distribution of responses from all the experts, discuss their differences and provide new estimates. The results of this most famous of all Delphis were uncannily accurate in predicting the appearance of technologies decades into the future. (http://www.iit.edu/~it/delphi.html)

Futures studies as a public activity appeared in the 1960s. French futurist Bertrand de Jouvenel wrote the first theoretical study of the future in The Art of Conjecture. He anticipated the field by pointing that there were no future facts. As a result, non-traditional methods of evidence and inference were necessary. Olaf Helmer made the same point in 1959 with “The Epistemology of the Inexact Sciences" in which he defended the use of informed, yet subjective evidence in forecasting the future.

Consciousness about future problems also began to surface around this time. Harrison Brown wrote The Challenge to Man's Future in 1954, forecasting most of the ecological and developmental problems we are dealing with today. Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, published in 1962,launched the environmental movement with its overwhelming image of a world without robins. The analysis of problems in the early period culminated in Paul Ehrlich's Population BombLimits to Growth which traumatized society with the ultimate collapse of industrial society, complete with computer projections. The assassinations of John and Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., the appearance of poverty on the national agenda, the student revolution with protest, drugs, and sex, civil rights turmoil, the war in Vietnam, the oil crisis, Watergate--the world seemed to be falling apart indeed, and futurists seemed to be right on track predicting its demise.

The positive extrapolists were also hard at work in the 1960s. Sociologist Daniel Bell coined the term "post-industrial society" in his book of the same name. He also headed up the Commission on the Year 2000 sponsored by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1965. Bell began a long-line of futures thinkers which included Marshall McLuan (The Medium is the Message), Alvin Toffler (Future Shock and The Third Wave) and John Naisbitt (Megatrends, perhaps the most popular futures book of the 1980s.) While their future took a little longer in coming, the 1980s saw the PC transform work, and the 90s saw the Internet transform communication and business. The future had arrived and it was digital.

The infrastructure for the new discipline of futures studies was also being laid in the 1960s. Jim Dator taught the first course on the future in 1963 at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, and Wendell Bell began his series of courses at Yale shortly thereafter. Dator moved to the political science department at Hawaii where he created a strong concentration in futures studies for both Master's and Doctoral students. The University of Houston-Clear Lake established its free-standing Master of Science in Studies of the Future under the leadership of Jib Fowles and Christopher Dede in 1974. Futures concentrations sprang up at universities in Massachusetts, Akron, Minnesota, USC, and Portland State University. (Unfortunately, all except Hawaii and Houston are closed today.)

The two major futures organizations in the world were also established during this flurry of activity: the World Futures Society (WFS) in the U.S. in 1967 and the World Futures Studies Federation (WFSF) in Paris in 1973. WFS enrolled up to 40,000 members, published the popular Futurist magazine, and held conference of upwards of 5,000 people in the early 1980s. The WFSF, a more international organization, organized futurists around the world into a professional community. The Elsevier Publishing company also launched the journal Futures in the 1980s which has been the flagship of academic and intellectual publication since then. The WFS also published Futures Research Quarterly beginning 1990 and Camford Publishing just created foresight, a new journal of futures studies.

The current state of futures studies is more extensive yet more muted than during the Golden Age of the 1960s and early 70s. The world today is more ready to consider the future explicitly than it was then. The future is not left to a small band of marginal writers and teachers. Business people, government officials, and educators are all waking up to the fact we better focus on the future if we want to be successful there. They are making strategic plans powered by visions and informed by scenarios.

At the same time, the number of formal programs of education and training in futures have decline in the U.S. rather than expanded. New concentrations like competitive intelligence and strategic management have adopted many of the tools of the futures field without necessarily adopting its theoretical or ideological positions. In the end, futures may come to mirror the social sciences. Having sparked the society's interest in a subject of immense importance (e.g., human and social relations) and having developed many tools to deal with that subject, the social sciences today are almost purely academic, while the applications are pursued in business and government agencies without the field's continued involvement.

Professors/Instructors

ProfessorWantanabe — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:23:08 CST

Dr. Peter Bishop, program coordinator of futures program
Dr. Peter Bishop is an Associate Professor of Strategic Foresight and Coordinator of the graduate program in Futures Studies at the University of Houston. Dr. Bishop specializes in techniques for long‑term forecasting and planning. He has published a book on the subject, Thinking about the Future: Guidelines for Strategic Foresight, with co-author Andy Hines, and he delivers keynote addresses and conducts seminars on the future for business, government and not-for-profit organizations. He also facilitates groups in developing scenarios, visions and strategic plans for the future. Dr. Bishop's clients include IBM, the NASA Johnson Space Center, Nestle USA, Tetra Pak, the Shell Pipeline Corporation, the Defense and Central Intelligence Agencies, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Texas Department of Transportation, the California Environmental Protection Agency, and the Center for Houston’s Future. Dr. Bishop is a founding board member of the new Association of Professional Futurists, and he is President of his own firm, Strategic Foresight and Development, which offers education and training in futures thinking and techniques to the corporate market.

Dr. Bishop came to the University of Houston in 2005, having taught futures studies at the Clear Lake campus since 1983. He received his doctoral degree in sociology from Michigan State University in 1974. Dr. Bishop started teaching at Georgia Southern College in 1973 where he specialized in social problems and political sociology. He received a bachelor's degree in philosophy from St. Louis University where he also studied mathematics and physics. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri where he was a member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) for seven years. Dr. Bishop is married with two children and two grandchildren.

Andy Hines, M.S. in Futures
Andy Hines teaches futures studies at the University of Houston, alongside a "day job" of managing custom research and consulting projects at Social Technologies, a leading consulting futures firm that specializes in the integration of foresight, strategy of innovation. Prior to joining the University of Houston and Social Technologies, he enjoyed earlier careers as a consulting and then organizational futurist. He became a partner with Coates & Jarratt, Inc., a think tank and consulting firm that specialized in the study of the future. He was also Futurist & Senior Ideation Leader at Dow Chemical with a mission of using futures tools and knowledge to turn ideas into new business opportunities. Before that, he established and ran the Global Trends Program for the Kellogg Company.

Each career has been characterized by a professional hunger to make foresight practical and use. Andy believes that foresight can help deliver the insight so much in need in today's organizations and the world, and hopes he can infect as many change agents as possible with this message. Thus, he has honed a skill set designed to make foresight more actionable in organizations.

In this pursuit, he co-founded and is currently Vice-Chair of the Association of Professional Futurists, co-authored three books --Thinking About the Future: Guidelines for Strategic Foresight, 2025: Science and Technology Reshapes US and Global Society (Oak Hill, 1997) and Managing Your Future as an Association (ASAE, 1994). He has authored dozens of articles, speeches, and workshops, including the 2003 Emerald Literati Awards' Outstanding Paper accolade for best article published in Foresight for "An Audit for Organizational Futurists."

Andy earned his B.A. in History and Political Science from Salem State College in 1987 and his M.S. in Studies of the Future from UH-Clear Lake in 1990.

Garry Golden, M.S. in Futures

Terry Grim, M.S. in Futures
Bio FromSocial Technologies website.

After working at IBM for 30 years on leading-edge technology and strategic projects, Terry Grim, MS joined Social Technologies in 2007 as a futurist and consultant for strategic practices. She brings an extensive background in strategy development, customer engagements, and large-scale and mission-critical development management for top IBM clients including NASA, British Telecom, and the State of Washington.

