Running head: GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES IN HIGHER EDUCATION 1

Generational Differences in Higher Education

Hudson Clare

Oklahoma State University

GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES IN HIGHER EDUCATION 2

Generational Differences in Higher Education

Universities are being forced to improve internally, so that they may meet the needs of

today’s students. But for universities to adequately serve these students, they must first

understand the differences of these students compared to earlier generations. The generations

addressed in this paper include the generations over the last century in American society.

Society has changed college students have changed as well. A survey of college freshman

between 1966 –2009 studied the values of students and found that as time progressed, there

has been the largest decrease in the value of “developing a meaningful philosophy of life” and

“becoming very well-off financially” (Twenge, Campbell, & Freeman, 2012, p. 26). Diving

into the history of higher education, the research given will give a deeper understanding of

what has contributed to the current state of higher education. Over the course of this paper,

there will be further explanation of how generational needs have affected the historical

progression of higher education. Furthermore, through this study, the adaptations that higher

education institutions have made in their curriculum and recruitment efforts will be analyzed.

Studying various generations will reveal similarities and differences across intergenerational

attitudes on higher education and how those attitudes have and will affect higher education

institutions.

Education Beyond the Classroom

There is a surplus of different university models globally, nationally, and regionally.

These include research institutions, liberal arts colleges, trade schools, professional schools,

junior colleges and traditional universities. Despite the variations of university objectives,

most universities were established as either four year or two-year universities. The curriculum

of these universities has changed over generations. Unfortunately, these curricular changes do
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not prepare many students for life beyond college. Skills such as critical thinking, complex

reasoning, and writing are not developed for the workforce, resulting in many students leaving

college with limited or no success in utilizing their degrees. Higher Education has failed to

teach how individual students and how might influence from the curricular models of today

(Buskirk-Cohen, Duncan, & Levicoff, 2015). Universities are concerned with the students’

success and life when they are on the university campuses. But, universities have an

obligation to look far into students’ futures and assess if their curriculum both academically

and residentially prepare students for a life that extends beyond the classroom. Adaptations to

curricular models have been steady but the progressiveness of these efforts are too slow and

the current generation is facing new challenges in transitioning to life away from university

campuses.

History

When university systems were established in the United States, the curricular model

was modeled after the western hemisphere’s university structure to provide a diverse liberal

arts education. Students studied a number of different subjects to broaden their knowledge.

Most of the early universities were established to educate students in the fields of religion,

law, and medicine. Though these fields of study were necessary for the advancement of the

U.S. as a nation, the education was limited because schools only focused on certain subjects.

As time progressed, universities stepped away from the traditional liberal art mode of

education and created individualized curriculums of study. Students started focusing on

programs of study where they would take a majority of their courses in a specialized area to

become proficient. Currently, universities have grown this academic curriculum model to

cater across all careers, passions, and needs of society. “Colleges and universities typically
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define general education in terms of content subjects: history, literature, sociology, the

sciences, the arts. Indeed, the liberal arts are frequently held as the center of the core

curriculum” (Staley & Trinkle, 2011 p.12). Additionally, students typically complete this

general education curriculum at the beginning of their college career. It is interesting that

colleges and universities still incorporate liberal arts education but have chosen to scale it

back and utilize it more so for the beginning stages of a college student’s career. Despite these

efforts, progressive movements in North America are being done to bring back this style of

education.

Progression of University Models

As time progressed throughout history there was a shift from the four-year theology

schools to the models of other academic avenues such as junior colleges and professional

graduate schools. Further development of the portfolio of higher education has provided

different opportunities for the growing nation. People in the early 1900s wanted to receive a

college education but could not attend the nearby regional colleges. Junior colleges provided

access of education to financially burdened students who could not move to a regional or state

institution. The junior college model sought to equip students with the basics of higher

learning. It was a need in the American society because the new colleges could help educate

the ever-changing country. The United States began to see junior colleges emerge

everywhere; by 1940 there were 456 junior colleges nationwide (Thelin, 2011, p.250). The

implementation of the junior college model helped with the higher class stigma that

surrounded higher education in the 19 th century. By providing students an affordable, local,

and accredited option for education the nation was able to meet the needs of various

demographics and social classes. The junior college structure has been challenged by today’s
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generation as a second-tier education system that does not provide the “university life” that

students crave. As students embark on their higher education journey, junior colleges are

having to brand themselves in innovative ways that entice different student populations to

attend.

