Engaged Times Volume I By Julie Elkins, Ed.D. Director of Academic Initiatives National Campus Compact What is the subject? The topic of Millennial students has been flooding the academy. Experts have not agreed on the traits or even the birth years that define Millennials, but they often focus on individuals born between 1977-2000 in the United States and Canada. There has been a buzz about this concept of generational typing from the mainstream media (60-Minutes) to higher education publications such as the October 16, 2009 edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education. Whether you believe in generational typing or not, “Millennialism” has received quite a lot of press, and I would argue that it is important to note the possibility, even the opportunity of self-fulfilling prophecies. Perhaps 9-30 year olds may even think they are supposed to have the traits of a Millennial? Some positive definitions state that Millennials are more team oriented, civic-minded, politically engaged, and hold values long associated with progressives, such as concern about economic inequalities, desire for a more multilateral foreign policy, and a strong belief in government. Who are the experts? There is a barrage of “experts” on Millennial students that have emerged (see resource area). However, the ones that I find the most intriguing are the ones that actually are Millennials. I had the opportunity to hear Scott Beale, the author of the “Millennial Manifesto - A Political Analysis of American Youth”, deliver a keynote speech at the 3rd Annual Fostering Global Citizenship in Higher Education Conference in Brattleboro, Vermont. This was a conference cosponsored by the Vermont Campus Compact. Scott is a 20-something and exemplifies the positive writings about civic engagement in Millennial college students. Scott was a powerful student activist at Georgetown University effectively providing national leadership on access to higher education, as a first year student. He has gone on to make civic global engagement his life mission as a social entrepreneur. Scott is the founder of Atlas Service Corps, a “multinational Peace Corps”, which brings non-profit leaders from around the world to volunteer in the U.S. and sends Americans to volunteer abroad. I enjoyed his positive speech, passion about civic engagement, and the fact that he stayed at the conference the rest of the day as a participant to further his own learning. Not your typical keynote. Scott is a team player. He is a Millennial. Another example would be Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards, who is a Millennial generation speaker, and a self proclaimed Millennial. Dr. Edwards was awarded her doctorate in Educational Leadership and Counseling from Sam Houston
State University at age 25. Her dissertation was titled, “Supports for and Barriers to On-Time Graduation as Perceived By African American Undergraduate Students Attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Historically Black Colleges and Universities”. Edwards is currently an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, TX. Her blog to her students titled “ A Millennial Professor’s View of Higher Education” states, “I am a millennial (born between 1978 and 1995) and I have functioned both as a faculty member and a student affairs practitioner for almost six years. My current research is focused on the issues of intercultural communication, academic advising, social online networking, student engagement within the classroom environment, and service learning”. Dr. Edwards has long-term goals: to write books on service learning that bridges the gap between student affairs and academic affairs, to continue to stress the importance of higher education to high school students through workshops and other training methods, and last but not least, to become a college or university president. Why is this Important? There are several key reasons why the generational label of Millennial is important to civic engagement, service learning, and social justice issues. First, utilizing the Millennial trait analysis provides more information for understanding the students that we work with. This generational typing is telling us Millennial students are more team oriented, they believe they can save the world, they are connected globally, they are more open to difference, embrace social justice issues and have a history of always winning. Of course students want to be engaged, they are Millennials! While engagement is tremendous, it is equally important to acknowledge that Millennials are also our junior faculty members like Dr. Jennifer Edwards. Higher education will soon be bursting with Millennial researchers, educators, administrators, coaches, provosts and college presidents that will be in a position to leverage change. Millennials, such as Scott Beale, will be in powerful positions as they become CEO’s and CFO’s. Who and how we engage must evolve to meet the demands of our changing world and thus how we approach engagement. How is This Helpful to my Daily Work? Millennialism is a frame of reference, a mental model to overlay the work you are currently involved in. As a practitioner it may assist you in thinking about ways to engage students in service learning via technology (face book or twitter) utilizing team approaches, or appeal to their global view of the world. Faculty can create opportunities for collaborative research in civic engagement. Remember, Millennials can change the world and they are confident that they can achieve it. This is also good news for college and university presidents. You have a new cohort of faculty and staff on the way that will view the connections
between the community and the institution in a more seamless manner not as a side or additional duty. New community leaders and student affairs staff may have more of a team approach to community/civic engagement. Never underestimate the power of expectations. Of course this is coming from a baby boomer Aquarian with a plaque on the wall of her office that reads, “If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem”. Next ET topic will look at the New Directions for Higher Education recent publication of “Institutionalizing Community Engagement in Higher Education: The First Wave of Carnegie Classified Institutions”. Where are the Resources? VT Campus Compact Conference Fostering Global Citizenship in Higher Education Scott Beale Jennifer Edwards The Chronicle of Higher Education Neil Howe HERIUnderstanding Effects of Service Learning Asian American College Students and Civic Engagement How Student Learning Effects Student Millennials 60 minutes
http://www.vtcampuscompact.org/2009/FGC/FGC09.h tm (all power points are available on this site for the entire conference including the keynote by Scott Beale)
http://www.scottbeale.com http://jennifertedwards.com/default.aspx http://chronicle.com/article/The-Millennial-Muddle http://www.fourthturning.com/html/about_neil_howe.h tml http://www.heri.ucla.edu/publications-brp.php
www.aasc.ucla.edu/policy/ucla.pdf
http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/slc/test/rhowas.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/08/60minut es/main3475200.shtml
Rutgers report on Millennials
www.rci.rutgers.edu/~eagleton/YPPP/MilleniumGenF S.pdfR
Millennials on a MissionCharitable Giving Millennial Faculty are Coming Are you Ready?
http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/feb2 007/bs20070215_371042.htm http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/academicleadership/millennial-faculty-are-coming-are-youready/ http://hdl.handle.net/10161/1048
DukeEngagePolitics of Millennial Service The Millennial ProjectRethinking Diversity The Millennial Student: A New Generation of Learners CNSCMillennial Volunteers Wide Gap Identified Between Campus Aspirations and Student Experiences of Civic Learning and Action
http://mass.arizona.edu/millennial/references.html
www.nataej.org Athletic Training Education Journal http://www.volunteeringinamerica.gov/profile_special .cfm?specialGroupId=5&groupId=0 http://www.aacu.org/press_room/press_releases/2009/civicres ponsibility.cfm