While at IBM, Terry was responsible for corporate and division strategy and helped develop the Strategy Capability Maturity Model, still used throughout the company to assess strategic practices. She also has extensive project management experience, including as a senior manager for data systems development in NASA's Space Station and Space Shuttle, as well as for commercial projects. From 1994 to 1996 she served as a senior manager on redevelopment of British Telecom's billing system. She has been certified as a project manager by both IBM and the Project Management Institute.

Terry earned a BS with high honors (Phi Beta Kappa) in computer science from the University of Florida in 1975 and a M.S in Studies of the Future from UH-Clear Lake in 1993.

Draper Kauffman, Ph.D.

Kay E. Strong, Ph.D.

Cindy Frewen Wuellner, Ph.D.

Cindy Frewen Wuellner, FAIA, led an architecture firm for 20 years before merging it with another firm in order to shift her focus to the future of cities. Her numerous public projects garnered recognition and awards, concentrating on community development, master planning, and sustainability in civic, education, housing, and recreational facilities. Example projects are Kansas City Downtown Civic Mall Master Plan for 60 blocks of the central business district; Civic Council’s Downtown Corridor Development Strategies which involved urban planning and economic development for 4,000 acres; Kansas City, Missouri Police Department Facilities Master Plan for headquarters, training, and police stations; Charles E. Whittaker United States Courthouse Interiors; Ilus W. Davis Park, a two-block downtown civic commons that links the Whittaker US Courthouse and Kansas City’s City Hall, and in associated with BNIM Architects, completed Noisette Community a sustainable redevelopment of a former naval base in North Charleston, South Carolina and Texas Medical Center Sustainable Stormwater Master Plan for Bray’s Bayou in Houston, Texas.

Frewen is a Fellow in the American Institute of Architects and a Distinguished Alumna for the University of Kansas School of Architecture and Urban Design. Her design work was included in the AIA national traveling exhibit “That Exceptional One” and her firm was recognized as the first Kansas City Woman-Owned Business of the year. As an Adjunct Professor at the University of Kansas School of Architecture and Urban Design for two decades, Frewen has taught design, ethics, strategic planning, marketing, professional practice, and the future of architecture and given numerous lectures and design juries at KU and other universities. In addition, she teaches in the Futures Studies graduate program at the University of Houston. She holds professional architecture licenses in multiple states and professional certificates from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) and the US Green Building Council (USGBC) as a LEED accredited design professional.

Frewen completed two graduate degrees to further research the future of cities, earning a Master of Science in Futures Studies with honors (Phi Kappa Phi ‘04, thesis “Architecture Framework Forecast 2025”) from the University of Houston-Clear Lake and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Communication Studies (“Rhetorics of Architecture: A Framework for Understanding Future Cities” 2008) from the University of Kansas. She sits on the board of the University of Kansas School of Architecture, serves as President of the Kansas City Design Center, co-founded the Kansas City Architectural Foundation’s Scholarship Fund, has served on over thirty boards and committees, and is a member of numerous architectural, planning, communication, business, and forecasting organizations. Frewen presents to numerous groups on strategic planning, sustainable development, small business ownership, innovation, ethics, and leadership, including organizations such as Hallmark Cards, Herman Miller, and Edison Electric Institute. For more information on Cindy, see her profile page: http://houstonfutures.wetpaint.com/account/CindyFW

Rachel Tubman, M.S. in Futures (2007-08)
Before pursuing her Masters in Futures Studies with a concentration in Transformative Economics, Rachel ran her own consulting business which helped organizations, such as Budweiser, Behr Paint, the Aspen Music Festival and PepsiCo create and implement interactive entertainment strategies. She spent over a decade working with innovative new media companies, including engagements as Vice President of Artists & Repertoire and Marketing at AntEye.com (think YouTube, six years before YouTube), Director of Content for CollegeStudent.com (a Facebook-esque site launched in 1997) and New Markets Managing Editor for CitySearch.com, an international network of online city guides.
While at UH Rachel helped to create the campus wide 2007 Teach-In on Climate Change, the Future of Energy and the Environment lecture series and was a mentor for the newly formed Environmental Club. Rachel has worked with the team creating scenarios for the Texas Department of Transportation and presented on the Future of Waste to Energy at the 2008 World Futures Society conference (Washington DC).

Site Note: I have write privileges but I can't edit this page, why not? Because we want to make sure that the information on certain pages reflect the most current information, we've locked the pages. If you are a student or alumni with write privileges or are a student or alumni who would like privileges and you want to add to this page, please email houstonfutures@mac.com. More info on this can be found here. Anyone however can start or respond to threads/messageboards, the link for which can be found below.

WFS Futuring

ProfessorWantanabe — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:06:44 CST

Some of the participants in Peter Bishop's Introduction to Futures Studies pre-conference course at the annual meeting of the World Future Society wanted more detail on the Framework Forecasting process used in the Houston futures program. They and others may use this material for non-commercial purposes with attribution.

Participants,

Thank you for spending the day with us. The materials are in the attachments below.I hope you can use these materials to help you anticipate the future more effectively. Email if you if you have any questions.

Peter Bishop
Futures Studies
University of Houston

Celebrating the FUTURE!

ProfessorWantanabe — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:05:20 CST

Upcoming 35th Anniversary celebration of the UH FS program (1974-2009) & '09 Alumni Reunion.

May 1st Program Here is a link of the YouTube video I created for the 35th anniversary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2jxMKrr29Q Thanks Everyone! Mark Niles :)

May 2nd Program

It is our vision :) that futurists all around the globe have an opportunity to share in this historic milestone, Celebrating the Future!

The program, Celebrating the FUTURE!, begins at 4:30 PM in the Rockwell Pavilion at the UH M.D. Anderson Library. Among the speakers will be Dr. Christopher Dede, one of two faculty members initially hired to staff the program.. Dr. Dede is currently the Timothy E. Wirth Professor in Learning Technologies at Harvard University. Join us in Celebrating the FUTURE! physically or virtually. Open access through the Internet will be available. Plan to jump in with a word of congratulations or a raised cup of cheer! A Social Hour will follow. Just like old times :) !

The Second Alumni Reunion then begins with an Alumni Dinner for graduates and current students (7 PM). Do plan to attend! The challenge will be to have at least one member from each graduating class present!

The Reunion continues on Saturday morning with Open Space discussions on the “next 35” in the Cameron Building, the program’s new home. A Night on Houston will wind up the day.

As the program develops, information will be posted to the houstonfutures.org wiki. Leave us questions, comments or responses at http://houstonfutures.org.

Our Guests of Honor are the Earlier Founders:

Chancellor of UH-Clear Lake, Alfred Neumann (Deceased)
Dean of Human Sciences and Humanities, Calvin Cannon

Jib Fowles (PhD in Communications), first Chair of the UH Clear Lake Futures Studies Program 1974--confirmed + Joy Fowles
Chris Dede (PhD in Education), first Faculty--confirmed
Jim Bowman (PhD in Education), first Faculty--confirmed + Lynn Bowman
Fred Kierstead (PhD in Education) (Deceased), first Faculty
Oliver Markley (PhD in Experimental Psychology) joins Faculty in 1978--confirmed
Jim Coomer (PhD in Public Administration) Mercer College--confirmed
Peter Bishop (PhD in Sociology) joined Faculty in 1983 to Present--confirmed + Lue Bishop

Count for planning purposes:

A. Plan to Attend 35th Anniversary

B. Plan to Attend '09 Alumni Reunion

A. Plan to Attend 35th Anniversary Celebration (1 May @ 4:30-5:50 PM Houston time)

Instructions: futurega@uh.edu Subject line [35th Anniversary Attendance]

In Body of email: Choose Physical Attendance or Remote Attendance
Add Name: & guest count: (#)

Choose "EasyEdit" from top of this page, enter content, then choose "Save"

[To add/remove rows and columns, cancel this dialog and right-click in the table.]

