Description: This is the speech given by Kenneth W. Stewart, FSA, FCIA, MAAA, to the 25th Annual Actuarial Research Conference. The speech focuses on the following global trends: 1. Population aging, 2. The spread of affluence, 3. The rise of technology, 4. Global competition, and, 5. The fungibility factor, e.g., in our brave new future world, a Scottish customer will go to his local bank branch to buy life insurance from his German insurer. From Actuarial Research Clearing House 1991, Vol. 1.

Description: Continuing change pervades the actuarial world. Actuarial tools and techniques are constantly evolving, new financial products and services appear regularly, legislation and regulation rarely remain unchanged for long, consumers are becoming better informed and more sophisticated, the financial environment is becoming increasingly global, distinctions between types of financial institution are becoming more blurred, and the areas in which actuaries find applications for their skills become more varied. In this context, the most important attribute for actuaries is the capacity to adapt. This paper considers some implications for university actuarial programs of the need to develop adaptive actuaries. It discusses the results of a survey of the preferred learning styles of Macquarie University actuarial students, examines the newly introduced Australian actuarial subject called 'The Actuarial Control Cycle,' and looks at the use of portfolios of student work. It concludes that in order to develop adaptive actuaries for the 21st century, actuarial programs must broaden the range and type of teaching/learning activities and assessment methods provided for students.