On September 22, 2011, Sharan Merriam visited Brock University to give a Distinguished Speaker Lecture. Based on her research about the future of adult education within a global context, Merriam's lecture sets the tone for this special issue on the impact of globalization for adult education and higher education. Subsequently, the authors of this article interviewed Merriam seeking to understand her background, how she became a specialist in adult education, her understanding of adult education as a field, and her perspective with respect to globalization and adult education.