PHYSICAL Presence	REMOTE Presence
Vern Wheelwright	Catherine Cosgrove '08
Joan Henke-Tilton '97
Seth Itzhan
M. J. Michael '94
Rachel Tubman
Dan Switzer '99
Stephanie Carroll
Terry & Cliff Grim
David Learned '95
Scott Reif	10
Gail & John Siegel
Kay Strong '09
Alexandra Montgomery
Boi-Yeanoh Adams
Dr. Greenwood
Andy Hines as MC
Pam McConathy
Jason Siko '07
Margaret Fitzgerald
Joan Guild	20
Bob Hawkins
Gary Hamel & Wife Class of 1987
Jennifer Jarrett & Guest
Morgan Kauffman
Draper Kauffman
Elizabeth Chapman
Gary Whittridge + 1
Mashael Binahmed
Jay Forrest '97
Ken Hamik	30
Nuria Seijas
Mackenzie Spellman
Thomas Monroe
Aliki Morntountak & guest
Anne Boysen
Ross Shott
Patricia Tynan
Beatriz Arnillas
Dean Fitzgibbons
Dr. Goodson	40
Dr. Adomaitis
Dr. Ezell
Dr. Norwood
Dr. Waight
Elizabeth Rielly
Jeremy Mancuso
Melissa & Mark Niles
Dr. Jib Fowles & Joy
Dr. Oliver Markley
Drs. Bishop (2)	50
Martin Siebold
Dennis Draeger

John Jackson
Dan Cassler
Jessica Pugil
Cody Clark (1)
Susan Weeks
Lou Wheatcraft
	60

B. Plan to Attend '09 Alumni Reunion (May 1 & 2)
Both Current Students & Alums

Instructions: futurega@uh.edu Subject line ['09 Alumni Reunion]

In Body of email: Add Name: & guest count (#)
Will need Hotel Arrangements: Yes or No

Choose "EasyEdit" from top of this page, enter content, then choose "Save"

[To add/remove rows and columns, cancel this dialog and right-click in the table.]

Name & Guest Count (#)
Kay E. Strong (1)
Alexandra Montgomery
Patricia Tynan
Vern Wheelwright (1)
Pam McConathy
Jason Siko
Bob Hawkins
Jennifer Jarratt
Morgan Kauffman
Jay Forrest (1)
Ken Hamik (May 1 only)
Anne Boysen
Jeremy Mancuso
David Learned
Martin Siebold
Dennis Draeger

Cody Clark (1)

Name & Guest Count (#)

Kay E. Strong (1)

Alexandra Montgomery

Patricia Tynan

Vern Wheelwright (1)

Pam McConathy

Jason Siko

Bob Hawkins

Jennifer Jarratt

Morgan Kauffman

Jay Forrest (1)

Ken Hamik (May 1 only)

Anne Boysen

Jeremy Mancuso

David Learned

Martin Siebold

Dennis Draeger

Cody Clark (1)

For our out-of-town guests, we will attempt to negotiate a group rate at the UH Hilton on campus, if you wish.

C. If you have "ideas" or wish to share the "excitement" by volunteering :), please, let us know--at the houston futures organization wiki.

Post your ideas to the "Threads" below.

Choose "EasyEdit" from top of this page, enter content, then choose "Save"

[To add/remove rows and columns, cancel this dialog and right-click in the table.]

Volunteering

Kay E. Strong--volunteering to negotiate the near-impossible!

Stephanie Carroll

Gail Siegel--airport pickups

Scot Reif

Alexandra Montgomery

FAQ

ProfessorWantanabe — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:04:23 CST

If you have questions that are not answered here, please either post them in our discussion forum, or if they are not of the public nature, email them to Rachel at houstonfutures@mac.com.

So, I can attend the program either on campus or by internet? What's it like to attend by internet?
All graduate courses are held from 5:30pm to 8:30pm Central US time in room 229 of the Cameron building on the University campus. A polycom similar to one you would use for a conference call at a meeting is set up in the room and broadcasts the voices of the instructor and students over the internet simultaneously with the any visual presentations or PowerPoints that the instructor is showing. Students attending from home usually connect through their computer headset so they can hear the class and see the presentations as well as respond via voice and chat. All classes are archived so if you miss one you can go back and listen and hear what went on in the class. While video is used at times by certain instructors, it is not common. We have been experimenting with holding classes in Second Life, but this is not standard yet either.

What is PostBach?
PostBach stands for Post Baccalaureate, hard to spell but easier to do in this way...if you already hold a four year (or equalvienet) you are likely a PostBach, meaning that you do not need to go through the whole admissions and acceptance process to take a couple of either graduate or undergraduate courses. If your are taking Graduate courses they can count towards your degree if you apply to the program.

What kind of computer set up do I need.
James, our technology person gives a run down of the actual systems specs below but in general some kind hard-wired, broadband connection is best. Dial-up is out (too little bandwidth) and wireless is iffy.

How much does it cost to attend the program?
For Texas Residents the costs range from about $1,700 for one class to about $5,200 for four classes.
For non-Residents costs range from about $2,600 to about $9,000 for four classes.
These amounts are for tuition and fees only, they do not include lodging.

Please keep in mind that these are not official numbers but estimates that might vary (either higher or lower) depending on if the student is attending on campus or distanced and various things having to do with insurance (don't ask us what, it hurts our heads to think about it). Contact Tiffany Roosa, the graduate adviser for the College of Technology for more exact information.

Are there scholarships available?
There are a couple different tuition assistance programs available. Every semester one graduate assistantship is available which covers the cost of tuition. The Kay Hamilton Memorial Scholarship is also available for one student per year which provides $1,000 towards tuition plus in-state tuition for out-of-state students.

Can I get financial aid?
If you take two classes or more, you should be eligible for financial aid. Check with Tiffany Roosa at the University of Houston for more details.

How long does it take to complete the program?
Three semesters is about as fast as anyone has completed the coursework (and didn't enter the hospital at the end!), plus the time to complete an internship or another masters project. However the quick route is only recommended to those who appreciate being knocked over the head with the club of knowledge every day for year. Since many people attend the program while working full-time, it's more usual to complete the program over three to five years.

What do people do when they are done with the program?
Yowsa, that's a hard question because people do all sorts of things from going into futures consulting to remaining in their current profession and bringing their new futures knowledge into play. The best thing to do is check out the Alumni page.

Is there Student housing at the University of Houston?
Um, yeah, but students who have recently lived on campus were less than impressed with the digs. Houston though is a relatively inexpensive city to live in and finding housing is usually not that difficult. Check out Craig's List for a sample of apartments. Recent students recommend living in the Montrose neighborhood which along with being one of Houston's few walking neighborhoods is chock full of restaurants, shopping and bars as well as being about ten to fifteen minutes from campus. The Heights has also seen its share of Futures students.

Can you explain again why it's called Futures Studies in Commerce and do I have to study commerce?
It's a little hard to explain because it's got to do with accreditation and other such things. Be assured though that the wide range of subjects including futures as it pertains to community development, not-for-profits, governments and research is open to all who enter the program. Various folks are working to get the name changed back to Futures Studies. If you still have questions about this, please email Dr. Bishop, and he can explain where we currently are in this process.

