Understanding the
Millennial Student
MASFAA CONFERENCE
May 2005
Presented by
Searcy Taylor
Mississippi Gulf Coast
Community College
Nancy MacNeil
American Student Assistance
AGENDA
 Who
are they?
 What are their characteristics?
 What are their expectations?
 How can you meet their expectations?
 How can you better communicate with
them?
When You Were Born Affects:
 VALUES
(early years mold your values)
 ATTITUDES (values shape your attitude)
 CHOICES (attitude determine your
choices)
The Generational Cycle
 Represent
people “moving through time”
with a distinct image of themselves
 Each generation has a set of common
beliefs and behaviors
 Each generation has a common location in
history
COMMON GENERATIONS
 GI/Veteran
 Silent/Traditionalist
 Baby
Boomers
 Generation X
 Millennials
1901 – 1924
1925 – 1942
1943 - 1960
1961 - 1981
1982 - Today
WHO are the MILLENIALS?
 Children
of late boomers and early
GenXers
 “Babies on Board” of the early Reagan
years
 “Have You Hugged Your Child Today” sixth
graders of the early Clinton years
 Teens of Columbine
What has SHAPED their times?
 Focus
on children and family
 Scheduled, Structured Lives
 Multiculturalism
 Terrorism
 Heroism
 Patriotism
 Parent Advocacy
 Globalism
Growing Up “Messages”





Be smart – you are special (Nickelodeon, Baby
Gap, Sports Illustrated for Kids)
Leave no one behind (taught to be inclusive and
tolerant of other religions and sexual
orientations)
Connect 24/7 (learned to be interdependent-on
family, friends, and teachers)
Achieve now! (right college, right preschool)
Serve your community – think of the greater
good
MILLENIALS ARE:
 SPECIAL
 SHELTERED
 CONFIDENT
 TEAM-ORIENTED
 ACHIEVING
 PRESSURED
 CONVENTIONAL
MILLENIALS ARE SPECIAL
 Generation
of “wanted” children
 Central to their parents’ sense of purpose
 Many Boomer parents delayed having
children until financially secure
MILLENIALS ARE SHELTERED
 Baby
on Board signs were created for this
generation
 Their well being has dominated legislation
(child restraints, home products,
movie/video ratings, campus security)
 Boomer parents tend to be over-protective
MILLENIALS ARE CONFIDENT
 Raised
by parents believing in the
importance of self-esteem
 Optimistic yet practical
 Hopeful of the future
 Enjoy strong connections with their
parents
MILLENIALS ARE TEAMORIENTED
 They
are used to being organized in teams
 They have spent much of their time
working and learning in groups
 They have established tight peer bonds
 They are inclusive
MILLENIALS ARE ACHIEVING
 They
are very much into setting and
meeting goals
 They have the benefit of best-educated
parents
 They are the smartest ever with rising
proficiency in math, science and
standardized tests
 They are subject to mandatory testing
MILLENIALS ARE PRESSURED
 They
are pushed to study hard
 They are pushed to succeed
 They are pushed to attend college
 They are pushed to choose careers that
“pay off” nicely
MILLENIALS ARE
CONVENTIONAL
 They
identify with their parents’ values
 They feel close to their parents
 They are “rule followers” (if we give them
clear rules they can understand)
 They accept authority
 “Whatever” – passive approach to dissent
OTHER CHARACTERISTICS






Technology and Multitasking are a way of life
Trial and error is the key learning strategy
(Nintendo logic)
They are used to bits and bytes, flash and color
They are racially and ethnically diverse
They want their parents involved (really
involved)
There is zero tolerance for delays
Ways to Equip Yourself for the
Millennial Student
WEB USAGE
 Informational
vs. Transactional
 Our usage vs. Students’ usage
ONLINE HABITS AND BEHAVIOR
 The
younger the student, the more
internet and computer savvy
 82% are online daily
 Average 12 hours per week
THE CLASS OF 2008 ~
Preferences
 Information
must be individually tailored
 Portability of information is critical
 Content must be dynamically generated
 ‘Lag Time’ is a foreign concept
 Web Surfing is passé
WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH THIS
INFORMATION?
 Know
your students
- trend watching; polls
 Determine your solution
 Can your web site compete?
- mobility, uniqueness, interactivity
1 - Mobility
 Mobile
Web Sites
 Personal Digital Assistants (PDA)



Palm
Pocket PC
Smart phones
2 - Uniqueness
 Look
no further than your own
browser…
 Content delivery must be relevant
 Yahoo & Amazon changed everything for the better
3 - Interactivity
 Interactive
award letters
 Interactive calculators and estimators
 Interactive forms and electronic
signatures

http://www.formsite.com
 Adobe Acrobat
interactive
(.pdf) forms are not
3 – Interactivity (cont’d)
 Engage
with technology – teach with
content
 Extend your customer service model
(FAQs, email, phone, instant
messaging)
 Virtual Counseling Tools

http://www.liveperson.com /
http://www.humanclick.com
Summary…
 Comparison
of Generations
 Millennial Students’ Expectations
 Understanding YOUR Students
 Areas of concentration for web sites:

Mobility, uniqueness, interactivity
QUESTIONS?
CONTACT INFORMATION
Searcy Taylor
Nancy MacNeil
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community
College
searcy.taylor@mgccc.cc.ms.us
228.897.3886
American Student Assistance
(ASA)
nmacneil@amsa.com
617.728.4677
REFERENCES
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
Generations
Millenials Rising: The Next Great Generation
Millenials Go To College
“Look to the Web to Increase Recruitment”
http://www.universitybusiness.com
 “The Information-Age Mindset, Changes in
Students and Implications for Higher Education”,
Jason L. Frand, EDUCAUSE Review
 “Understand the Millenial Generation to Manage
Them Successfully”
http://www.digitu.com/enews/012millenials.html
REFERENCES
“Managing the Millenials”
http://www.generationsatwork.com

“Whassup? A Glimpse Into the Attitudes and Beliefs of
the Millenial Generation”
http://www.collegevalues.org/seereview.cfm

“Digital Community Colleges and the Coming of the
‘Millenials’”
http://www.thejournal.com

“The Millenial Generation Comes to College”
http://www.itc.virginia.edu/fall02

“Boomers, Gen-Xers, and Millenials: Understanding
the New Students”, Diana Oblinger, EDUCAUSE
Review
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