Technology Across Generations
Is E-Mail So Yesterday?
Engaging the "Digital Native“
Students an Parents
Steven Todd Bryant
Director of Financial Aid Outreach
University of Southern California
It goes without saying that each generation of students and their parents approach their
daily lives from different perspectives and with different modes and styles of
communication. Yet interestingly, their relationships have never been stronger. And our
graduate students - can they get any more diverse in terms of ethnic and generational
cultures? Are we, as educational institutions, immigrating to the new world that they
function in, or are we still attempting to interact in more traditional ways? New
technologies, (e.g., Chat, Podcasts, My Space, IM, Blogs, Texting, etc.) guide how these
students and families approach their lives. Learn about these generational differences and
see how some schools are re-thinking how they engage and serve their clients.
What we will cover today:
•
•
•
Introduction: Millennials are here!
Is E-mail obsolete?
The Generations
•
•
•
•
•
•
Boomers
Gen Xers
Millennials (a.k.a. Nexters, Echo-Boomers, Gen Y)
Technology Across the Generations
•
•
Boomers 1945-1964
Gen Xers 1960-1980
Millennials 1980-2000
How do the generations respond to technology (how does
technology alter how they approach their lives)
Parental Expectations & The Parent Factor: Helicopter
Parents (Boomer) and Stealth Fighter Parents (Gen Xers)
Technological Options for Millennials
Graduate Students: A Very Different Audience
Millennials are here!

Wherever you are in university life, you face a
choice: You can either ignore this breaking
Millennial student wave by treating today’s
collegians as you did the last generation or you
can embrace the wave and alter how your
institution engages these students.
 What should a college do to cope with these new
students? Should admissions, financial aid,
campus-life and the classroom experience be
altered?
Two Books You Must Read

Zemke, R., Raines, C., &
Filipczak, B. (2000)
Generations at Work.
Denver: Performance
Research Associates
 Howe, N., & Strauss, W.
(2007) Millennials Go to
College, 2nd Edition. New
York: Amacom
What do we know about
Millennials?

In the current decade,
college administrators need
to adjust their institutions to
a new crop of students who
are:
– Packing their resumes
–
– Very close to their
parents
– Focused on grades and
performance
– Intensely focused on the
college admission and
financial aid process
–
–
–
with extracurricular and
summer activities
Talented in digital
mobile-technologies,
capable of multi-tasking
and interested in
interactive learning
Insistent on secure and
regulated environments
Respectful of norms and
institutions
Numerous and very
intent on going to
college

Millennials have no knowledge of pre-digital age

Millennials are the first post-stone age for whom
communication has never centered on a pen or pencil

Technology but how the Millennials interact

Millennials view technology more as a communal
networking tool
On the inside, the digital Millennials are
breeding a new social order by using
technology for ‘sharing, creating and
validating via peer networks or social
networking’.”
From MySpace-Facebook $200 Billion ‘Digital Millennials’ article on
ZdNet (October 11, 2006).
Is E-mail Obsolete?

This is the most technological savvy generation in
the history of the world.
 We, as education institutions, are already moving
away from snail mail and paper publications.
 Should educational institutions do away with email and adopt alternate communication channels
such as text messaging, instant messaging, blogs,
My Space, Podcasts, etc…?
Are there any other
factors we should be
examining? Parents?

Before we answer the million dollar
question, “Is E-mail Obsolete?”, let’s look
at the other generations involved.
 Let’s define the generations.
 Let’s see how the other generations might
influence how educational institutions uses
technology to engage Millennial students.
The Generations
The Generations

The Baby Boomers (Boomers)
– Born between 1945-1964
– 73.2 million people

Generation Xers (Gen Xers)
– Born between 1960-1980
– 70.1 million people

Millennials (Gen Y, Nexters, Echo-Boomers)
– Born between 1980-2000
– 69.7 million people
Boomers 1945-1964
Gen Xers 1960-1980
Millennials 1980-2000

