The Millennial Generation:
The Next Generation in College
Enrollment
Hawaii Strategy Institute – April 16, 2010
Terri Manning
Bobbie Frye
Cheryl Roberts
A Study Funded by the Workforce Development Board
It May Take a Village to Raise a
Child, but it Takes a Society to
Raise a Generation
Economic Conditions
Societal Norms
Political Events
Major Crises
Each Generation
 Consists of approximately a 20-year span (not
all demographers and generation researchers
agree on the exact start/stop dates)
 Has a unique set of values
 Reacts to the generation before
them, looks skeptically at the
one behind them.
 Looks at their generation as
the standard of comparison
 They are either idealistic,
reactive, civic or adaptive
The Veterans Childhood
 Raised by the GI Generation
(civic)
 Large families (3-5 children)
 Strong sense of extended
family (same town or home)
 Grandparents in the home
 Average 10-year-old spent 4-6
hours daily with a significant
adult role model
 Rural society, apprenticeship
businesses and farming
 Perception of the world as
“safe”
Core Values
Dedication
Hard Work
Conformity
Law and Order
Patience
Delayed Reward
Duty before
Pleasure
Adherence to Rules
Honor
The Veterans
 Children of the Great Depression and WWII.
 Lost their childhood and adolescence to
hardship, work and duty.
 Returned after the war and worked hard.
 The overall goal was not to change the
system, but to work within it.
 Were economically very
successful.
 Inventors of "the midlife
crises.”
 We are spending their wealth
now through foundations
and philanthropic orgs.
The Baby Boomers 1943–1964
(largest generation, idealist)
• Divorce reached a low in 1960 of 9%
• Families moved due to GI Bill, GI
housing and industrialization
• First generation to live miles
Core Values
from extended family
Optimism
• Family size smaller (2-3 children) Team Orientation
Personal Gratification
• Few grandparents in the home
Health and Wellness
• Moms stayed home – no daycare
Personal Growth
Youth
• Children spent significant time
Work
adult role models (mostly mom)
Involvement
• Perception of the world as “safe”
Baby-boomer Results
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Very idealistic - banned together - a
force to be reckoned with
Generation gap occurred between
them and their parents
Believed one should question
authority and question your
elders
Weren’t friendly toward
authority figures
Did not get along with their
parents and swore they would not
raise their kids like they were raised
The Late Veterans and Early
Boomers Gave Birth to the Next
Generation
The Gen Xers 1965–
1981
 A Lost Generation…
A Nomadic
Generation…..
 Half the Size of the
Baby Boom
(reactive)

The Gen X Childhood
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Divorce reached an all-time high
Single-parent families became
the norm
Latch-key kids were a major issue
of the time
Children not as valued – looked
at as a hardship
Families spread out (miles apart)
Family size = 1.7 children (many
only-children)
Perception of the world as
“unsafe”
Average 10 year old spent 14 ½
minutes a day with a significant
adult role model
Core Values
Dedication
Hard Work
Conformity
Law and Order
Patience
Delayed reward
Duty before
pleasure
Adherence to
rules
Honor
Generation X
 This is the conscientious, extremely pragmatic,
self-sufficient generation that has a ruthless
focus on the bottom-line.
 Born and raised at a time when
children were at the bottom of
our social priorities
 Learned to count on themselves.
Are considered "me" oriented.
 They are not active voters, nor are they deeply
involved in politics in general.
 Parents looked around and said “ we have to
do this better.”
Generation Next (civic)
The Echo Boom/Millennials…
 The
Millennials are almost as large as the baby
boom-some say larger - depending on how
you measure them (approx. 81M).
 The
Millennials are the children born between 1982 and
2002 (peaked in 1990), a cohort called by various names:
Echo Boom
Generation Y
Millennials
Net Generation
Things Began to Change for This
Generation
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Abortion rates peaked in 1980 - slowly declined.
Poverty rate for children peaked in 1983 and
began a slow decline (Medicaid began).
US divorce rate peaked in 1981 - began a
decline.
Homicide rate against children
peaked in 1982 and began a
decline.
They were born into a better
world, a more optimistic world
than the generation before them.
Born in infertility era, parents really wanted
them.
Millennials
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This generation is civic-minded,
much like the previous GI
Generation.
They are collectively optimistic,
long-term planners, high achievers with
lower rates of violent crime, teen
pregnancy, smoking and alcohol use than
ever before.
This generation believes that they have the
potential to be great and they probably do.
We are looking to them to provide us with
a new definition of citizenship.
Demographic Trends, cont.

