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Advances in statistical theory in the 1920's and 1930's lead to increases in the teaching of statistics. Because of difficulties in meeting the demand for trained statisticians and knowledgeable teachers of statistics, the IMS formed a committee chaired by Harold Hotelling to make recommendations concerning the teaching of statistics. A talk based on the report from this committee was delivered by Hotelling at an IMS Meeting in Hanover, New Hampshire and was published in the Annals of Math Stat, volume 11, in 1940. This report was republished as a ``Golden Oldie'' in Stat. Science, volume 3, 1983, and remains worthy of re-reading even now.
The field of statistics is again experiencing high demand for statisticians and data scientists. The demand and rapid shifts in technology provoke important questions: What is statistics? What is data science? What should we be teaching in statistics and data science courses?
My talk will summarize and review several of the current (divergent!) perspectives on these questions, propose some possible answers from my own experience, and explain why I am optimistic about the future of statistics and data science.
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