Gen Z Goes to College

After attending a session at ACPA on 'Generation Z' (also known as the Global Generation), I have since become very fascinated in learning who our incoming students are and how their needs are changing.  Gen Z sees the world very differently than generations before them, and the tools and strategies we are currently using to recruit, engage, support and retain our students, especially in Residence, soon will become obsolete.  In an effort to better understand this group, I have recently been reading Generation Z Goes to College​ (Seemlier & Grace, 2016) and I have been quite surprised to learn about the feelings, expectations, and passions of our next wave of students.  I have included some highlights and paraphrases from the book to help other educators better prepare to successfully support our Gen Z students, as I believe this generation is going to force us to re-evaluate our positions, goals, programs and support systems very soon.

Millennials vs. Gen Z
It was not so long ago that I wrote a graduate paper on Millennials and the struggles that I think many student affairs professionals face trying to support these students.  Millennials, also known as Gen Y, are commonly considered to have been born between 1980 and the early 1990s and are most often considered the "Me Generation".  This label reflects the common criticism that this group is overconfident and entitled (p.4).  Not surprisingly, many Millennials have waited to get married or have families in their later years to further their education, spark a meaningful career, and try to identify what they want in life - quite different from their parents' Baby Boomer generation.  Their can-do attitude and "everyone gets a trophy" mentality (p.5) have inspired their high expectations for their life and career - fulfilling employment, work-life balance, reasonable pay, and always wanting something bigger and better.  Because of this, Millennials are currently the most educated generation to date, having grown up as the first generation to experience multi-media platforms, internet (dial-up and high speed!), and social media platforms.  For many Gen Y's, technology has been a significant and impactful part of their life, as they have watched encyclopedias turn into websites, library books become available on mobile reading devices, and thought of a phone as a way to verbally communicate, not as a box that can send messages and emojis.  

As Millennials continue to see the world of technology change around them, Gen Z, those born between 1995 and 2010, are living in a world completely shaped by technology and have never experienced life without it.  They have since been referred to as iGeneration because they are digital natives and have access to everything in real time (p.6). For example, although American Gen Z has only actually known two US Presidents, and were very young when 9/11 happened, they can access pictures, videos, news clips, podcasts, and news articles to better understand and empathize with these events.  Unlike the generation before them, who found articles, played games, or took notes on a series of different large devices, Gen Z can do this all with one device in the palm of their hand.  Put this into perspective: this group has likely never used a paper map and have only ever been told by a computer when to turn to get to their destination.

​In addition to their technological savviness, this generation is seeking out solutions to problems in the world that may not yet exist, and they are incredibly loyal to those around them.  Opposite to their parents' "me" focus, iGeneration is genuinely interested in how it can influence change and has a refreshing sense of compassion, likely because these students better understand the tragedies of the world thanks to social media.  The issues that are discussed on Twitter, the videos shared on YouTube, and pictures posted on Facebook create a real sense of concern for the tragic experiences that others are facing, most notably the fear of gun violence.  Gen Z believes that well-educated minds are the key to better understanding each other and the problems around them (p.9).  

Gen Z is also very motivated by the opportunity for reward and advancement, because they have seen high unemployment rates as they have grown and are concerned about financial responsibility.  Funny enough, this reward is not in the form of public recognition or competition with others; unlike Millennials, Gen Z is not driven by the need to receive validation from others (p. 16).  Monetary reward is not a driving factor for this group either.  While they strongly believe in the need to address social concerns around financial hardship, they are far more motivated by an opportunity to work toward something they believe in than about a pay check. Evidently, Gen Z is committed to making a difference and using "both their heads and their hearts to solve the world's problems" (p.17).

Influences in the Gen Z World
Generation Z has been strongly influenced by the world around them, especially technology.  Information is constantly available to them at their finger tips, and allows them to be knowledgable on just about any topic within seconds.  However, it also poses the concern that these students may not be information literate because of the common belief that if it is online then it must be true.  Unfortunately their ability to access information, credible or not, at such quick speeds has also created a "get it when you want it" mentality (p.28), believing that everything should be available the moment that you need it.  This is echoed every day in the life of a Gen Z - when you want to watch a movie or TV show, Netflix immediately uploads it; when you want to listen to a particular song, you can find it on YouTube or listen to your preferred playlist on Spotify.  Gone are the days when you were happy that your internet speed was strong enough to download an album from Napster overnight and ready to burn for your Discman the next morning - remember that?  This is also particularly noticeable with communication, as this generation has always had the ability to be constantly connected to each other and often expects a reply immediately.  Voicemails and returned phone calls are a thing of the past when the expectation is that your phone is with you at all times of the day, and therefore, you should be able to respond to a text within seconds.