Smaller families

Many only children

Born to older parents
(many over 30 and in
40s)

More parental education: 1 in 4 has at
least one parent with a college degree.

Mothers are better educated than their
fathers by a small margin (late 90s).
Demographic
Trends –
Changing
Diversity

Increase in immigration

Nearly 35% of Millennials are
nonwhite or Latino.

Twenty percent of this
generation has at least one
parent who is an immigrant.

Different holiday and family
traditions in a “celebrate
diversity world.”

Millennials have become the
most racially and ethnically
diverse generation in US
History.
Safety Issues
The Safest Generation

This generation was buckled
up in car seats, wore bike
helmets, elbow and knee pads when
skating, and were the inspiration for
“Baby on Board” signs.
The Well-Being of U.S. Teens

Mortality Rate for US teens aged 15–19
declined from 1960 to 1997.
-Teens are having fewer accidents than
Boomers
Major Influencing
Factors
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Their parents
The self-esteem movement
The customer service
movement
Gaming and technology
Casual communication
Parenting Millennials
 This generation is being parented by well-
educated, over-involved,
outcome-based adults
who
participate in “deliberate
parenting.”
 Boomers were the first
generation to be thrown out in to an unsafe
world.
 The 60’s and 70’s were very scary and many of
us felt unprepared for it.
Baby Boomers as Parents
Boomers rebelled against the parenting practices of
their parents – didn’t want rigid structure.
 They made conscious decisions not to say “because I
told you so” but to explain “why.”
 Boomers became more friendly” with their children.
They wanted to have open lines of communication and
a relationship with them.

Baby Boomers as Parents
They explained things to their children, (actions,
consequences, options, etc.) – they wanted them to
learn to make informed decisions.
 They allowed their children to have
input into family decisions,
educational options and
discipline
issues.
 We told them “just because it is on
television doesn’t mean it’s true”
or “you can’t believe everything
you read.” We wanted them to question
authority.

The Result
 Millennials have become
“master negotiators” who are
capable of rational thought and
decision-making skills at young
ages.
 They will negotiate with anyone
including their parents, teachers
and school administrators.
 They want what they want and
parents see that they get it.
Helicopter Parents
 Helicopter Parent (n) A
parent who hovers over his
or her children.
 Or Snowplow parent: Parents who clear the
way for their children
 ……these (echo) boomers are confident,
achievement-oriented and used to hovering
"helicopter" parents keeping tabs on their
every move.
(Anthony DeBarros, "New baby boom swamps colleges," USA Today,
January 2, 2003)
Baby Boomer Parents have
been their Biggest
Cheerleaders
 Millennials
expect
and need praise.
 Will mistake silence
for disapproval.
 Millennials expect
feedback.
 Looking for a mentor
Parental Care in the Millennial
Era
Today’s typical family is spending more,
not less time with kids.
 Smaller families mean
more
time with each child.
 Fathers are spending more
time with children.
 Less housework is being done.
 There is a strong connection between the
social lives of parents and kids.
 They get along with their parents and
share their parents’ values.

Who are your heroes?

An Associate Press/MTV poll asked
millennials who they looked up to as
heroes?
◦ 50% said their parents (29% mom, 21%
dad)
◦ 11% named a friend
◦ 10% said God
◦ 8% named a grandmother
◦ 7% a brother
◦ 5% a teacher or professor
CNN 8/20/07
Focus on Self-esteem
 This generation was the center
of the “self-esteem” movement.
 9,068 books were written
about self-esteem and children
during the 80s and 90s (there
were 485 in the 70s).
 The state of California spent millions
studying the construct and published a
document entitled “Toward a State of Selfesteem.”
 They want to feel valued and cared about.
Focus on Customer Service
 Expect access (24/7)
 Expect things to work like they are
supposed to
 If they don’t “that is your
problem”
 They want what they have paid for
 Everything comes with a toll-free
number or web address
 Want “system-restore” options in classes
Add the Impact of Gaming

