Today’s Transfer Students –Spanning Generations and Ages: Characteristics Influencing Their

Patterns of Choice

AACRAO Annual Conference

San Diego, CA

April 18, 2006Program Code: T3.152~Session ID: 152

Paula Hanley

Director of Advising & Placement Services

Brady Johnson

Associate Director of Marketing Communications

A Booming Appointment

Starring Paula Hanley &

Brady Johnson

Which Generation Do I Belong To?

Baby Boomer, Gen X or Millennial

• “You’re OK, I’m Perfect.”

Millennial• “Drugs, Sex and Rock & Roll.”

Baby Boomer• “Just Do It!”

Gen X

Generations in the News

Chicago Tribune:• “Will Boomers bust up their small towns?” 11.28.04• “Generation IOU.” 4.27.05• “Generation excess: Young adults live life of luxury on little funds.” 7.31.05• “Baby boomers battle wrinkles with flattering home lighting.” 8.13.05• “Cutting The Cord 101. When did caring become control? Blame Boomers.

Let your college children go—and feel good about it.” 10.10.05 • “Generation Y bother?” 3.5.06Newsweek:• “Hitting 60: The Boomer Files.” 11.14.05Parade:• “Don’t Call Them Old, Call Them…” 3.19.06New York Times:• “A Generation Serves Notice: It’s a Moving Target.” 1.22.06

Today’s Objective

• Generational characteristics (similarities and differences)

• Needs of transgenerational transfer students

• Factors influencing their patterns of choice

• Challenges for Enrollment Management

• Strategies and best practices to enhance the transfer process

American Generations

• 18 Generations in America’s History from 1584 to Present• Each period is defined by Cycle, Generation, Type and

Birth Years

• The perfect generational line-up Idealists, Reactive, Civic, Adaptive

• Today’s line-up: Cycle=Millennial Type=Boom (Idealist 1943-1960) Thirteenth (Reactive 1961-1981) Millennial (Civic ? 1982-2002)

Source: Strauss and Howe, Generations, 1991.

Baby Boomers

• Birth Year - 1943-1960

• Population - 79 million

• History and cultural notables – Spock’s The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child

Care– Vietnam War, Watergate, Civil Rights Movement– Woodstock, Doonesbury

• Science and Medicine– Apollo, eradicating polio

• Members– Janis Joplin, Joe Namath, David Letterman, Bill Gates

Baby BoomerCore Traits and Characteristics

• Powerful

• Self-Absorbed

• Organic

• Anti-institutional

• “New Age”

• Visionary

• Sandwiched Generation

Sept. 26. 1974, G.B. Trudeau

Generation X• Birth Year - 1961-1981• Population - 93 million

• History and cultural notables: – Sale of birth control approved, Roe v. Wade– Iran Hostage Crisis, fall of the Berlin Wall,

Persian Gulf War – MTV, The “Brat Pack”

• Science and Medicine– Less chance of dying from disease than accidents

• Members– Tom Cruise, Michael Jordan, Brooke Shields,

Kurt Cobain

Gen XCore Traits and Characteristics

• Narcissistic

• Alienated

• Apathetic

• Pragmatic

• Experimental

• Over-Looked

• “Win at All Cost”

Generation X

= Ultimate Gen Xer?

The Millennials

• Birth Year - 1982-2002

• Population - 76 million (by end of 2000)

• History and cultural notables: – “Class of 2000”– Jessica McClure, War in Iraq, 9/11– Kinder, Gentler Family Values– MP3s, DVDs

• Science and Medicine– Space Shuttles, The Internet, Ritalin and Prozac

• Members– LeBron James, Michael Phelps, Olsen twins, Bush twins

MillennialCore Traits and Characteristics

• Special

• Sheltered

• Confident

• Team-Oriented

• Conventional

• Pressured

• AchievingSource: Howe and Strauss, Millennials Go to College: Strategies for a New Generation on Campus., 2003.

“For it's there that he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic in everything from classes to meals, but a great destiny that's been waiting for him...”

(Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets)

An X-cellent Appointment

Starring Paula Hanley &

Brady Johnson

GenerationalSimilarities and Differences

Security MomSource: Howe and Strauss, Millennials Rising, 2000.

Source: Howe and Strauss, Millennials Rising, 2000.

Source: Howe and Strauss, Millennials Rising, 2000

Source: Howe and Strauss, Millennials Rising, 2000.

Source: Howe and Strauss, Millennials Rising, 2000.

The Needs of All Transfer Students

• Transferable vs. Applicable• Emotional and Academic Barriers• Institutional Fit• Balancing Prescriptive w/Developmental Advising• “Retention before Matriculation”• The Seamless Process

Source: The College Transfer Student in America, 2004.

Source: The Journal of College Admission, Spring 2004.

Transgenerational NeedsBOOMERS GEN XERS MILLENNIALS

Strive for convenience and personal gratification

Desire versatility Rely on immediacy

Willing to go into debt Money one has is only part of the whole equation

Earning money is a way to immediately consume goods

Work efficiently Work to eliminate tasks Work = doing what’s asked

Optimistic Focused Skeptic Focused Fun Focused

Source: Lancaster and Stillman, When Generations Collide, 2002.

Transgenerational Clash Points

BOOMERS

Live to Work

GEN XERS

Work to Live

MILLENNIALS

Live in the Moment

Career Goals

Build a stellar career

Build a portable career

Build parallel careers

Work/Life Balance

Help me balance everyone else and find meaning myself

Give me balance now, not when I’m 65

Work isn’t everything; I need flexibility so I can balance all my activities

Source: Lancaster and Stillman, When Generations Collide, 2002.