Developing Students

Despite the academic curriculum developing, the experiences that students were

receiving in college were limited to only classroom learning. In the 18th century American

universities started to implement activities to learn outside of the classroom. Universities built

residence halls and allowed social clubs that served as the precursor to of the contemporary

roles of residential life and extracurricular activities. By having these opportunities, students

are prepared for life beyond the classroom. Beyond residence halls, higher education looks to

find unique ways to serve students and their educational needs and wants. Public, private, and

for-profit colleges are targeting these students in unique ways because of a shift in the ways

that students attend colleges. Many students are moving off campus, commuting, and are not

interested in their residential hall experiences or living in Greek homes. This has resulted in

universities having to get creative to be able to educate students in the way that students need

to be educated. All of these institutional types serve a purpose within the field of education

and provide unique experiences for students.

Changing Times

Building upon the previous information on Higher Education, we will look as to how

Americas systems for higher education sought to accomplish the goal it was founded on.

Attending college was not a commodity in early American history and for the most part was a

right reserved for the upper-class citizens of the United States. It was a measure of status. This
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has changed over the course of history with increased access and resources making it more

realistic for people from all levels of society to be able to receive an education past secondary

school. Due to the progression of western society the expectations have now shifted to a place

where college has become the norm for post-secondary graduates. Historically this is not the

case for previous generations and now there is education that must occur to meet the needs of

our current student populations. Universities must market and education of students families

who may not have grown up in the era where college was as accessible or needed. Expressing

the need for this and how it is of value is the best way to help with these ventures.

University Efforts

For places of higher education to be successful it is imperative that universities target

the students of the present while reflecting on the past generations. Unfortunately, the desires

of families and students are not always aligned. This is concerning for higher education

because universities are being forced to meet the desires of students and families or run the

risk of not enrolling these students. With retention efforts seemingly the talk of most

universities, whether private or public, there is a lot the can be learned from the past and can

further develop new strategies in targeting the modern day student. Cultural, family, and

societal expectations have a tremendous effect on students’ decisions with regard to what to

do with their studies. Recent high school graduates are the largest subpopulation of university

enrollees. The decision for a high school student to enroll or pursue a college education is

typically formulated years before their senior year. According to a recent study, “ninety-three

percent of middle school students report that their goal is to attend college. However, only

44% enroll in college, and only 26% graduate with a college diploma within six years of

enrolling” (Conley, 2012a; Conley, 2012b). There has to better efforts to convert these
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enrollees moving forward. Transitioning, into the next portion of the paper, there will be an

briefing of the different generations that have been serviced in modern history and how they

perceived college and how colleges addressed these students.

GI and Silent Generations

The G.I. and Silent generations included people born between 1900-1945. These

generations experienced historic events such as World War 1, The Great Depression, and

World War 2. Due to this, the attitude toward higher education looks drastically different than

that of the present day. From World War 1 to World War 2, the United States found itself in

need of more universities due to the growth of the public secondary school system that was

growing with more high school graduates than ever before (Thelin, 2011). This was a positive

for the growth of higher education in the United States and suggested a monumental shift in

the American societal value of education. Previously education at the secondary level was not

a primary focus in the 1800s and most Americans were still in the mindset that education was

a privilege of the wealthy. Fortunately, this development propelled higher education

enrollment as college enrollment skyrocketed from 250,000 to 1.3 million from 1918-1945.

(Thelin, 2011). These generations were the pioneers of making higher education a normality

in the western world and bridged the gap for today.

GI and Silent Generations Perspective and Responses

The G.I. generation was built upon civic mindedness minded and team-orientation.

Members of this generation saw the opportunity to educate themselves by utilizing the G.I. Bill.