Gaming has impacted children
◦ The game endings changed based
on the decisions children made
(Role Playing Games [Legend of
Zelda, Final Fantasy, Chronotrigger])
impacting locus of control.
◦ Involves a complex set of decisionmaking skills.
◦ Teaches them to take multiple
pieces of data and make decisions
quickly.
◦ Learning more closely resembles
Nintendo, a trial and error approach to
solving problems.
We navigated our way through…..
They navigated their way through…..
Technology
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This generation has been plugged in since they
were babies… educational software and computer
games.
Blueprint in head for how things work.
They think technology should be free.
They want and expect services 24/7.
They do not live in an 8–5 world.
They function in an
international world.
Technology access is a class
issues not a race issue.
Millennials Want to Learn
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With technology
With each other
Online
In their time
In their place
Doing things that matter
(most important)
Source: Achievement and the 21st Century Learner.
Technology In School
 Students are increasingly savvy when
it comes to technology.
 In general, students expect faculty
to incorporate technology into their
teaching and be proficient at it.
 At the very least, communication via e-mail,
access to online resources, PowerPoint
presentations, Internet activities, discussion
boards and electronic classrooms are
expected.
 Faculty will need to balance the use of
technology with their own philosophies of
teaching.
Technology Use Among Youth
and Teens
Time Spent Social Networking
in a Typical Day (up 82%)
Media Use Changes Among
Year-olds
8-18
Youth Habits…..
Teen social networking by the numbers
51 Percent of teens check their sites more than once a day.
 22 Percent check their sites more than 10 times a day.
 39 Percent have posted something they later regretted.
 37 Percent have used the sites to make fun of other students.
 25 Percent have created a profile with a false identity.
 24 Percentage who have hacked into someone else's social
networking account.
 13 Percentage who have posted nude or seminude pictures or
videos of themselves or others online.
 But these are issues of income. Will a child who grows up in a
low income household have these same experiences?

The “Information Age” Mindset
Students have never known life without the
computer. It is an assumed part of life.
 The Internet is a source of research,
interactivity, and socializing (they prefer it over
TV).
 Doing is more important than
knowing.
 There is zero tolerance for
delays.
 The infrastructure and the
lecture tradition of colleges may not meet
the expectations of students raised on the
Internet, active learning and interactive games.
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Cell Phone Technology
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They all have cell phones and expect
to be in contact 24/7.
Not a phone – a lifestyle management tool
Staying “connected” is essential.
Communication is a safety issue for
parents.
Communication has become
casual for students (IM, email
and cell phones.
What About 1st Generation
Students?
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Not all students will be proficient; first-generation and
students from low income or working class families may
have less experience.
Their experience with technology has been in arcades
and minimally in school (poorer districts.)
They have not had the exposure to educational uses of
technology.
We need another placement test – remedial keyboarding
and technology.
Huge digital divide between the “haves” and the “have
nots” based on income levels (class).
Digital divide is appearing in pre-K.
Millennial Expectations
 Clear expectations, explicit syllabi, and well
structured assignments.
 They expect detailed instructions and
guidelines for completing assignments.
 They have come from K-12 systems where
students are actively involved
in learning and classroom
activities change often.
 Teachers are helpers and
facilitators of learning.
Satisfaction with Online Courses
70%
60%
63%
50%
55%
40%
38%
30%
26%
20%
10%
0%
Veterans
Source: Educause
Boomers
Gen X
Millennials
Ambitions
 Most
•
•
•
popular college majors:
Medicine
Education/teaching
Business and marketing
•
•
•
Engineering
Law and politics
Computer science
 Most
sought after qualities in
careers:
•
•
•
Responsibility
Independence
Creativity
 Most
•
•
Source: Industry Week, March, 1998.
•
Idealistic and
committed co-workers
common job trends :
Multi-taskers
Change Careers
•
•
Seek security & benefits
Stay with company that
offers a challenge
Difference in Values
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They have witnessed their
baby boomer parents
coming home from
stressed jobs, exhausted,
falling asleep at the
dinner table; and don’t
want that for themselves.
They are a generation
who is interested in a life
with value and meaning –
they do not aspire to what
the “boomers” aspire to –
they want something
different.
True Multi-taskers
Millennials have lived programmed
lives and are quite capable of
learning several jobs
simultaneously and performing
them admirably.
 Millennials will change careers
many times.
 Retooling and recycling their
skills and talents will become
common.
 To retain them, smart employers
will encourage Millennials to try out
different careers within the same company.