I'm trying to edit on of the pages and even though I have "write" privileges I can't make edits. Why not?
Write privileges allow the person with the privileges to write over, change or add to the site. Because we want to make sure that the information on certain pages reflect the most current information, we've locked the pages. If you are a student or alumni with write privileges or are a student or alumni who would like privileges and you want to add to this page, please email houstonfutures@mac.com. Anyone however can start or respond to threads/messageboards, the link for which can be found below.

Site Note: I have write privileges but I can't edit this page, why not? Because we want to make sure that the information on certain pages reflect the most current information, we've locked the pages. If you are a student or alumni with write privileges or are a student or alumni who would like privileges and you want to add to this page, please email houstonfutures@mac.com. More info on this can be found here. Anyone however can start or respond to threads/messageboards, the link for which can be found below.

Current Students

ProfessorWantanabe — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:02:38 CST

If you are a prospective student, please check out the list of current students below to see the backgrounds and interests of your potential classmates. Some students have created full profiles on their member page, if they have you will see a link to their profile in the last box.

Here is a list of the domain interests and locations of students registered for the spring '08 semester.

	Washington DC	Political, Middle East
	Austin TX	Automotive, energy, environment
	Montreal QB	Political
	Pasadena CA	Consulting
	Zurich CH	Psychometrics
	Tulsa OK	Popular culture
	Houston TX	Food
	Houston TX	Software development
	Huron OH	Economics
	Tampa FL	Military
	Houston TX	Energy efficiency
	Houston TX	Public relations
	Austin TX	Marketing
	Houston TX	Transformative Econoimcs
	Houston TX	Transhumanism
	Houston TX	Project management
	Vancouver BC	Fundamentalist ideologies
	Victoria TX	Government
	Atlanta GA	Information technology
	Houston TX	International relations
	Sydney NSW	Integral futures
	Houston TX	Sales, IT
	Boulder, CO	Risks and Biases, Enhancement, Energy, Science/Tech Policy, Futures Education

If you are a student looking to add your info to this page, please scroll down for instructions. Thanks.

Name	Current Work, including location	Futures Interests/Domains
Expected Graduation	Pre Futures Background	Full Profile
Pam McConathy	Recently started my own communications/public relations consultancy practice with a strategic foresight twist: Foresight Communications Group; www.thinkforesight.com. (Houston TX)	communications, media, technology, futures, entrepreneurism, music, photography; www.linkedin.com/in/pmcconathy
May, 2009	More than 25 years in news reporting, public relations, advertising, marketing and corporate communications	http://www.houstonfutures.org/account/pmcconathy
Dennis Draeger	Internship doing a comparative study for the leading edge globally of futures work for a New Zealand based consulting company called Next Corporation. Currently in Auckland but soon moving to Austin to work with Derek Woodgate at the Futures Lab. (Tulsa OK)	media, technology, culture, history, literature, music, environment
December, 2008	Seven years as assistant manager for a sound production company and four years teaching English in Seoul, Korea.	http://www.houstonfutures.org/account/DennisDD
Rachel T	Interning with Hazel Henderson's Ethical Markets Media/graduate assistant for the department. In September teaching an undergrad class, the Future of Energy and the Environment at (or really through the University of Houston. (Houston TX)	Transformative Economics, sustainability, futures (of course), science fiction, waste, media, technology, environment.
August, 2008	A decade in interactive and traditional media	http://www.houstonfutures.org/account/racheltu
Charles Kennedy	Senior VP at the social trends research company DYG, Inc. (Pasadena, CA)	Forecasting, trends, marketing, memes, brain science, getting ready for the "singularity"
2011	Extensive background in the field of social, cultural and consumer trends research.I specializes in generational analysis, media trends, and social trend expression through entertainment.For over a decade at Fox Broadcasting, I was responsible for testing viewer reaction to all Fox programs, marketing concepts and brand imagery.A trained moderator, I've conducted over 700 focus groups.My work at the Newscorp owned Fox network involved me in the initial research for the launch of The FX channel, The Family Channel and Fox Sports. The son of a diplomat, I spent most of my childhood and adolescence overseas - in Yugoslavia, Greece, Korea and Italy.
Terry Collins	Futures consultant (Sydney, Austraila)	Integral, energy and personal futures
Dec. 2008, maybe June 2009	35 years oil & Gas


Ross Schott	Field Service Division Manager for an engineered equipment manufacturer.	Longevity, Human-Enhancement, Cyber-Soldiers / Reading, Martial Arts, Women
Summer-2009	Field Service Division Manager for an engineered equipment manufacturer. (Houston, TX)
Gail C. Siegel	Leader, Business Development and Client Communications, Social Technologies (Houston, TX)	The future of food and restaurants (Foodie Futurist!), privacy law and public record, generational values/class definitions and shifts, future of philanthropy/wealth (US)
2013	15 years in fundraising for medical education/medical research	http://houstonfutures.wetpaint.com/account/FoodieFuturist
Shawn Clark	Public transit and environmental resources project planning for the area council of governments - we serve the city and county governments for the seven counties surrounding Victoria. (Victoria, TX)	Government, bureaucracy, media, pop culture, marketing, sustainable living, living off the grid, body image, body modification, pets
2009	Undergrad degree in journalism, MBA. Spent seven years as a journalist.	http://houstonfutures.wetpaint.com/account/shawnrc
Catherine Cosgrove	Policy Advisor, Quebec Premier Jean Charest	Use of foresight in government decision-making, organizational development, future of food
2008?	Lawyer. 3 years project management in strategic capacity building one of the 20 most admired knowledge entreprises in the world. 2 years in not-for-profit/health, 5 years as Policy Director for a provincial political party in Canada. Member of the WFUNA Millennium Project Planning Committee.	http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=999569&trk=tab_pro
Sean Daken	Software Product Management/Marketing, (Mountain View, CA and Boulder, CO)	Interested in the exploration of long-term technological change and the impacts of emerging technologies on human and natural systems. Interested in improving methods to enable better decisions in organizations affected by rapid technological change and extreme uncertainty. Science and Technology Policy,Sustainability,Decision Science, Cognitive Biases,Cognitive Neuroscience,Systemics, Nanotechnology, Artificial Intelligence, History (specifically broad patterns of human and natural history)
2011 (expected)	Focused on developing rapidly growing businesses and building scalable ecosystems. at Intuit.	http://www.linkedin.com/in/seandaken
Elizabeth Chapman	Teacher, Westbrook Academy for Visions in Education Friendswood, TX	Interested in the futures of education, infectious disease, culture and political systems.
2011
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Posting Directions:

If you are a current student and you wish to post your profile here and you have "writer" privileges for the site, then please click on the "easy edit" button at the top of the page and replace the temp text in the first available 3x2 set of cells. If you don't have and/or don't want write privileges, please just put your answers in an email and send them to pbishop@uh.edu. There is also a longer list of questions to answer when you fill out your member profile page. If you do fill out your profile, please create a link to it, if you so wish.

Students/Alumni

ProfessorWantanabe — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:01:35 CST

The field of futures draws a variety of personalities from across the spectrum of careers who are curious about the next "BIG" change. Some are fresh out of undergraduate studies; others are mid-career professionals. The commonalities shared by all, however, are curiosity, openness to the possibilities and a drive to understand the complexity of the world.

