Photo by Ro_nya (2010) We live, not by things, but by the meanings of things. It is needful to transmit the passwords from generation to generation.

There is a great deal of discussion around whether or not naming certain generations is valid. If you look at academic models, there is plenty of literature supporting both points of view. With two daughters in this generation, I  do see some generational differences.  The names bestowed on the various generations capture some essence of the generation that the rest of us intuitively agree upon, such as the Silent Generation, the Greatest Generation, Baby Boomers, Gen X and Millennials, and I find these distinctions helpful.

The generational names spring from the characteristics associated with that group of people as they “come of age” or reach the place of adulthood in our society and culture, grouped together according to the years when they were born. The Millennials, also referred to as Gen Y, Echoboomers, Gen Next and even the Google Generation, were born 1982-2000 and now number roughly 76 million. These 20-somethings are literally the “next up” to enter our graduate schools and ultimately become academic colleagues.

Authors William Strauss and Neil Howe, who wrote “Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation” (2000), probably have been the most influential in defining the term because they say members of the generation themselves coined the term millennials. As a group, “millennials are more numerous, more affluent, better educated, and more ethnically diverse” than previous generations, they write.  Their own ethnic diversity means race is less of an issue than for older generations.

Here’s a summary of some of the admittedly generalized characteristics of this generation:

1. Millennials want to make a difference in the world, for work to have “meaning.” Nine out of 10 interviewed for the book “The M-Factor” (2010) by Lynne Lancaster and David Stillman said this was “the most important factor” in their lives. As seekers, this generation will look for the right university program to match the right career path for themselves.

2. 20-somethings want a stimulating environment where they can express their passions, and they collaborate well because they have had much experience with learning this way in their childhood, from day care, to school, to soccer teams.  They want to work well with others, and this may be an area where multigenerational “learning groups” can help each other. Millennials learn by doing, and can teach technology uses to others.  Let them teach their older graduate school colleagues how to use technology, and everyone will be happier for it.

3. They want to use their tech savvy to communicate via Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and any other social media you can think of, and they discuss their work and ideas. This demand for interactivity can be a boon to institutions seeking to publicize themselves and also can be used to recruit and retain graduate students and new professors that expect to conduct job searches on the web. This same tech savvy is why Millennials tend not to recognize national borders as conversations are conducted across geographic boundaries, and will be more than happy to collaborate with their international peers.

4. Millennials “want to be heard” and will create innovative solutions if allowed. They want praise for a “job well done,” and a sincere “thank you” goes a very long way to building their loyalty. They want flexible schedules and a family life as well as a career. This is good news for higher education institutions recruiting new professors as one of the chief advantages that many scholars see for themselves is the ability to shape their own schedule and have some control over when, and how much, they work.

5. The down side: Some researchers see too much emphasis on the individual who needs to be validated and feel good because they were overprotected as children. Jean M. Twenge titled her book “Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled — and More Miserable Than Ever” (2006) and coined the term “Gen Me” to describe them. Jane Healy and Neil Postman in separate books have argued that despite the technological connectivity and community the generation seems to crave, the connections are superficial and do not lend themselves to critical thinking and reflective, thoughtful learning.  This may impact the depth of scholarly articles in the future.

It also is not at all clear at this stage how the Millennials will compete or what education areas they will choose.  Will they be interested in building and staying in an institution they see as making a difference, or will they be about “gaming” the system to their own advantage? Explaining the “why” behind the how or what may be one of the most important lessons to be learned both in teaching this generation and bringing them along on academic career path.