Millennial School Experiences
Many private schools, charter schools, magnet
schools – all to meet the needs of the
individual child –many, many choices
 School uniforms, child safety, high
performance standards, character education,
cooperative learning and community service
 Goal oriented – outcome based education
(what’s in it for me)
 School is a means to an end – one must
endure until the next level
 Interactive, participatory and engaging – are
consulted by adults
 Everything 24/7 and available electronically

Millennial School Experiences
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No “grunt work” - must do “meaningful work”,
participate in decisions
International flavor, celebrate diversity, different
is okay
Motivated by working with bright, motivated and
moral people
Student makes judgments about truth and
believability of what is taught
Classroom mainstreamed – multiple levels based
on ability and interest
Constantly tested and compared to peers
(learned to take tests so now of little use for
college admissions)
Feel pressure for high achievement
How Millennials Learn
Try it their way – always looking for
better, faster way of doing things
 Prefer graphics before text, reading of
excerpts
 Like small and fast processing
technology – best when networked
 Want instant gratification and frequent
rewards (spot)

How Millennials Learn
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Focus on skill development – not
memorization of what they perceive
they don’t need to know
Productivity is key – not attendance –
so make class worthwhile or they
won’t come
Have different critical thinking skills
based on their high tech world not
thought processing (need help here)
Rely on teacher to facilitate learning
Group think and interaction
Millennial College Experiences
Multiple options – state, private, proprietary
schools, community colleges, dual and
concurrently enrolled, middle college, etc.
(Where does one stop and another begin?)
make the choice by “what’s best for me.”
 Fast paced learning
 Group activities (learning communities, peer
tutoring, service learning, supplemental
instruction)
 More assumed responsibility from colleges for
the social issues of students (before, faculty
weren’t concerned)
 Don’t want or need silence to concentrate –
freaks out the librarians

Millennial College Experiences
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All possible content is on the internet –
need process and skills-based
Get out as fast as you can
Stay home as long as you can – are
protected and mentored
Get “do-overs” often
Lots of technology, no tolerance for
delays
Are not hardy, drop out and quit easily
Dislike ambiguity – “just tell us what
we need to know”
Seems like the tougher you are, the
quicker they quit
 Have no preconceived ideas about
expectations
 See a lack of consistency among faculty
 Have to tell them more basic things than
the generation before them and we
resent it

Millennials - Not Very Hardy
What We Do Know
Faculty tend to teach in the same
style by which they prefer to learn.
 We also tend to teach by the methods
we were taught – “if it was good
enough for me, it is good enough for
them.”
 Students prefer faculty who teach
according to their learning style.
 The key is to learn to address all
styles of learning.

Issues for Discussion

Cheating – vague
meaning for students
◦ Much easier now, we had
to work to cheat.
◦ Electronic toys.
◦ Online sites (paper mills, etc.).
◦ Too much focus on the end point (grade in
class) than learning. Have to help refocus
them.
Issues for Discussion

Plagiarism
◦ What is it
◦ Don’t assume they understand it
◦ Be careful with sites like “turn it
in.com”
◦ Create materials for them with
samples
◦ Discuss ownership of creative
works
◦ Get the library involved
◦ An issue for all ages
Issues for Discussion - Dealing
With Parents
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The last group of millennials
will begin college in 2020.
We need to begin to be
proactive now.
◦ Orientation for parents
◦ Materials for parents
◦ Communication with parents
via newsletter or emails
◦ Help them learn how to help
their student
◦ Help them understand what it
takes for a student to become
independent and help
themselves
Dealing With Parents
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FERPA only limits us from talking to
parents about student progress,
attendance, grades, etc. but nothing else.
We feel we shouldn’t have to deal with
parents – because our history indicates
our average student age has been about
30.
Not so today – most rapidly growing group
is under 25 and will continue to be so for a
while (in 07-08, 50% were under 30)
Parents need to know about FERPA
Issues for Discussion

Communication policies
◦ How soon can they expect a
response from you
◦ When are you available for
email
◦ What will you accept emails
about
◦ Email is official communication between the
student and the teacher – should look like
official communication
◦ Other casual communication devices
◦ Connectivity and communication are two of
their strengths and areas they abuse
◦ You are your own worst enemy
Issues for Discussion