Missing the learning experience?
Contact the Graduate Assistant (futuresga@uh.edu) for the GUEST ACCESS link to join in one of the real-time classes.
Classs meets from 5:30-8:30 PM (Central time) on Monday-Intro to Futures Studies; Tuesday-Futures Research; Thursday-Scenarios. Syllabi for fall 09 below in the Attachments.

Also See:
Current Students
Alumni
Advisory Board
News

Prospective Students

ProfessorWantanabe — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:01:13 CST

Thanks for the interest in the University of Houston Futures Studies program.

Some quick facts and more about Graduate Applicants:

Deadlines

The College of Technology has the following deadlines:

Fall:	July 1st (US Applicant	(April 1st for International Applicants)
Spring:	December 1st (US Applicant)	(October 1st for International Applicants)
Summer*:	May 1st (US Applicant)	(April 1st for International Applicants)

Yes, in order to get into the program you must complete or have completed either the GRE, GMAT or MATs. If you are applying to late to take your GREs or MATs, you can apply to the program as Post Baccalaureate, this allows you to take four classes without having to go through the official acceptance process (letters of recommendation, GRE's and such), though you do still have to fill out an application. If you are an undergrad in another program who wants to take an undergrad course, you can apply as a Transient Student.

In all cases, prospective students must fill out the The Texas Common Application here: https://www.applytexas.org/adappc/gen/c_start.WBX

It's also strongly recommended that you speak to Dr. Bishop (pbishop@uh.edu, 281-433-4160) or a graduate assistant (futuresga@uh.edu) before applying. As Futures is an interdisciplinary program as well as going through some changes at the moment (2008), it's the best way to get the most accurate, up to date info.

The program only offers graduate degrees (Master's of Technology) though the program is starting to offer individual undergrad courses.

Below is the official admissions info from the University. A good person to speak with about admission details is Tiffany Roosa who is the graduate advisor for the Futures program -- troosa@uh.edu.

Required Items for Admission to Graduate School (for U.S. students)

Application from the Office of Admissions.
Application Fee: The application fee for all applicants to graduate programs in the College of Technology is $75. International applicants must also pay an additional $75 International Application processing fee.
2 Official Transcripts reflecting your Bachelor’s Degree (They must arrive in a sealed envelope from your university.)
2 Official Transcripts of any coursework since your Bachelor's degree (They must arrive in a sealed envelope from your college or university.)
3 Letters of Recommendation Download Recommendation Letter Form
Letter of Intent: A letter of intent is a 1-2 page essay describing your current employment and your professional intentions. You may want to identify aspects of your previous experience that indicate promise in your selected goal. You may also wish to discuss special circumstances, unique experiences, etc.
Appropriate Exam Scores - Exams must have been completed within the last 5 years. You can use the UH Testing Service for your exams.
If you are pursuing a Master of Technology you may submit official scores from either the GRE, GMAT or MAT.

International and Post-Baccalaureate students can check out the admissions process at --

I nternational (International students who will not enter the U.S. do not need a student visa.)
Post-Baccalaureate (Post-Bac students can only take 12 hours before they must be admitted to the program.)

If you have more questions about admissions, costs, living in Houston, etc, please see the FAQ page.

Site Note: I have write privileges but I can't edit this page, why not? Because we want to make sure that the information on certain pages reflect the most current information, we've locked the pages. If you are a student or alumni with write privileges or are a student or alumni who would like privileges and you want to add to this page, please email houstonfutures@mac.com. Anyone however can start or respond to threads/messageboards, the link for which can be found below. Thank you.

History of the Program

ProfessorWantanabe — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:58:13 CST

The graduate program in Studies of the Future was established in 1974 (when the Clear Lake campus of the University of Houston was founded) by the Dean of the School of Human Sciences and Humanities, Calvin Cannon, and the Chancellor of UH-Clear Lake, Alfred Neumann. The mid-1970s was a high point of futures studies with the founding of the World Future Society, the World Futures Studies Federation and the publication of futures best-sellers, such as Future Shock and The Limits to Growth. Dr. Cannon thought futures should be a regular part of the curriculum, a complement to the study of history.

The University hired two faculty members to staff the program—Jib Fowles, the first chair of the program, and Christopher Dede. Fowles received his degree in communications and sociology from New York University. Dede graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a degree in education and with a strong emphasis in futures studies and instructional technology. Faculty from other programs in the university also taught courses in the futures program – notably, Jim Bowman and Fred Kierstead from education and Jim Coomer from public administration.

The program was assigned to the Human Sciences component of HSH, but it was treated in the early years as more of a humanities program, in which the big issues of the day were studied and debated. One of the biggest debates centered on whether Houston should continue its meteoric growth of the 1970s or whether steps should be taken to control that growth. Most feeling was on the side of managing the growth. Ever the contrarian, however, Fowles became known as the advocate for the pro-growth/no-regulation side of the debate.

It became obvious, however, that a purely academic program would not be sustainable as enrollments began to dip at the end of the decade. As a result, the faculty recruited Oliver Markley from the Stanford Research Institute where he had done a number of futures studies under contract to the US Department of Education among others. Markley had an undergraduate degree in engineering and graduate degrees in experimental psychology from the University of Chicago. His task was to create a more professionally-oriented program that would still retain the diversity and interest of the original program.

Peter Bishop joined the faculty in 1983. Bishop had come to UH-Clear Lake in 1976 to teach research methods and statistics in Behavioral Sciences. His background, however, included graduate degrees in sociology from Michigan State University with concentrations in social change, social problems, social movements, and organizational and political sociology. Bishop became the convener of the program almost from the outset as Fowles moved to establish a new program in Media Studies.

Asthe University became more disciplinary in the 1980s more of the courses fell to Dede, Markley, Kierstead and Bishop. Dede left in 1990 to join the faculty at George Mason University, and Kierstead withdrew shortly thereafter. Markley took a leave of absence around that time, and Jennifer Jarratt, a graduate of the program and a principal at Coates & Jarratt, a Washington DC futures research firm, took his place for a year. Ms. Jarratt began the first Futures Forum on the future of the Southwest, an annual event on different topics over the next five or six years.

Early in the 1990s, the faculty, some alumni and students created the Institute for Futures Research (IFR), an umbrella organization that allowed faculty, alumni and students to work on futures projects together. The first study in 1991 was a look into the future of world issues commissioned by the Vice-Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. Other notable clients were the NASA Johnson Space Center, General Motors, Lockheed, the Waitt Family Foundation and the Education Foundation of Harris County.

Staff changes in the 1990s allowed Wendy Schultz to join the faculty for four years. Schultz had studied under Jim Dator at the University of Hawaii receiving her degree in political science with a strong concentration in futures studies. Schultz’s dissertation was a review of facilitation techniques used in futures studies so she brought a wealth of research and consulting experience to the program.

The faculty instituted the Intensive Summer Program in 1995. As the only free-standing degree in futures studies in the U.S., many people wanted to pursue the degree although they could not relocate to Houston. In fact, many wanted the program to go online immediately, but the faculty judged that online resources, both in the market and at the university, were not mature enough to support an entire online degree. Instead, they invited students to Houston for six weeks in the summer. (Many joked that six weeks in the Houston summer was as bad as 40 weeks during the rest of the year!) Those who participated (faculty and students alike) found it a rich learning experience although completing the assignments during the rest of the year proved to be a definite challenge.

