Introduction to the Book
 3rd book in a trilogy
 “When Dreams and Heroes Died” (1980)
 “ When Hope and Fear Collide” (1998)
 Generation: Students who are the same age or share
common historical events or experiences
 Millennials
 Generation Y
 Tightrope:
 Struggling to maintain their balance
 Attempting to cross the gulf between their dreams and the
diminished realities of world they live
Surveys and Resources
 Snapshot of US undergraduates enrolled in college
between 2005-2014: Traditional Students
 Result of surveys of nationally representative samples of
undergraduates and senior student affairs
officers
5,000
 Site visits to more than
2 dozen campuses chosen to
represent the diversity of the US higher education system
 Student surveys conducted in 2009
 Student Affairs surveys conducted in 2008 and 2011.
 UNCW comparisons
Class of 2012 : Born in 1990
“Apple, Microsoft and AOL already existed when the class of
2012 was born. There were already personal computers, CDs,
mobile phones, e-mail, instant messaging, and the Internet.
By the time they were in kindergarten, texting, web browsers,
smart phones, DVDs, Yahoo and the dot-com bubbles were
realities. Before they finished elementary school, Google,
Napster, music file sharing and the iPod had come onto the
scene.
Middle school brought Skype, Myspace, and
Facebook. They had to wait until high school for YouTube,
Twitter and the iPhone.”
Class of 2012
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Digital Generation
Information Economy
Global Society
More Diverse Society
Race and gender ceilings breached in politics
Terrorism in US
School Shootings
War on Terror in Afghanistan & Iraq
The Recession
Key Events in the Lives of Undergraduates
Selected from 52 event choices
42%
37%
29%
25%
23%
20%
Source:
Launch of the World Wide Web
Economy (Gas over $4 gallon)
September 11 attack
Obama Nomination and Election
Mass Use of Cell Phones
Launch of Yahoo!
Undergraduate Survey (2009)
The Internet and the Blackboard
Academics
 Goals Have Changed
 More Earning Power
 More Training and Skills
 Less Life Values
 Less Getting Along with Others
 Majors Have Changed
 Increase in Communication, Health, and Business
 Decrease in Education, English, and Social Sciences
 Experience and Values Have Changed
 Increase in overall college satisfaction
 Decrease in those that feel subject matter is irrelevant
 Grades and Remediation
 Increase in GPA
 Increase in those who feel they work hard and it pays off
The New Tribalism
Campus Life
 The participation with campus life is increasingly
become a small part of the college students life with
fewer students living in the residence halls.
 58% of students are residential or live in off campus
housing.
 Students are working longer hours, attend college part
time with their college education extending past their
24th birthday which makes participation in campus life
events increasingly rare.
What are the students doing?
 Alcohol and Drugs
 91% currently use alcohol
 41% use marijuana
 41% use tobacco
 14% stimulant medication
 Sex and Romance

Consensual sex is increasing creating a hook up culture with less
intimate relationships.
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Increase in:
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Sexual Assault 6%
Physical stalking or harassment 6%
Cell phone stalking or harassment 41%
Internet or e-mail stalking or harassment 55%
Virtual Life: The New Tribalism
 Social media sites have made it possible to find, connect,
and communicate with friends 24 hours a day 7 days a
week.
 Students have referred to it as “electronic crack”
 Use social media to replace their face to face interaction
not supplement it.
 Over 35% said that they would be more likely to join a group
of Facebook than to join a similar on-campus group.
 One consequence of digital communication has been a
growing expectation of immediacy– instant information,
immediate contact, and split second response.
Helicopters, Lawnmowers, and
Stealth Bombers
“The most significant changes that have occurred on college
campuses since 2001 is parental involvement”
Reasons for increased
parental involvement:
Difficulties for campus
administrators:
 Smartphone
 Parents expect daily
contact from their student
 Undergrads are close to
their parents
 Undergrads have a
delayed sense of
independence
 Consumerism
 Because students call in
real time --- parents can
overreact
 Parents often know about
college problems before
university does
Table 4.3 Percentage of Students Who Ask Parents to Intervene
with Various Campus Constituencies
Roommate
Professor
Administrator
Employer
71%
69%
78%
73%
Few times a year
5%
6%
6%
6%
More than once a month
4%
5%
3%
4%
More than once a week
3%
3%
1%
2%
Never
Note: By four-year institution only
Source: Undergraduate Survey (2009)
Table 4.3 Students Who Ask Parents to Intervene
(What those numbers might look like at UNCW)
Roommate
Professor
Administrator
Employer
8,451
8,213
9,284
8,684
Few times a year
595
714
714
714
More than once a month
476
595
357
476
More than once a week
357
357
119
238
Never
Note: Using 2011-2012 undergraduate enrollment figures
The Demographics of Comfort
Multiculturalism
 Students reported feeling they were not part of their
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racial or ethnic group due to multiple identities
Diversity issue that caused the greatest tension on
campus: LGBT
Social Class: Occupy Campus Movement
Zone of Indifference is larger
Tensions that occur are exacerbated by a lack of
historical context: words, actions, symbols
Avoid discussing diversity issues: more smoldering and
less conversation
Multiculturalism
 Most important change is that students of different races,
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ethnicities and genders are more satisfied with their college
experience
White students are likely to think that there needs to be
greater diversity on campus
Many students have friends who are of different races and
ethnicities
Expansion in the number of campus clubs and
organizations dedicated to specific ethnic, racial, gender,
sexual orientation and religious populations
Most women believe real progress has been made toward
gender equity and reject the notion that colleges are sexist
Talking Global, Acting Local
Politics
 Control over campus issues
 campus protesting
 Attitudes about change
 Think Environmentally
 Talk Globally
 Act Locally
 Modern News Sources
Clinging to the American Dream
The Future
 “This is a generation that grew up in boom times and
attended college during a bust”
 In spite of entering a market in which 9.1% recent
grads are unemployed, they still want:
 Successful relationships
 Children
 Money and material goods
 9 out of 10 surveyed are optimistic about their personal
futures
Educating Today’s College Students
for the 21st Century
 Educate Students to Live in a Time of Profound
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Change
Educate Students for Life in a Digital Society
Educate Students for a Life in a Diverse, Global Society
Education for Life in an Evolving Information
Economy
Education for Civic Engagement
Employing Today’s College Students
PDC Coffee House
November 15, 2012
9am-1030am
DePaolo Hall Conference Room