Handwriting
◦ Lost art “cursive”
◦ They have been typing papers on computers
since they learned to read
◦ Have horrible handwriting
◦ May have never turned in a handwritten paper
◦ How much time does the average person
spend writing things down by hand today
 Outlook, text messaging, email, calculators,
iPods, etc.
Methods of Teaching
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Teamwork – play to their strengths
Lifelong learning – critical for them
to survive – must learn to teach
themselves
Ability to have input into assignments
and grading (they are negotiators)
Team oriented assistance – learning
communities, supplemental
instruction, peer tutoring, mentoring
Culture of civic engagement – this is a
civic generation – get them involved
Methods of Teaching

What world are we preparing
them for?
◦ The one we grew up in???
◦ A future world unknown to many of us –
preparing them for jobs that haven’t been
created yet. Critical topics:
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Information literacy
Language (bilingual a necessity)
Technology that does work for them
Critical decision-making
Dealing with change
Globalism, world economy
Rapid global disbursement of information
Get ahead with process skills, applied knowledge
Top Ten Skills for the Future
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Work ethic, including self-motivation
and time management.
Physical skills, e.g., maintaining one's
health and good appearance.
Verbal (oral) communication, including
one-on-one and in a group
Written communication, including
editing and proofing one's work.
Working directly with people,
relationship building, and team work.
The Futurist Update (Vol. 5, No. 2), an e-newsletter from the World
Future Society, quotes Bill Coplin on the “ten things employers want
[young people] to learn in college”
Top Ten Skills for the Future
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Solving problems, including identifying
problems, developing possible solutions,
and launching solutions.
Influencing people, including effective
salesmanship and leadership.
Gathering information through various
media and keeping it organized.
Using quantitative tools, e.g., statistics,
graphs, or spreadsheets.
Asking and answering the right
questions, evaluating information, and
applying knowledge.
The Futurist Update (Vol. 5, No. 2), an e-newsletter from the World
Future Society, quotes Bill Coplin on the “ten things employers want
[young people] to learn in college”
Methods of Teaching
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Too much reliance on
technology (spell check, Excel
formulas, calculators, grammar
check, etc. (is this really a big deal?)
Poor basic skills in 30-70%
Less prepared from K-12 (what
issues?)
Poor technology skills in 30-40%
First generation students (gen 1.5)
Immigrant families (language issues)
Focus on Retention

“Ambitious yet aimless” characterizes
this generation
◦ Want to experience life.
◦ Want to absorb other cultures.
◦ They know at the age of 21 that
they
may have to work until they
are 70
– 75. So why hurry into
a
career job now.
◦ They have the same attitude
with
school (transcripts from multiple
institutions.)
◦ They stop out regularly and see if things work
out. They appear to be in “no hurry.”
◦ They swirl….
Suggested Teaching Techniques
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Set up real-world assignments where they use
skills from the course to solve a real problem or
sell a real product. Bring businesses/agencies
in as clients. Do work for an actual client (e.g.
write grants for community agencies).
They do best in groups if you (as the faculty)
structure them. Create questions or guidelines
for the group work and they perform well.
Keep them constantly informed of their progress
including class means, medians, running point
totals, etc.
Take a personal interest in them and their work.
Offer a variety of activities and make it fast
paced
Things That Work
They like technology and understand it but
don’t expect everything to be delivered via
technology.
 They do like things posted so they can
access it and being able to communicate
with their teacher via technology.
 Remember they are civic and like to do
things in groups – get along well with other
generations.
 Use interactive learning technology
 Learning by discovery
 Watch their “attention deployment.” They
stop paying attention to things that don’t
interest them.

