John Naisbitt (1929 – 2021)

 

John Naisbitt studied at Harvard, Cornell and Utah Universities. He gained business experience working for IBM and Eastman Kodak. In the world of politics he was assistant to the Commissioner of Education under President John F. Kennedy and served as special assistant to HEW Secretary John Gardner during the Johnson administration. In 1968 he founded his own company, the Urban Research Corporation.

Naisbitt founded the Naisbitt China Institute, a non-profit, independent research institution studying the social, cultural and economic transformation of China located at Tianjin University. In 2009, Naisbitt published China’s Megatrends, a book analyzing China’s rise. Adviser on Agricultural development to the royal government of Thailand, former visiting fellow at Harvard University, visiting professor at Moscow State University, faculty member at the Nanjing University in China, distinguished International Fellow, Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS), Malaysia – the first non-Asian to hold this appointment, professor at Nankai University, Tianjin University of Finance and Economics, member of the advisory Board of the Asia Business School, Tianjin, recipient of 15 honorary doctorates in the humanities, technology and science.

Upon expressing deep esteem and honest collegial respect for the personality and work of Professor John Naisbitt, as one of the most renowned intellectuals and a leading world futurologist, in 2009 Megatrend University Senate has adopted the undivided decision of all Megatrend University professors on awarding the title of Doctor Honoris Causa to Professor John Naisbitt.

Megatrend University thereby particularly underlined the multiple, significant and deep relationship between the scientific and life paths between Professor John Naisbitt and professor Mica Jovanovic, University owner.

First, a rich body of scientific works in various economic, IT, political and social disciplines represents the unavoidable part of the scientific corpus studied at Megatrend University, as well as at all leading world universities.

Then, the Megatrend concept and theory are not only the original and essential contribution to the whole social thought of the 20^th century, but are also at the same time related to the concept and name of Megatrend University, as a spontaneous result of the simultaneous contemplation, proximity of thoughts and theoretical generalizations of Professor Naisbitt and Professor Jovanovic, representing the response to deep challenges and open issues of the 20^th century. Professor Naisbitt has delivered several lectures at Megatrend University and participated in other ways in its numerous activities during all these twenty years, in particular by expressing his personal sympathy and respect when the university building was named after him, which made this relationship deeper and stronger.

Also, it was the honour of Megatrend University to be ranked and join all those most renowned world universities which have awarded professor Naisbitt the title of Doctor Honoris Causa.

Considering the aforementioned closeness and mutual influence between Professor John Naisbitt and Professor Jovanovic as Megatrend University Founder, and their intellectual and creative relationship and common vision in particular, by awarding the title of Doctor Honoris Causa to Professor Naisbitt, Megatrend University is turning into form what has for long time been living and yielding fruitful results in practice.