INTERGENERATIONAL ISSUES IN HIGHER EDUCATION: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Most higher education instructors will likely have noticed that the students they are teaching are different than their generation. The authors' own experience as undergraduate students was that professors were rather remote, even revered figures who were always addressed formally by title and last name. We would seldom meet with a faculty member and, when we did, it would be by appointment and for well thought out questions. Now we are addressed by our first names and students do not hesitate to drop by unannounced to ask a question or even for a casual conversation. It matters little whether one thinks these changes are a welcome development or not, they represent some of the realities of behaviors and interactions in two different eras. The changes are reflective of the generations which shaped faculty and students then and now. Higher education settings are among the most diverse institutions. There are multiple diversities represented on campus, including ethnic, racial, sexual orientation, and ability. One important diversity in higher education is age; people from eighteen to eighty (and beyond) live, work and study on campuses. On any campus, there may be students, faculty and staff who were born as early as the 1920's, as late as 1997-98, and every year in between. People born in different eras within this period are often described by their generational labels: The Silent Generation (1928-45), Baby Boomers (1946-64), Generation X (1965-80), Millennials (1981-95) and Generation Z (1996 and later). In this paper, the focus will be on three of these groups, Baby Boomers, Generation X (also known as GenXers) and Millennials, who compose a large majority of higher education participants today. The years delimiting the generations should be viewed as approximate. People's views, perceptions, language, culture, as well an orientation to work and education, among other behaviors, are in part shaped by the generation within which they were born. (Of course there are other influences, too, such as country, setting within the country, and individual differences.) Generational characteristics, while not set in stone, do influence people's interactions, relationships, expectations and behaviors within the higher education institution. It is not enough for institutions to host diverse groups of people together and hope for the best. While cross-generational interaction can be a source of richness, underlying many misunderstandings, conflicts and barriers to effective teaching, learning and working relationships on campus are generational differences. These problems can occur within the professoriate, among students or between professors and students. This paper will examine the nature of the differences created by the generational perspectives and behaviors of campus participants and identify strategies for facilitating effective, harmonious and productive interactions.