Looking ahead is a necessity. Consider strategies such as strategic planning, thinking outside the box, brainstorming, trend analysis, and scenario building. These are all examples of ways anyone in their day-to-day lives might develop their skills in thinking and planning for the future. At the Institute for the Future at Anne Arundel Community College (IF@AACC), students and the community benefit from a team of faculty members who promote future thinking and creativity, foster innovation, and engage learners in the art of foresight. This is a special opportunity for community college students and IF@AACC is a distinctive organization component in higher education.

So how does IF@AACC promote future thinking?

In the Classroom

AACC offers two courses, "Exploring the Future" and "Globalization and Its Future," in which students can investigate the future in a changing world and use tools and perspectives across fields of study and cultures to expand foresight and build the future. Service learning is integrated into the curriculum to provide hands-on opportunities for students to assess community problems and develop solutions.

In the Community

AACC advises, consults, and trains employees in government agencies, businesses, and not-for-profit organizations and can facilitate creativity, planning, and trend analysis. AACC offers strategic planning support, basic futures training, scenario building, and useful demographic data projections.

IF@AACC also offers monthly brown-bag lectures on a variety of futures topics. A monthly ezine, Futureportal, reaches over 800 subscribers around the world, providing connections with local, national, and international futures groups and presenting ideas about the future.

For more information on AACC's Institute for the Future, visit the website at www.aacc.edu/future.