Boomers growing up in the 50’s and
60’s in U.S. history
The economy was the healthiest

The middle class swelled with high employment and rising
wages
 50% of the veterans of WWII attended college on the GI
Bill
 The public school system was said to have hit its peak
 Campus protests and civil rights movements were based on
the belief that this generation truly could make a difference
(political optimism)
 Over 75% of children grew up in Leave It To Beaver type
households with mom at home
Boomers 1945-1964
Gen Xers 1960-1980
Millennials 1980-2000
Boomers Memorabilia and Core Values

Memorabilia

Core Values
– Ed Sullivan Show
– Optimism
– Fallout Shelters
– Team orientation
– Poodle Skirts
– Personal gratification
– Slinkies
– Health and wellness
– TV Dinners
– Personal growth
– Laugh-In
– Work
– The Mod Squad
– The Peace Sign
Boomers 1945-1964
Gen Xers 1960-1980
Millennials 1980-2000
Gen Xers Growing up in the 70’s and 80’s








Economically tough times
The stock marked dropped 22%
Interest rates climbed and unemployment increased
The country faced a fuel crisis
The public school system was outdated and under funded
50% of children came home from school in the afternoon and were
on their own; television as foster parent
Kids watched idols and institutions crumble (Watergate, Spiro T.
Agnew, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Jim Bakker and Jimmy
Swaggart) = (Political Pessimism)
50% of children watched their own parents divorce
Boomers 1945-1964
Gen Xers 1960-1980
Millennials 1980-2000
Gen Xers Memorabilia and Core Values

Memorabilia

Core Values
– The Brady Bunch
– Question authority
– Star Wars
– Diversity
– Pet Rocks
– Thinking globally
– Platform Shoes
– Balance (work/fun)
– Dynasty
– Techno-literacy
– E.T.
– Self-reliance
– Cabbage Patch
– Skeptical
Dolls
Boomers 1945-1964
Gen Xers 1960-1980
Millennials 1980-2000
Millennials growing up in the 80’s and 90’s

The economy was mixed
 Technology exploded
 Sometimes called Echo-Boomers because they share the
optimism of the Boomers
 Busy, over planned lives
 Stress to succeed and excel
 Clinton/Lewinsky
 Columbine
Boomers 1945-1964
Gen Xers 1960-1980
Millennials 1980-2000
Millennials Memorabilia and Core Values

Memorabilia

Core Values
– Barney
– Family
– Teenage Mutant
– Trust in authority
–
–
–
–
Ninja Turtles
Beanie Babies
Spice Girls
South Park
Oprah and Rosie
– Optimism
– Civic duty
– Confidence
– Achievement
– Morality
Boomers 1945-1964
Gen Xers 1960-1980
Millennials 1980-2000
What Other Generations say
about Boomers

What Gen Xers say about Boomers
– They’re workaholics (success = long hours, not
–
–
–
–

outcome)
They’re too political, always trying to figure out just
what to say…to whom…and when
Lighten up; it’s only a job
What’s the management fad of the week?
They’re clueless
What Millennials say about Boomers
– They’re cool.
– They work too much
Boomers 1945-1964
Gen Xers 1960-1980
Millennials 1980-2000
What Other Generations say
about Gen X

What Boomers say about Gen X:
They’re slackers
They are rude and lack social skills
They’re always doing things their own way
They spend too much time on the internet, e-mail and
text messaging
– They won’t wait their turn
– They’re too skeptical
–
–
–
–

What Millennials say about Gen X:
– Cheer up!
Boomers 1945-1964
Gen Xers 1960-1980
Millennials 1980-2000
What Other Generations say
about Millennials

What Boomers say about Millennials:
They’re cute
They need more discipline from their parents
They can set the time on the VCR! (what’s a VCR?)
They need to learn to entertain themselves; they need too much
attention
– Can they do my web page for me?
–
–
–
–

