The Millennial generation (born 1981 - 2000) represents a large segment of today’s adult learners. They value quality, efficiency, flexibility and service; and view higher education through demanding consumer lenses. This presentation will focus on the servicing, marketing, and recruitment implications for Thomas Edison State University and other adult-serving institutions.
In the late 1990’s, the Millennial generation (people born between 1981 and 2000) started going to college. Many of them completed their education but others are today’s adult students. During 2016, the oldest Millennials will turn 35 years old. Thomas Edison State University (TESU) is a public institution that has been serving the needs of busy adults since 1972. For more than forty years, the institution has served primarily the Baby Boomer generation (average student age of 36). Student demographic data from 2015 revealed that 55% of TESU students are Millennials. There are more than 80 million Millennials in the U.S. They constitute more than 25% of the population. They are more racially diverse than any previous generation (20% are of Hispanic origin). They marry and leave home later in life than previous generations. In general, they are very connected to their parents as many were raised by “helicopter parents”. Millennials have grown up in a world that is fundamentally different from earlier generations. They are constantly connected and online via technology. They value efficiency, feedback and flexibility. They are the most informed consumer generation ever – truly marketing savvy. Before they buy a product (or choose a higher education institution), they research it online, ask friends about it on social media and search online reviews. Word-of-mouth marketing is alive and well. They can “make or break” brands (and institutions) because of easy access to technology. Quality and service is an important part of the “Amazon-like” customer experience they expect. The Millennial generation learns differently – they enjoy the ease and convenience of learning online and have been instrumental in the shift towards online learning. They want to work collaboratively with their teachers and other students. Many of them are burdened with student loan debt because of previous attempts to earn a college degree. Undergraduate student loan debt is causing many Millennials to postpone graduate education. This presentation will focus on Millennials as adult students and their impact on adult serving institutions. The learning objectives for the session are: • Acknowledge the changing demographics of adult students • Understand the implications of a multi-generational adult student population for marketing, recruitment and student services • Learn what Thomas Edison State University has done to address the needs of Millennials. The target audience is Higher Education institutions at all levels. The audience will be engaged through interactive questions and answers and audience contribution. Conference slides will available for posting on the conference website.