The response of this influx of students allowed higher institutions of learning fuel a major

campus construction projects (Rickes, 2010). The government looked to help out higher
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education and higher education looked to help out America by creating an environment for

veterans in university systems to be successful. This would prove to be a challenge in some

capacity because universities had to figure out how to serve students who experienced the

torments of experiences such as Normandy. Higher education was able to help these students by

implementing students services. The payoff of this response by the government and higher

education resulted in the students leaving university as motivated individuals, ecstatic about the

opportunities that were afforded to them outside of the war. This generation pioneered the

exploration into space and various other monumental works that would happen in the future.

Transitioning to the silent generation, this generation had an appreciation for education because

they were raised in the midst of the great depression. Education was an out for them and

provided an opportunity to escape poverty. The issues that these students faced was the lack of

access they had because of the fiscal state of the nation and their families. The Silent generation

was dubbed this because they were a “quiet” generation, because they did not do many exciting

things post adolescence. They were committed to their careers and also to their family and

friends. There experiences in life brought forth an appreciation for the system of education and

contributed to higher education, and we see this because most senior faculty members and

administrators on college and university campuses come from the silent generation (Rickes,

2010).

Baby Boomer Generation

The Boomer Generation was born between 1946-1960, was one of the fastest growing

generations of all time and looked to radically transform the landscapes they lived and worked

in. “As idealistic optimists, Boomers were confident of themselves and distrustful of

authority, questioning the relevance of social structures” (Rickes, 2010). This resulted in
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issues within the landscape of higher education regarding rebellion and the testing of the

waters:

They attended higher education in the turbulent 1960s and 1970s, and many are now

returning to campus to enroll in courses for personal enrichment or to prepare for new

careers in “retirement.” Roughly half of current higher education faculty and staff

members are Boomers. With the first Boomers reaching retirement age in 2008, that

number will begin to decline as Gen Xers and Millennials swell the faculty and staff

ranks (Rickes, 2010)

Generation X

Generation X was born 1961 to 1981 and are in the transitional stage out of a period of

economic and innovative uprising for the United States. The Generation X population got lost

in the scuffle as the Baby Boomers were the dominant sub population but as a result of the

Boomers success there are a lot of offspring’s of the boomers generation that fall into the x

category. Generation X has experienced a number of issues within the scope of cultural

changes in the united states in this time. This was the era of sex, drugs and rock and roll. That

type of culture plays into the fact that the parents of this generation allowed the kids to run

rampant and maturity issues ensued. As these students transitioned into Higher Education in

the 1980s and 1990s, enrollment numbers were on the decline. The United States Country

report states:

The enormous, expensive, and elaborate systems of higher education that developed and

matured from 1960 to the late-1980s were predicated on an ever- expanding resource

base and little regulation from the public sphere. During the eras of massification and
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maturation, it was possible for colleges and universities to look inward and define the

challenges confronting them in their own terms, but beginning in the late 1980s, the

system’s expansion became undercut by a growing set of external pressures. Beginning in

the late 1980s, there were visible signs of an erosion of support for American higher

education, as it increasingly has become perceived as more of an individual good, rather

than a public good. Students and parents have begun to question the value of higher

education’s expensive credentials, particularly as the return on—though not the necessity

of—a college degree has eroded in the American job market (Gumport, Shaman,

Zemsky, & Iannozzi 1997)

Higher education was struggling as they were forced to find ways to keep the university afloat

in these trying times. With Higher Education in survival mode, administrators were fortunate

enough to recognize that though this generation did not see the implicit value of education,

they were a fertile generation and their offspring were likely going to need education .

Millennial/Generation Z Generation

There are a lot of discrepancies between the Millennial and Generation z cutoffs, but their

experiences though similar will progressively change as the Generation Z population grows

up. Millennials represent the generation born between 1982 and 2000 and Generation Z is the

generation born between 2001-2012 and currently represent the largest generational

demographic represented in today’s university systems. In regards to the Millennials, most of

these students have graduated in recent years or are completing their post graduate level work;

are one of the first generations to experience the true transformative nature of America and

the world for that matter. In their lifetime, the computer, telephone, and the internet became a
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commodity and this technology continues to be revolutionized to keep up with the demands of

this world. Fortunately, for Millennials there was a lot of skepticism still surrounding these

advancements and not all of this generation would experience the trouble that technology has

provided for the future generations. These generations also experience the shift of a

millennium and with that comes change to the landscape of everything, including higher

education. College and universities were forced to approach these generations unlike any of

their predecessors and are continually learning on how to meet the needs and wants. “Higher

education can either adopt philosophies and practices that educate, mobilize, empower, and

prepare Generation Z to solve our world’s problems or miss the opportunity to influence

significantly the great minds of our next great generation” (Seemiller & Grace, 2017).