Challenges: Boomer Transfer Students

• Stop In, Stop Out, Stop In Again• Community College is a place to start• Career Transitions• Earning college degree doesn’t necessarily

equate with a need to earn more money• Work and Life Balance

Challenges: Gen X Transfer Students

• Gen Xers view themselves as consumers• Consuming college should be convenient• Varied educational backgrounds• Desire delivery of on-line services

Challenges: Millennial Transfer Students

• Attending college has always been a goal • The emerging adulthood period is extended• College and major choice is a team effort• Seminar groups and Socratic teaching method is preferred• Increase in children served under Individuals With

Disabilities Education Act • Structure and collaboration are important (skills to manage

daily life)• Many are undecided not only about major

but college choice

Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, various years, and unpublished tabulations (April 2002) and Newton, “The New Student,” Change, 2000.

How Higher Ed Has Begun to Adapt to the Millennials: Today’s

HeadlinesMinneapolis Star Tribune:• “Millennial Students Changing Campus Climate.” 5.12.04Chronicle of Higher Education:• “The High Cost of College: an Increasingly Hard Sell.” 10.21.05• “The Professor as Instant Messenger.” 2.7.06Chicago Tribune:• “Collegians ramp up the amps.” 12.20.03• “This is not your parents’ kind of dorm room.” 11.1.03• “Welcome to campus; have an iPod.” 4.26.05Boston Globe:• “Colleges Increasingly Accommodate Parents.” 11.30.04USA Today:• “Gadgets rule on college campuses.” 3.29.05• “Duke’s free iPods will go just for classes.” 4.7.05• “Colleges going cyber.” 3.2.06

Tag-teamed:

A Millennial Appointment

Starring Paula Hanley &

Brady Johnson

What Do These Transgenerational Challenges

Mean ?

• Transfers are different with unique needs • The “One size fits all” model doesn’t always fit• Generational differences and Age matter • Generational stereo-types don’t always hold true • What worked yesterday, may not work today• Generational marketing identity is as important as

demographics, economics and other influencers

What Do They Mean for Enrollment Planners?

• Generational marketing needs to part of the solution equation

• Brand Marketing communication requires reciprocity

• Marketing Mix today = 4Ps + 4Cs (costs, convenience, customers, and communication)

• Current information/data on policies, programs, curricula both internally & externally is required

• Involvement in all aspects of admission, articulation, orientation and student services outreach

• Continually strive to clarify the transfer process

• Assessment of methods

Sources: Grites, Redefining the Role: Reflections and Directions, NACADA Monograph, 2004, Smith and Clurman, Rocking the Ages, 1997 and Whiteside, Student Marketing for College and Universities, 2004.

Strategies to Enhance the Transfer Process from the 2-yr to the

4-yr • Top-level administrative support is needed to ensure success of

articulation agreements and transfer student success• Faculty involvement at both 2-yr & 4-yr is critical for

articulation initiatives• Concurrent enrollment, dual admission and degree programs• Open communication and on on-going dialogue between the 2-yr

& 4-yr must exist (Partnerships with 4-yr academic advisors)• Provide technology to support the process• Delivering transfer and articulation information to students in timely,

efficient ways is necessary • Ways to assess effectiveness should be addressed

Best Practices for Transfer Success• Pre-Transfer Advising

• Office of Parent Relations• Articulation Agreements• Transfer Centers, Offices of Transfer Relations• Transfer Student Organizations• Transfer Orientations• Distance Education, Online Learning, Weekend Classes, Accelerated

Degree-Completion Programs• Programs for Non-traditional Learners• “Intro to University” classes designed for transfers• Peer Mentoring programs for transfers• Transfer Scholarships• Delivery of On-Line Advising Tools

Discussion and audience activity• Think about a professional experience you have

had with a Baby Boomer, Gen X or Millennial student. How did you handle the situation? In light of what you have learned from this presentation, what strategies or tactics would have been helpful to you?

• If money were no object, what strategy or program would you implement on your campus tomorrow, for what generation and why?

¿¿¿ Questions ???

Sources• Grites, T. (2004). Redefining the Role: Reflections and Directions, NACADA Monograph 12, 123-132.

• Howe, N. & Strauss, W. (1991). Generations. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc.

• Howe, N. & Strauss, W. (2003). Millennials Go to College: Strategies for a New Generation on Campus. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers.

• Howe, N. & Strauss, W. (2000). Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation. New York: Vintage Books.

• Howe, N. & Strauss, W. (1993). 13th Gen: Abort, Retry, Ignore, Fail? New York: Vintage Books.

• Jacobs, B. (2004). The College Transfer Student in America: The Forgotten Student. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers.

• Journal of College Admission. (2004). Alexandria, VA. :National Association for College Admission Counseling.

• Klosterman, Chuck. (2003). Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs. New York: Scribner.

• Lancaster, L. & Stillman, D. (2002). When Generations Collide. New York: Harper Collins.

• Newton, F. (2000). The New Student. About Campus, November-December, 11-15. • U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. (April 2002). Annual Report to Congress on the

Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, various years, and unpublished tabulations (April 2002).

• Walker Smith, J. & Clurman, A. (1997). Rocking the Ages, The Yankelovich Report on Generational Marketing. New York: Harper Collins.

• Whiteside, R. (2004). Student Marketing for Colleges and Universities. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers.

Contact Information:

• Paula J. Hanley

phanley@depaul.edu

(312) 362-5209• Brady Johnson

bjohns16@depaul.edu

(312) 362-8015