Millenials, Retirement, and Harry Potter

// August 27th, 2005 // My Stuff, Technology Bits

Over the last three days I have found myself in a lecture hall each morning, each for different reasons. First it was because of my adjunct faculty duties, next as a general employee, and finally as a member if ITS.

On Wednesday it was to watch the Plymouth State “Faculty Day” keynote presentation by William Strauss titled “Millenials Go To College”.

According to his website, here is a brief explanation of this generation:

The Millennial Generation (Hero?, born 1982-?) first arrived when “Babies on Board” signs appeared. As abortion and divorce rates ebbed, the popular culture began stigmatizing hands-off parental styles and recasting babies as special. Child abuse and child safety became hot topics, while books teaching virtues and values became best-sellers. Today, politicians define adult issues (from tax cuts to deficits) in terms of their effects on children. Hollywood is replacing cinematic child devils with child angels, and cable TV and the internet are cordoning off “child-friendly” havens. While educators speak of “standards” and “cooperative learning,” school uniforms are surging in popularity. With adults viewing children more positively, U.S. test scores are faring better in international comparisons.

The Millenials are a generation in his “Hero” archetype. Here is a brief summary of this archetype:

We remember Heroes best for their collective coming-of-age triumphs [...] and for their hubristic elder achievements. [...] All have been aggressive advocates of economic prosperity and public optimism in midlife; and all have maintained a reputation for civic energy and competence even deep into old age.

Overall, Strauss presented a fascinating topic and did it well. I left with hope for the future generation and excitement about helping in my small way to bring them to greatness.

More resources on Millenials:
Pedablogue: Millennials Go to College
Millenials Rising Book Site
William Strauss Books on Amazon

10-204On Thursday, all employees at Plymouth State were called together by President Wharton. We did not know what he was planning to tell us. The big announcement was his planned retirement, effective June 30, 2006.
From Plymouth State Office of Public Relations:

Dr. Wharton is in his 13th year as president and is the 13th president at Plymouth State. He has been the steward of significant changes at the institution, including the transition in 2003 from Plymouth State College to Plymouth State University.

[...]

Under Dr. Wharton’s leadership the Plymouth State campus has changed significantly—adding new buildings such as the Hartman Union Building, Lamson Library, the Draper Maynard building, Prospect Dining Hall, and most recently the Boyd Science Center. In addition, the demolition of the old power plant and associated buildings and construction of the co-generation facility created more green space and the conversion of town streets to campus walkways. This past spring the University broke ground for the new Langdon Woods Student Housing Complex, which will add 347 new beds to campus housing in an effort to have a larger percentage of students reside on campus.

Finally on Friday all of Information Technology Services gathered for some inspiring words from CIO Dwight Fischer. The new group of student staff was introduced and hopefully made to feel at home. After giving a list of of things causing us all stress, it became clear, this was also a list of the great and innovative things we are doing on campus: deploying McAfee Virus Scan and ePolicy Orchestrator, increased integrated services, further deployment of multimedia classrooms, and more. Fischer then made some insightful comparisons between IT and Harry Potter, though sadly the only one I remember is “we learn good spells to counter the ever growing number of evil ones.”

Overall, as a week to ramp up for the beginning of another semester in higher education, this was an inspiring one.

generations, higher education, millenials, wharton, retirement, speeches, strauss, william strauss, dwight fischer, donald wharton, plymouth state university, plymouth, nh

Related items

Leave a Reply

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