Administrators recognized that students were wanting more out of their college experience at

a lower cost and that universities had to comply because the competition for these student’s

enrollment is fierce. This has caused universities to revolutionize the way that they cast

visions for their campuses, by allowing millennials to influence the space planning, design,

and construction that transformed the higher education landscape (Rickes, 2010).

Millennials and Generation Z students are the most diverse generation we have had to

teach, thus our approaches to teaching must be diverse. “Millennials expect to be engaged in

their learning, they do not do well being passive learners. If you (as a teacher/university) do not

have technology that will be part of their learning, they will go somewhere else where they can

be engaged with, and interactive with, technology” (Starlink, 2004) This has caused universities

to question their models of university design and answer what is best for students learning and

what is best for universities strategic vision? As a result of this students are turning to ulterior

motives of education or betting on themselves altogether.

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NIU completed an analysis of these generations and concluded that Universities must address

these points to be able to reach the students of the present and future. The following list

includes theories that are the best way to educate:

Computers are not technology.” Computers, the Internet, and the WWW are as much a

part of Millennials’ lives as telephones and television are to previous generations.

“Reality is no longer real.” Original images can easily be changed using digital

technology and receiving email from an address may not come from the owner of that

address. “Doing is more important that knowing. Knowledge is no longer perceived to

be the ultimate goal (the half-life of information is so short). Results and actions are

considered more important than the accumulation of facts.” “Learning more closely

resembles Nintendo than logic. Nintendo symbolizes a trial-and-error approach to

solving problems; losing is the fastest way to mastering a game because losing

represents learning.” “Multitasking is a way of life.” Students are comfortable

engaging in several activities simultaneously. Working on homework with music in the

background while talking or texting on their cell phone is typical of how Millennials

get through the day. “There is zero tolerance for delays.” They expect and demand

quick turn around in today’s 24x7 culture and do not easily accept delays (Starlink,

2004)

An example of a university that is having success in the space under this umbrella of

reasoning is Quest University. Quest proposed that students are educated better when the

environment stimulates a holistic learning environment that allows for creativity and freedom

of discovery. They have incorporated century old methods with cutting edge practices to serve

the next wave of student populations and their student achievement and preparedness rivals
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any university globally. The approach of quest seeks to create an individualized education for

every student that addresses the desires of a students wants and needs. They did this by

creating a singular degree in the field of liberal arts and science, that is structured in such a

way that all students get to decide what they want out of their educational experience. This

model is built of the premise that Millennials, Generation Z, and further generations are

interested in the doing what they want to do with the freedom to express, learn, and act in the

ways they feel to be best for them and society. Quest understands these desires and says, we

are here to help, guide, and challenge you to develop yourself so that you can contribute the

most. Obviously, this can not be the approach of every university, but the public sector must

adapt or lose out on the opportunity to reach this specific generations generational needs and

wants.

Conclusion

Within the space of higher education; universities, administers, faculty, and students

will have to continue to evolve to meet the needs of the ever-changing global landscape.

Through the historical context provided there is clear evidence that higher education has come

a long ways. Despite the progression of accessibility there is still a lot of work to be done on

university campuses to be able to serve the students of today and of the future. Generation Z

is not the same as the G.I. generation and there is still a lot to learn about how to serve a

student population that has new challenges in the work and social fields that as a nation has

never been seen before.

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Conley, D. T. (2012b). College and career ready: Helping all students succeed beyond high

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Gumport, P. J., Shaman, S., Zemsky, R., & Iannozzi, M. (1997, January 17). The United States

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