Teaching Thinking
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Students need the ability to sift, analyze,
and reflect upon large amounts of data in
today's information age.
Use scenarios where they must reach a
conclusion, determine what flaws and limits
might be embedded in their approach, what
they know with certainty, what do they not
know.
Give students a controversial problem that
can and should be approached from several
perspectives. Help them to come to a
reasoned conclusion.
Put the students in charge, allow them to
lead and don’t butt in too much.
Things That Work

Mini learning communities in class
◦ Break up first time and then in the same
group for the entire semester
◦ Exchange phone numbers, emails, etc.
◦ When one is absent, someone from the
group calls
◦ Engages them in the group and thus in the
class

Teacher conferences
◦ Get to know the student and student get
to know the faculty – makes a difference
Teaching How to Be a Student
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We assume students know “how to be
here, how to be a college student.”
Their K-12 experience was different –
more active learning, changing of
activities. Every thing was done for them.
They don’t know how things work –
withdraw from classes, when to enroll,
how to apply for financial aid, take notes,
study for tests, etc.
We need to make sure they
have these skills.
Interested in Things That Matter
Want to have an impact on the world
Interested in careers that matter
Show them aspects of a field or
career that has an impact on society
 Will be attracted to the mission of the
community college as faculty – are
beginning to join our faculty ranks
(oldest are 26-7).
 But soon they will be the least of our
problems because someone is already
coming behind them… Gen Z
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How They Will Push Us…
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More independence in the workforce
Consumer-based fairness
Better technology
Enhanced professional development
Get rid of “that’s the way we’ve
always done it”
Have more life balance
Re-establish priorities
So How Do We Work With Them?

Because they have grown up in a
different world, never assume that they
know certain things like:
◦ Don’t get points for showing up or an A for
effort.
◦ The definition of plagiarism and cheating.
◦ It’s not appropriate to call people at home
after 9pm.
◦ They can’t use IM language in papers.
◦ It’s not okay to email the professor 10 times
a day.
◦ That when they email you at 3am, you’re not
sitting on the other end waiting to respond to
them.
◦ The college offices close at 5pm.
Some Major Issues Worth
Addressing
 Some of them have been performing
below grade level all their lives… and
they may not know it (age of social
promotion).
 You may be the first strict grader they
have encountered (will discourage
them).
 Many are not very “hardy.” Will quit
or drop out because “it’s hard.”
 They are very good consumers and
will figure out a way to stay “under
the radar.”
 They are not good planners and will do
everything late if allowed.
What Should Institutions Do
(In the Classroom)?
Develop policies and practices
around appropriate communication
(by department).
 Give them electronic access to as
much as is philosophically possible.
 Draw a line on negotiations.
 Give them definitions, boundaries
and rules.

What Should Institutions Do?
Stop existing in an 8-5 world. No one
else does.
 Establish prerequisites for reading
and writing intensive courses.
 Force them to take developmental
courses the first semester (don’t set
them up to fail).
 Stop letting them register late, hand
in late work and procrastinate.

What Should Institutions Do?
Don’t let them take online courses
if they are not tech savvy and don’t
possess the motivation to
complete.
 Train all faculty to detect and work
with low performing students
(especially in gate keeper courses).

What Should Institutions Do?
Look into what is known about
learning.
 Try to actively engage them.
 Engage them in group-oriented
activities
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Service learning
Study groups
Supplemental instruction
Learning communities
What Should Institutions Do?

Create alterative ways for the lowtech students to come up to speed.
◦ Basic keyboarding skills.
◦ Special workshops or lab sessions on the
basics.
◦ Help them master software that “will do
work for them.”
◦ Get access to computers (refurbished,
community projects, grants, etc.)
One Final Word……

In case you're worried about what's
going to become of the younger
generation, it's going to grow up and
start worrying about the younger
generation. (Roger Allen)
Who Are They?

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Last year all over America, a
new generation showed
up for kindergarten.
A new “Silent Generation”
referred to as Generation Z,
Generation Alpha or the
Homeland Generation.
Starts mid-2000’s until about
2017 to 2020 and will be
considered an artist
generation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strauss_and_Howe
Generation Z
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Will be raised on technology, they
will
not be scared of anything, they
will be open to new ideas.
They will be into truth and loyalty
and they will not be not afraid to
voice their opinion.
They will be flexible, open to change, fearless
and fun…. the ‘new’ hope for our own future.
Their great-grandparents belong mostly to
the Silent Generation and the Baby boomers
form the core of their grandparents.
Their parents are seen as being roughly
evenly divided between Generation X
and Generation Y.
http://www.generationzbaby.com/generation-z.html
For a copy of this presentation:
http//www.cpcc.edu/millennial
Click on: “workshops and presentations”
Title: Hawaii Strategy Institute
Contact: terri.manning@cpcc.edu