Generational Shockwaves: Implications for Higher Education

Donald E. Heller, Professor of Education and Senior Scientist and Director, Center for the Study of Higher Education at The Pennsylvania State University;
TIAA-CREF Institute Fellow 

January 2008 | Issue # January, 2008

The impact of different generations on American society has been well documented. Such books as Generation X, by Douglas Coupland, Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation, by Neil Howe, William Strauss and R. J. Matson, and The World According to Y: Inside the New Adult Generation, by Rebecca Huntley have established how these different groups affect our nation. The TIAA-CREF Institute 2007 National Higher Education Leadership Conference addressed how these groups are affecting the country’s colleges and universities.