Events in the history of Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) are summarized and the future of nursing education is projected in this paper. The establishment of the ADN program at St. Mary's Junior College in 1964 is considered first, with respect to its roots in the diploma program of St. Mary's School of Nursing and the ideas on nursing education of Mildred Montag. After emphasizing the negative reactions initially engendered by the program, the paper cites the initiation of ADN programs in Minnesota's community colleges. Next, the paper reviews the response of the Minnesota baccalaureate degree nursing faculty, noting attempts in the 1970s to restrict the Registered Nurse (RN) titles to baccalaureate graduates, and argues for a commonly accepted differentiation of the roles and competencies of baccalaureate and ADN graduates. The future of nursing education is considered in the latter part of the paper with consideration given to the effects of the accelerating rate of change as described by Alvin Toffler and R. B. Fuller. The paper emphasizes the "humanity saving" implications of new discoveries, linking them to de Chardin's concept of the "no-osphere" and Fuller's ideas of "pre-cessional effects." Some influences of these discoveries on children and thus on the educational system are also noted. The paper concludes by citing an apparent trend away from institutionalized medical care and suggests some consequences of that trend for nursing, especially in home health care. (KL)