Online boards have also changed the way in which Gen Z thinks about entrepreneurship and business.  This generation is not looking at ads or editorials in the newspapers; rather, they are finding new job opportunities, selling gently used items, and offering a best price for concert tickets on Craigslist or Kijiji by typing in the exact item they are looking for.  As we receive results almost instantaneously, sites like Etsy allow us to showcase and sell our items to people all over the world.  These types of internet classified sites allow Gen Z to be their own boss.

Another significant influence in the lives of this generation has to do with fear; the world is a scary place.  This group has watched the aftermath of September 11, 2011, including on-going war, heightened security measures at airports, threats of terrorism, high unemployment rates, and a recession.  In addition to these concerns, Gen Z has seen the affects of devastation, like Hurricane Katrina, swine flu, SARS, and ebola (p.35) .  In a world that is supposed to be progressing, this generation has witnessed frightening catastrophes, many of which appear to be continuous and on-going problems.  Scary things are also happening in their technological world too, as these children have grown up being told to be careful of cyber bullies, sexual predators, and identity thieves.  They have lived in a world where they do not even need to leave the house to personally experience a sense of danger and discomfort.

Communication
We know that the internet has changed the way in which we communicate with each other, but this is particularly true for the generation that has never known anything other than wireless, high speed internet, mobile cell phones, and video game platforms.  With personal cell phones glued to their hands, there are no doubt concerns that Gen Z will struggle to appropriately communicate and/or develop relationships (p.57).  And while other generations may see this group as constantly being distracted by the technology around them, Generation Z simply sees it as an on-going opportunity to connect with others and acquire real-time information quickly. Often this comes in the form of social media or text message; interestingly enough though, these students do not like email.  Email, to Gen Z, is too slow and is viewed as very formal, which is why they associate email with adults instead their every day life.  One student in the study even stated that, "I will only use email messaging if I want to contact a coworker or professor" (p.60), so it begs the question: Why are we still trying to force communication via email when it is no longer a platform that our incoming students are using?

It is also worth knowing that often times we assume that this generation of students is solely interested in electronic communication, when in fact, they do crave face-to-face communication too.  Especially when it comes to relationships with friends and family, technology allows this generation to connect more often and as needed, but they much prefer to interact in-person.  This is also the case in the workplace; Gen Z expects face-to-face communication with their supervisors and employees (p.61).

Issues of Greatest Importance
This generation is very passionate about a great deal of issues, some of which were already discussed.  Based on the study conducted by the authors, the topic that Gen Z identified caring most about was education. Not surprisingly, this issue not only impacts others in their communities, but themselves directly as well.  

Education is at the heart of individual success and prosperity for this group (p.98).  Based on the study, there were five key views that Gen Z identified with education:

1. Education leads to future personal success.
2. Education is an investment in the future.
​3. An educated society is a better society.
4. The [American] education system is declining.
​5. There is limited access to quality education. (p.98)

It certainly is worth keeping in mind that while the authors of this book and the study are American, these concerns are easily transferable to issues that Canadian Gen Z students are facing today as well.  It offers an interesting perspective into the values that these students are bringing to our own educational institutions and the expectations they will soon possess of what our campus' need to provide.  Furthermore, with the increasing cost of higher education, it is not surprising that this generation is facing an internal debate about the importance of acquiring a degree.  While Gen Z recognizes the importance of investing in education for their own future and that of their community, how are they going to be able to afford a seeming insurmountable debt?  In order to pay off the high amounts of student debt, there is further anxiety about the pressure of acquiring a well-paying and stable job after graduation.

Unfortunately for those of us in higher education, these concerns are quite scary.  Gen Z is now looking at new ways to offset the ever increasing cost of tertiary tuition, which means they are opting to have a limited college experience (p. 100).  This generation will soon focus primarily on their program, faculty and access to courses, but will be far less interested in co-curricular experiences such as residence halls, athletics, or student programming because of the costs associated.  Seemiller and Grace (2016) call this "college a la carte" (p.100), because students aren't looking to pay for services, labs or recreation centres that they aren't going to use.  So, how do we continue to demonstrate the value of the co-curricular experience to these students, recognizing that their priority is quickly turning to finishing their academic requirements to start a career?  This is something that we, as Student Affairs professionals, need to really sit down and think about.  Personally, I think this is another example of the importance of using assessment and evaluation to tell our stories!

Moreover, Gen Z has seen recession and they have watched as their parents and grandparents have had to work very hard in hopes of keeping a roof over their head.  Because of this, this generation understands that there is no guarantee that education leads to stable employment (p.103).  Instead, there is an enthusiasm for being their own boss and securing their own employment.  Much of this has to do with Gen Z's disinterest in doing a job for the sake of it; instead, they are seeking a career that will have a positive impact on the world and one that is personally fulfilling.  We will soon start to see this generation begin to seek new learning opportunities, that may not even yet exist, to suit their unique styles and passions (p.104).