What Gen X say about Millennials
– Echo-Boomers
– Here we go again…another self-absorbed generation of spoiled
brats
– What do you mean, What’s an album?
Boomers 1945-1964
Gen Xers 1960-1980
Millennials 1980-2000
Technology Across the Generations
How do the generations respond to technology (how
does technology alter how they approach their lives)

Boomers find technology helpful but it is not always their
first instinct
– What happens when the internet goes down at work: Find other
non-technical things to do

Gen Xers depend heavily on technology but they are
Skeptical about almost everything
– What happens when the internet goes down at work: Complain, get
frustrated, stew

Millennials see technology as the air they breathe, essential
to every aspect of life
– What happens when the internet goes down at work: Can we go
home?
Generational Use of Technology

Boomers
– Those who have chosen to embrace technology, use e-
mail, as they are exposed to new technology, if they see
value to it, they may embrace it. They still like paper.

Gen X
– Use e-mail, text-messaging, blogs, instant-messaging,
and rely on a combination of Boomer old-fashioned
socializing and Millennial social networking.

Millennials
– It’s the air they breathe. To be human = to be a digital
native. Born to be Wired (wireless)
Millennials Depend Heavily on their
Parents (both Boomer and Gen X
parents)

Millennials make decisions jointly with
demanding parents (“co-purchasing” a college)
and believe in big brands (with reputation
counting for a lot).
 They are very numerous, very intent on going to
college, and look forward to planned career path.
 Millennials feel a “trophy kid” pressure to excel.
Embrace Millennial Technology &
Respect Generational
Differences of the Parent

Yes, we need to begin to re-think how we engage
and provide service to students.
 But, before we abandon older technologies and
ways of doing business, we need to remember that
we are working with a generational team:
– Millennial + Boomer Parent (Helicopter Parent)
– Millennial + Gen X Parent (Stealth Fighter
Parent)
Helicopter & Stealth Fighter Parents

Meet the moms and dads – whom Wake Forest official
Mary Gerardy coined as “helicopter parents,” always
hovering – ultra protective, unwilling to let go, enlisting
“the team” (physician, lawyer, psychiatrist, financial
planner).

Where once parents simply unloaded the station wagon on
move-in day, kissed the kid good-bye, and drove home,
now they linger for days – fussing, meddling, crying, and
even ranting if they think their very special child isn’t
getting the very best of everything. When they don’t get
their way, some threaten to take their business elsewhere or
sue.

As Gen-X Stealth Fighter parents emerge as
the predominant parent type over the next
few years, colleges should expect these
“annoying” trends to intensify.– Millennials
Go to College

A word of caution:
– If you find this annoying you will be frustrated
– Respect the parents of this incredible generation
More Generational
Expectations/Trends

Gen-X parents will expect to get what they
are paying for.
 Boomers and Gen-X parents will have
expected their “trophy” children to get full
ride scholarships with no back-up plan.
 With instant technology come highly
unreasonable service expectations.
Implications for Student Services
– Students and parents are customers who
actively compare programs and make
“family” choices
– A 24x7 customer service culture
– Cyber service and instant response
demanded
– Millennials accept authority and respect
institutions, along with "zero tolerance" for
institutional failure
Is E-mail Obsolete?

Is E-mail Losing Its Effectiveness?
– People are more and more unwilling to share
–
–
–
–
their e-mail address
Students do not check their official university
e-mail
Spam filters intercept legitimate e-mail
Millennials prefer IM and texting
Growth of alternate communications channels
Alternate Communications
Channels
Technology Options for Our Students
• Text Messaging
• RSS
• Web Portal
• E-mail
• Digital Print
• Telephone
• Online
• Application
• Social Networking
• Campus Events
• Letters via Snail Mail
• Virtual Advisor
• Live Events
• Chat/IM
• Blogs
Technological Options for Millennials

