Visions for the information industry: opportunities and challenges for higher education

The opportunities of the information age open new avenues of growth and development for information technologists in industry and in academia, but success will not come to those who passively sit and wait. It will come to those who seize opportunities and forge new partnerships for growth. We discuss a vision of current and likely future developments in the information industry, and the opportunities and challenges these developments present to higher education. We focus on three areas: historical trends and recent changes in the nature of the computer and information industry; recent initiatives in higher education to address this new information environment; and how to restructure higher education so it can play a leading role in meeting the needs of industry and society.