Markley retired in the late 1990s, and Schultz returned to her home in Oxford, England. Christopher Jones then joined the faculty for three years. Jones had studied with Dr. Schultz in Hawaii and taught political science at Eastern Oregon University before coming to UH-Clear Lake. During his first year, Jones was elected Secretary-General of the World Futures Studies Federation, making UH-Clear Lake the WFSF headquarters for the two years.

During this time, Bishop and Jones began offering futures courses online. The plan was to introduce one new online course each semester until Fall 2004. Jones left shortly after that, however, so the plan had to be extended to Fall 2005. As a result students have graduated with Master’s degrees from Austin TX, Knoxville TN, Wilmington DE, Phoenix AZ and other places.

The program hosted its first alumni reunion/retreat in May 2001 to celebrate its 25th anniversary and to involve alumni in preparing the program for the next 25 years. Jennifer Jarratt conducted an open space discussion about program issues over the two-day period. One of the groups discussed the possibility of establishing a real professional association for practicing futurists, an idea that had been discussed (to death!) for some time. Many of the graduates acted on the discussion forming the Association of Professional Futurists, an organization of over 200 professional futurists, provisional members and students from around the world.

The State of Texas suffered a major funding crisis in 2002-03 because of the decline in the U.S. economy. As a result, the university could not immediately replace Dr. Jones who left the university that year. As a result, Bishop picked up all the courses with help from adjunct faculty. In the end, Dean Bruce Palmer chose not to replace Jones. He preferred to use his faculty positions to teach in the larger and more lucrative programs of psychology and criminal justice, forcing Dr. Bishop to close the program as program with only one faculty member would not be sustainable.

Fortunately at the behest of Dr. Shirley Ezell from the Department of Human Development and Consumer Science, Dean William Fitzgibbon of the College of Technology at the University of Houston approached Dr. Bishop with the idea of re-establishing the program at the central campus. Bishop and the program alumni were thrilled with the idea, and the program began its transition immediately.

In preparation for full-scale operations, the Department hired Andy Hines, a program graduate with futures experience at Coates & Jarratt, the Kellogg Company and Dow Chemical in January 2005, and Bishop moved his appointment to UH in that fall. Together, Bishop and Hines began admitting students on a provisional basis and started teaching courses in Fall 2005.

The Department submitted the paperwork to have the degree moved from the Clear Lake to the UH Central campus. The administration determined, however, that this constituted a new degree, not just a move, which meant it had to go through the full faculty and administrative review process. The Programs Subcommittee of the Graduate Professional and Services Committee reviewed the proposal in Spring 2006 and turned it down by a vote of 3-2. The Department revised and re-submitted the proposal the following fall. It was later approved by the Committee in Spring 2007, and by the Texas Coordinating Board for Higher Education in October 2007.

Though the program underwent changes for approval—notably the addition of a statistics course and required domain electives, the core remained in tact. In fall 2008 the program once again began admitting students under the new curriculum.

The University of Houston celebrated its 35-year partnership with the futures field on 1 May 2009 as well as recognized Dr. Peter Bishop's 25 years of stewardship. The program held its second retreat on Saturday, 2 May.

Contact Dr. Bishop if you have questions or want to suggest changes to this page...

Advisory Board

ProfessorWantanabe — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:49:29 CST

Welcome. The University of Houston Futures Studies Advisory Board is made up of some pretty impressive folks in the Futures community, quite a few who also happen to be alumni and professors.

If you happen to be one of board members and wish to update or change any of the information in your bio, please, let us know by emailing pbishop@uh.edu. Thanks!

Andy Hines Adjunct Instructor at the University of Houston & Director of Custom Programs at Social Technologies
Social Technologies: http://www.socialtechnologies.com
See Andy's bio on the Professor & Instructor page.

Joel Barker Independent Futurist & Author
http://joelbarker.com/
From Premiere Speakers Bureau: Joel Barker is an independent scholar and futurist. Because he was the first person to popularize the concept of paradigm shifts, he is known around the world as the "Paradigm Man." He began his work in 1975 and pioneered the concept of paradigm shifts to explain profound change and the importance of vision to drive change within organizations. His book, "Future Edge," published in 1992, was listed as one of the most influential business books of that year by the prestigious Library Journal...Formerly director of the Futures Studies Department of the Science Museum of Minnesota from 1974 to 1978, Joel Barker has spoken to more than 1 million people around the world.

Clement Bezold Founder and Chairman of the Board
Institute for Alternative Futures: http://www.altfutures.com/
Clement Bezold is Chairman of the Board and Founder of the Institute for Alternative Futures (IAF) and it's for-profit subsidiary, Alternative Futures Associates (AFA). Dr. Bezold established IAF in 1977 to encourage "Anticipatory Democracy." In 1982, he started AFA to assist corporations in their strategic planning. Trained as a political scientist, he has been a major developer of foresight techniques - applying futures research and strategic planning methods in both the public and private sectors. As a consultant, Dr. Bezold has worked with a large variety of successful and growing corporations as well as governments and non-profit organizations. He has designed numerous workshops and projects to study future environments in a wide range of fields including health care, law and the courts, the environment, genomics, and science and technology.

Napier Collyns of the Global Business Network (GBN)
Global Business Network: http://www.gbn.com/
From the GBN Website: Napier Collyns is a cofounder of Global Business Network. He is also a board member of the Arlington Institute and the Meridian International Institute, a fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science, and a member of Forum 21, International Futures Forum, and the editorial boards of Omnipedia—Thinking for Tomorrow and Geopolitics of Energy.Until recently he was a senior associate of Cambridge Energy Research Associates, a public director of the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), editor-at-large for Doubleday Currency, a board member of the Strategic Management Society and a participant in the ICIS Forum.

Tom Conger Founder of Social Technologies
Social Technologies: http://www.socialtechnologies.com
From Social Technologies Website: Tom Conger is a consulting futurist and the founder of Social Technologies. A generalist by choice, his ongoing studies span business, science, technology, culture, politics, demographics, the economy, and the environment. Tom’s breadth of knowledge is reflected in the clients he serves, which range from Fortune 100 companies to national technology agencies to professional associations...Before starting Social Technologies in 1999, Tom worked with leading futurist firms including Coates & Jarratt and the Institute for Alternative Futures...Tom is a graduate of the MS program in Studies of the Future at the University of Houston–Clear Lake and was a founding board member of the Association of Professional Futurists. He regularly speaks and writes about the future.

Christian Crews Director of Growth Strategies at Pitney-Bowes
Pitney Bowes: www.pb.com/
From the Futures Podcast Lecture Series:Christian Crews is the Director of Futures Strategy for Pitney Bowes, where he conducts foresight projects such as scenario planning, innovation workshops, environmental scanning and strategy development. Prior to joining Pitney Bowes, Christian was a Director at the Waitt Institute, where he facilitated community and nonprofit scenario planning workshops for social innovation and preferred futures. Before the institute, he developed strategy and innovation engagements as the Long Range Planner for Toshiba International Corp. He has a BA in English from the College of William and Mary, and a MS in Future Studies from the University of Houston - Clear Lake.

Ted Gordon Senior Research Fellow of the Millennium Project
Millennium Project: http://www.millennium-project.org/
From the Lifeboat Foundation: Ted Gordon is a futurist and management consultant. He is an expert in several high technology fields, a graduate engineer, a specialist in planning and policy analysis, and an entrepreneur. His current professional activities include consulting on strategy for several major corporations, lecturing, serving as Senior Research Fellow of the Millennium Project of the World Federation of the United Nations Association. He was cofounder of the Millennium Project and has participated on the corporate boards of Apollo Genetics, the Institute for Global Ethics, Registry Databases, and The Futures Group, the consulting firm he formed over twenty years ago.