Facebook, MySpace, YouTube
– Social networking, (teens and college students), join to
interact online
– When you “join” you make “friends” and interact via
messages and blogs
– Your “profile” lets the world, (literally), know who you are.
– MySpace is the H.S. “teen” hangout
– Facebook is the College Student place to be
– Should your School have a MySpace page?
– Should your School have a YouTube page?
 The USC YouTube site is controlled more strictly than
YouTube's main site: The USC YouTube homepage does
not allow comments on its videos.
Technological Options for Millennials

Blogs
– Blogs are everywhere
– Many of our Admissions colleagues are
using them
– USC is considering a controlled Financial
Aid Blog for parent/student testimonials
(edited / monitored)
Technological Options for Millennials

Podcasts
– Audio (and some video) snippets (3-5 minutes)
that can be played on a computer or
Audio/Video player (ipods, etc)




Campus Tours
Student and Parent Testimonials
Managing the Family Contribution
Applying for your Stafford Loan
Technological Options for Millennials

IM / Text Messaging
– Instant Messaging – AOL, Yahoo, MSN,
Google Talk
– Many institutions use IM for internal staff-tostaff communication
– Text Messaging?
Technological Options for Millennials

Live Chat
– Two types
 Scheduled chats in a chat room
– FERPA nightmare

Live and secure one on one chats
– One staff member with 4 or 5 chats open at one time
– FERPA compliant
– Special Event Chats
 Tonight from 7-9 chat with the Financial Aid Staff
Technological Options for Millennials

Brain implants to remind students to meet
deadlines
 Time Machines for late applicants
 Flying Cars for people who drive from San
Diego to LA without an appointment only to
arrive at 4:59pm
 Protective Force Fields for staff when
handling difficult parents of Millennials
Don’t Abandon High Touch!
Case Study: Online
Appointments
University of Southern California
•32,000 students
•19,000 financial aid
applicants
•Online appointments =
high tech / high touch
customer service

We can generate appointments as far or little in advance as possible
– Academic Year: 1 week
– March / April: 30 days
– May-July: 60 days



Step One: Client selects date and time for appointment (system only offers
time slots)
Step Two: Client inputs reservation information
Step Three: Client receives confirmation e-mail as well as reminder e-mail 3
days prior to appointment (each with cancellation option)

Change of Behavior: Appointments advertised on the web, at
presentations (e.g., Orientation), and by counselor referral

Benefits: High-touch meets high-tech; increased quality of life for
clients and staff
Graduate Students
A Very Different Audience
Characteristics of the New
Graduate Student

Very technologically savvy
 Very close to their parents
 Make personal decisions jointly with family
members
 Not your graduate student of yesterday
 New FERPA issues
Graduate Students and
Parental Influence
“The number one thing to realize with the
Millennials is that as a whole they reflect much
more parental perfectionism than any generation
in living memory. Colleges and universities
should know that they are not
just getting a kid, but they are also getting a parent.”
William Strauss
Author, Millennials Rising
Millennial Parent Characteristics

Idealist
 Passionate
 Protective
 Involved
 Concerned
 Intelligent
 Demanding
 Prioritize education


Knowledgeable about college
experience
Sense of entitlement
– high cost of attendance
– regard for student as children,
not adults


Basic concerns are priority
Expect to be involved from
admission to graduation
Language and Tone

True or False? Graduate students are adults so the
language on our website and in our publications
should be sophisticated
– A graduate degree is the new bachelor’s degree; more
and more students going right into graduate school;
progressive degree programs
– There are probably more twenty-something than thirtysomething
– Their parents are engaged and may even come in their
place (living vicariously)
– The language and tone should be geared toward a
younger more savvy millennial audience
Q&A
This is a green presentation
No trees were killed
For a PDF of this presentation, e-mail Steve Bryant at sbryant@usc.edu
Deep Thoughts
 "One
thing a computer can do that
most humans can't is be sealed up in a
cardboard box and sit in a warehouse."
– Jack Handey