Leadership and Influences
It is worth understanding how Gen Z's perspective of leadership has changed from that of Millennials, because it may begin to shift how we develop our leadership programs and supervise our future student staff.  While Millennials saw leadership as a means to inspire others to take on purposeful action, this generation views the concept as a process of influencing others and facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives (p. 152).  In order to develop leadership capacity, Gen Z is particularly dedicated to developing skills that employers are looking for, including team work, communication skills, and problem solving.  Many of these are what we call "soft skills" each day as student affairs educators.

Unlike previous generations, a significant aspect of what leadership means to this group is centred on the strengths based approach, which was popularized by Gallup and Clifton (1960s). This generation has grown up in a time where strengths-based leadership has almost always existed (p. 154), and is often included in high school curricula.  Because of this, students are beginning to enter university and college already knowing their top 5 and applying the philosophy of strengths to their higher education experience.  Looking at leadership through a lens of positives, rather than deficits, it is not surprising that today's vision of leadership for Gen Z involves skills such as complex thinking, adaptability, interdependence, connection and collaboration (p. 154-155).  Furthermore, this philosophy will likely be applied to global issues that this generation faces as well: international business; trade; crime; disasters and epidemic; money and currency; and military intervention (p.155).  Thus as Generation Z students are influenced by the world around them, the strengths-based approach will continue to guide the way in which Gen Z defines leadership.  It should also start to guide the language we use and connect to the programs we offer.

Generation Z as Learners
Perhaps the most important aspect of this text is found in Chapter 9: Maximizing Learning, as it provides educators with some tools and strategies to keep in mind when creating learning environments and opportunities that resonate with our incoming generation of students.  With technology advancing so rapidly, it can often be difficult to stay caught up, but Seemiller & Grace (2016) remind us that learning in higher education is not just technology based; instead, it can and should also be delivered from content in books to interactions with peers, faculty and staff (p.173).  In fact, intrapersonal learning is the style Gen Z most prefer, as they are comfortable with and enjoy the ability to learn independently and at their own pace.  Given that this generation is self-described as "responsible, determined, and thoughtful," (p. 179), it is not surprising that they prefer learning methods that are self-regulated.  This form of learning has been enhanced though, by the ability for students to access courses, research, and information online easily, and without interacting with others.  However, online and independent learning does not always support their craving for social learning, which is why it is so important that learning environments for Gen Z still offer opportunities for work in group settings as well (p. 179).  

Because it can be difficult to find a balance between independent and interpersonal learning styles, the authors' study discusses the importance of educators in creating this type of learning environment.  In particular, it is noted that facilitators need to be passionate, engaging, and offer hands-on learning opportunities; lecture style is not effective for this group.  This hands-on learning environment is also transferred to their physical learning space as well, as Gen Z prefers to be in a dedicated space, free from distractions, with access to the internet, natural light, and significant table space (p.179).  Many of these students also prefer calming music in their environment as well.  Are we, as educators, providing these passionate educators and specialized learning environments?  Do Residence buildings offer these spaces?

Moving Forward
As educators, we know that we are always trying to catch up and meet the ever-changing needs of our students, but this incoming group, in particular, is very different than the Millennials we have been trying to support.  The issues that they are passionate about are different, their learning style is quite specific, and they yearn far more for opportunities to make a difference than monetary reward. They also communicate primarily through their cell phone, and are unlikely to respond to our professional emails, if they even read it.

Knowing the background about this generation is very helpful as we move forward in developing programs and opportunities that can better cater to their needs and expectations in the future, but how do we change processes and initiatives that we have invested years of fiscal resources and manpower into? Do we need to go back to the drawing board and put some of those on pause until we are able to make the appropriate adjustments?  Should our incentive teams be rethinking the traditional rewards of gift cards and declining dollars on their campus cards, instead, focusing on co-curricular credits and opportunities to be involved in a cause?  Should we finally toss away all of those campus maps and handbooks that we have provided students with at move-in for the past many, many, many years and invest solely in an app?  Can we replace training sessions and leadership workshops on time-management or organization with budgeting and career development?  How can we ensure our departments are speaking the language of strengths, especially if students are entering our institutions already aware of their top 5?  Do those strengths offer us the opportunity to better match people in classes or as roommates?  Should our performance conversations be a little more strengths-based in nature? 

There are so many questions that remain unanswered, many of which I am confident we will answer on the fly, as we have with Millennials.  However,  I think it's very important, almost crucial, that our teams become familiar with how different this group of students is in order to provide the best service, support, and opportunities to Gen Z.  We know that a 'one-size fits all' approach to working with students is not successful, but if we don't start changing now to meet them where they are at in the next couple of years, we will be trying to fit Generation Z in the Millennial box.  And we know that if we do, we will hear about it on social media platforms like Yik Yak and Twitter, so what are you doing to educate yourself on ways that you can better support Gen Z in your role?