Dominique Jaurola (Purcell) Director of Visioware
Visoware: http://www.visioware.com/
From Visoware's Site: Dominique is Director of Visioware; Visioware facilitates strategic foresight - business, technology and consumer foresight - to business outcomes, company wide transformation and action. Dominique is also the co-author of Strategic Foresight: The Power of Standing in the Future.

Oliver Markley Professor Emeritus, University of Houston-Clear Lake
http://www.owmarkley.org/
From Prof. Markley's Site: Oliver Markley is an emeritus professor of human sciences and studies of the future. His career began as a design engineer but quickly expanded to include social psychology and “futures research” (forecasting, strategic trend assessment, visioning, strategic planning). After ten years as a principal in a pioneering futures research “think tank” at the Stanford Research Institute's Management and Social Systems Group, he was recruited to chair a new graduate program in Studies of the Future at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, where he taught for 23 years before retirement. As a master of Focused Visioning methods, Dr. Markley maintains a part-time research and consulting practice, Inward Bound. Most recently, he has founded The Integrity Project—an experimental social action initiative using "Integral Spiritual Activism" as a way to uplift the level of integrity in the body politic: personal, public and planetary.

Pero Mićić (pronounced mitch-itch) President of Future ManagmentGroup
Future Management Group: http://english.futuremanagementgroup.com
From Future Management's Site: Dr. Pero Mićić is internationally known as a leading expert for Future Management.

Chairman of FutureManagementGroup AG whose mission it is to help top leaders in business, politics and administration to see more of the future than their competitors.
Consultant to the management teams and experts of many of the world’s leading companies. He helps them to systematically elaborate and analyze future scenarios, to perceive and to seize future opportunities at a very early point and to turn this knowledge into strategic and financial success.
Keynote speaker on professional conferences and festivities in places like Mexico-City, London, Paris, Washington, Warsaw, Budapest, Prague and Moscow.
Studied Business Administration and Futures Research in Germany and the USA.
Earned his PhD with a work on "The Phenomenology of Future Management in Top Management Teams" from Leeds Metropolitan University in UK.
Author of the books "Die fünf ZukunftsBrillen" (The Five FutureGlasses) 2007; "Das Zukunfts-Radar (The FutureRadar) 2006; "Der ZukunftsManager" (The FutureManager) (2003) and three more books.
Founding member of the Association of Professional Futurists in the USA.
President of the advisory board to the European Futurists Conference in Lucerne.
President of the conference on International Trend- and Future Management.

Amy Oberg Corporate Futurist at Kimberly Clark
Kimberly Clark: www.kimberly-clark.com/
From New Context Consulting: Amy Oberg is a strategist, futurist and competitive analyst who specializes in helping organizations better understand the emerging competitive environment and respond with effective, proactive strategies. With over 23 years of cumulative experience in competitive, organizational, management, and market analyses, her insights regarding emerging trends, threats and opportunities, competitor activities, market conditions, and new technologies have been sought out by organizations in a wide variety of industries including aerospace, energy, telecommunications, transportation, consumer goods, real estate and finance. Most recently, Ms. Oberg has applied her knowledge and skills to assist organizations such as NASA, Enron, Dynegy, Kimberly Clark, Conoco, MCI, Solectron, United Nations, DARPA, the State of Minnesota, and the City of Kaoshuing (Taiwan). Ms Oberg is the creator of the radio program Speaking of the Future; co-chair of the Boston chapter of Women in Networking; and a member of The World Future Society and Mass Women In Technology. She has served on national and local steering committees and boards for the World Future Society and the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals. Ms. Oberg holds a Master of Science degree in Studies of the Future and a Bachelors degree in Communications. In addition, she has completed the Program for Managers at Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Management and formal CI training at the Academy of Competitive Intelligence.

Dave Rejeski Director Foresight and Governance Project & the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies
Woodrow Wilson Center: http://www.wilsoncenter.org/
From the Wilson Center: David Rejeski directs the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies. For the past four years he has been the Director of the Foresight and Governance Project at the Woodrow Wilson Center, an initiative designed to facilitate better long-term thinking and planning in the public sector. He was a Visiting Fellow at Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and an agency representative (from EPA) to the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). Before moving to CEQ, he worked at the White House Office of Science and Technology (OSTP) on a variety of technology and R&D issues, including the development and implementation of the National Environmental Technology Initiative. Before moving to OSTP, he was head of the Future Studies Unit at the Environmental Protection Agency. He spent four years in Hamburg, Germany, working for the Environmental Agency, Department of Public Health, and Department of Urban Renewal and, in the late 1970’s, founded and co-directed a non-profit involved in energy conservation and renewable energy technologies. He has written extensively on science, technology, and policy issues, in areas ranging from genetics to electronic commerce and pervasive computing and is the co-editor of the recent book: Environmentalism and the Technologies of Tomorrow: Shaping the Next Industrial Revolution, Island Press 2004. He sits on the advisory boards of a number of organizations, including the EPA’s Science Advisory Board, the Greening of Industry Network, the Journal of Industrial Ecology, and the University of Michigan’s Corporate Environmental Management Program. He is a member of the External Advisory Board of Nanologue, a European project to bring together leading researchers to facilitate an international dialogue on the social, ethical and legal benefits and potential impacts of nanosciences and nanotechnologies. He has graduate degrees in public administration and environmental design from Harvard and Yale.

Paul Saffo Independent Futurist
http://www.saffo.com
From Paul's Website: Paul is a forecaster and essayist with over two decades experience exploring long-term technological change and its practical impact on business and society. He currently teaches at Stanford University and is a Visiting Scholar in the Stanford Media X research network. He was the founding chairman of the Samsung Science Board and serves on a variety of other boards including the Long Now Foundation and the Singapore National Research Foundation Science Advisory Board. He is also an advisor to 3i Venture Capital and has served as an advisor and Forum Fellow to the World Economic Forum. Paul's is a columnist for ABCNews.com, and his essays have appeared in numerous publications, including The Harvard Business Review, Fortune, Wired, The Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, The New York Times, and the Washington Post. Paul is a Fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, and holds degrees from Harvard College, Cambridge University, and Stanford University.

Wendy Schultz Founder of Infinite Futures
Infinite Futures:http://www.infinitefutures.com/
Dr. Wendy L. Schultz is Director of Infinite Futures: Foresight Research, Training, and Facilitation, with over two decades of foresight practice from Honolulu to Helsinki, and Brisbane to Budapest. She earned her Ph.D. in Alternative Futures at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, working for five years forecasting global natural gas markets at the East-West Center, and over ten years as a researcher, foresight process designer, and project manager at the Hawai'i Research Center for Futures Studies. From 1996 to 2004 she served as visiting faculty with the Masters program in Studies of the Future at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, developing the introductory seminar, the qualitative methods seminar, and the facilitation practicum as part of overall curriculum redesign. Awarded a Fulbright grant in 2001, she spent six months as a lecturer and researcher with colleagues at the Finland Futures Research Centre.
Wendy is a Fellow of the World Futures Studies Federation, and a member of the Association of Professional Futurists.

Site Note: I have write privileges but I can't edit this page, why not? Because we want to make sure that the information on certain pages reflect the most current information, we've locked the pages. If you are a student or alumni with write privileges or are a student or alumni who would like privileges and you want to add to this page, please email houstonfutures@mac.com. You can check out more info on writing for the site here. Anyone however can start or respond to threads/messageboards, the link for which can be found below. Thank you.

About the Current Program

ProfessorWantanabe — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:42:18 CST

Also see:
Courses
Professors & Instructors
Current Students
Advisory Board
History of the Program
History of the Futures Field

Hello and thanks for checking us out. Founded in 1974, the Futures Studies department at the University of Houston is the longest running program in United States offering a Masters Degree in Futures Studies.

Currently, the program is located on the main campus of the University of Houston, though the degree can be completed entirely online. Futures Studies, sometimes known as Strategic Foresight, provides students with the tools, methods and information to become a practicing futurist working in any number of fields or industries, including commerce, government, community organizations, business, consulting, research and writing. Studying Futures can also give those in a multitude of other careers including marketing, technology, management, education and a host of other fields tools and knowledge to separate themselves from others in their industries.

Through classes including the Introduction to Futures Studies, World Futures, Social Change, Systems Thinking, Futures Research, Strategic Planning & Change Management, and the Proseminar in Futures Studies, as well as topical classes, such as The Future of Energy and the Environment, the Future of Biotech and the Future of the United States (see Courses), the program provides students with an entirely new context in which to see and understand the world.

The program requires 11 courses plus a Master's Option (Internship, Research Paper or Project). Classes can be taken in person on the main campus of the University of Houston or online, either by listening and interacting with the class in real time or by listening to archives of the classes when it is convenient for you. During the 2007-2008 academic year students attended classes via the internet from their homes in Australia,Canada and many other (exotic) locales including Tulsa OK, Pasadena CA and Austin TX.

The program can be completed in four semesters (sans Master's options); some graduates have done it in three, though this is not necessarily recommended. Many students work full-time and take only one or two classes per semester. Students range in age from those right out of undergrad to those who have retired from their first career or even a few who have retired altogether! Classes run from 5:30 until 8:30 p.m. Central US time, though some students who can not make class every week do listen to the recorded archives instead.

The program recently moved from the Clear Lake Campus (where NASA is headquartered) to the University of Houston main campus near downtown Houston, which means that the program is going through some changes, some positive and some perplexing. One perplexing change is the official title of the program is Futures Studies in Commerce. Why is this, when it's been called simply Futures Studies for more than 25 years? In order to eliminate long tales of red tape, suffice it to say that the program had to adjust to the the word "commerce" in order to fit in with the University requirements for specificity in graduate programs. While the "commerce" addition does change the name this is mostly due to the foresight (we love that word here) of the good folks in the Human Developement and Consumer Science department within the College of Technology who took the program in when it was homeless. The scope of the subjects within the program has not been changed though one class has been slightly alerted. We encourage you to speak with Dr. Peter Bishop < pbishop@uh.edu > for latest updates. (7/29/08)

Site Note: Because we want to make sure that the information on certain pages reflect the most current information, we've locked the pages. If you are a student or alumni with write privileges or are a student or alumni who would like privileges and you want to add to this page, please email houstonfutures@mac.com. Anyone however can start or respond to threads/messageboards, the link for which can be found below. Thank you.

Futures Quotes

DennisDD — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:06:40 CST

Futures Links / Futures Library

Hi, Have a great Futures quote? See directions below on how to post them here.

Futures Quotes

"Change is hard, but stagnation is fatal." - Dr. Peter Bishop

"Any useful statement about the future should appear to be ridiculous." - Jim Dator

"Future shock is the dizzying disorientation brought on by the premature arrival of the future." & "If you don't develop a strategy of your own, you become a part of someone else's strategy." - Alvin Toffler

"Have you purchased a used future? Is your image of the future, your desired future, yours or is it unconsciously borrowed from someone else?" - Sohail Inayatullah

"It is one of the strange facts of experience that when we try to think about the future, our thoughts jump backwards. It may well be that nature has some fundamental metaphysical law by which opening up what we call the future also opens up the past in equal degree." - Buckminster Fuller

"The future isn't what it used to be." - Paul Valéry

"Doubt is an uncomfortable position, but certainty is an absurd one." - Voltaire

"Foresight provides the ability to influence the future rather than predict it." - Richard Freeman Chief Economist ICI

"I believe that Strategic Foresight is a fundamental tool kit for an organization to understand why something happens today or will happen in the future." - Juha Putkiranta, Vice President, Nokia Mobile Phones, Finland

"Control over change would seem to consist in moving not with it but ahead of it. Anticipation gives the power to deflect and control force." - Marshall McLuan

"You can analyse the past, but you need to design the future. That is the difference between suffering the future and enjoying it." - Edward de Bono

"You see things and say why. I dream things that never were, and I say 'Why not?'" - George Bernard Shaw

"One's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions." - Oliver Wendell Holmes

"To expect the unexpected shows a thoroughly modern intellect." - Oscar Wilde

"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones." - John Cage

"One should use forecasts ... not believe them." - Hogarth and Makridakis

“The rise and fall of images of the future precedes or accompanies the rise and fall of cultures. As long as a society's image is positive and flourishing, the flower of culture is in full bloom. Once the image begins to decay and lose its vitality, however, the culture does not long survive.” - Fred Polak

"At first, people refuse to believe that a strange new thing can be done, and then they begin to hope it can be done. Then they see it can be done. Then it is done, and the world wonders why it was not done centuries ago." - Frances Hodgson Burnett

"A new idea is condemned as ridiculous, and then is dismissed as trivial, until it finally becomes what everybody knows." - William James

"The first postmaster was Charles Emory Smith. In 1900, he was Postmaster General in New York City. At the time, they had started to use tubes to send mail between selected points in the city. Just like the ones the banks use in their drive through’s. Here is what Mr. Smith said about the future of mail: “It would not be surprising to see … the extension of the pneumatic tube system to every house, thus insuring the immediate delivery of mail as soon as it arrives in the city”. What would you have predicted? Half a century later, Arthur Summerfield was the U.S. Postmaster General. It was 1959 and Eisenhower was the president. Here is Summerfield’s version of the future of mail: “Before man reaches the moon your mail will be delivered within hours from New York to Australia by guided missiles. We stand on the threshold of rocket mail.” … And then, less than another half a century later, there was email! No rockets, no pneumatic tubes; no physical system at all, just bits, period. Packages filled with atoms were replaced by packets filled with bits and bytes. The whole encyclopedia Britannica in one single EMAIL. Because of that, Email didn’t just change the nature of mail. It changed the way we communicate. We all suffer from the postmaster’s syndrome. We can only think the things we already know. So, here is what we need to remember: When a prediction sounds logical, it will probably not happen. If, however, it sounds impossible, or even better: nonsensical, the odds are a million times better. What will surely happen though, is the unthinkable. You can bet on that." - Jan Amkreutz about digeality

"The empires of the future are the empires of the mind." - Winston Churchill

"As for the future, your task is not to foresee, but to enable it." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Everybody talks about the future, but no one does anything about it." - David Pearce Snyder

Site Directions: Only current students,alumni, invited professors and those who have an ongoing relationship with the program are usually given write privileges for this site. If you are one of those types of folks and don't yet have said privileges (or aren't sure) send an email to houstonfutures@mac.com. If you have privileges, all you need to do is click on the "easy edit" button at the top of the page and document works pretty much the same as word processing software. Let us know if you have any questions. Thanks.

PhD tracks

DarkoL — Sat, 02 May 2009 10:53:11 CDT

Please see threads below