By Christina Downey, Ph.D. and Catherine Parkay
Across the country colleges and universities are now welcoming the class of 2020, and the stakes are high. Seven years ago, President Obama outlined what one former advisor called a “reach” goal of leading the world in college completion by 2020. Now viewed by most as unattainable, the President’s aspiration was not for naught, ushering an era of completion initiatives that will have a profound impact for years to come.
In the coming weeks, advisors, faculty, and staff will help the class of 2020 make informed decisions and prepare for a strong start. What happens in the coming weeks will chart the course for the last leg in the President’s challenge – and shape the outcomes and aspiration for millions of students who launch their college career this fall.
So what sets the class of 2020 apart from their peers from the classes of 2018 and 2019? What makes them tick? We see three big areas that will define the experience for this year’s freshman – and help institutions design programs that reflect their unique circumstances to up their odds of success.
Expect a Revival of Campus Activism
Despite a national narrative that suggests apathy, UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute discovered an all-time high in activism and civic engagement last year, with nearly 1 in 10 freshmen expecting to participate in some sort of protest while in college. Racial tensions, campus safety, sexual assault, and funding for education leave students grappling with big issues. And with an already charged presidential election upon us, the fall of 2016 in particular is likely to see continued increase in campus activism. The class of 2020 will expect their institutions to recognize the legitimacy of their perspectives. We’ll see friction where classrooms and institutions downplay the impact or importance of these, and other critical nonacademic issues on campus. Providing outlets for constructive dialogue and taking seriously the concerns students raise can help avoid unnecessary escalation, and diffuse potentially adversarial situations.
Recognize Resilience and Cultivate Belonging
It’s nearly cliché for faculty to bemoan the ways in which college students are just not as hardy, self-sufficient, focused, and motivated as past students (that is, as we were). But as the doors of higher education swing ever wider, we are entering what Under Secretary of Education Ted Mitchell recently referred to as the “new normal”: student bodies with a greater diversity of experience, know-how, demands on their time, and profound expectations of social and economic mobility.
Behaviors that may appear rude or disengaged may stem from a place of fear, anxiety, or even exhaustion. First generation students, or those from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds, may feel cautious about speaking up or reaching out for support - and when they do, it may not come across the way they intend. College students are, for better or worse, hyper-aware of how they are perceived by others. They read nonverbal cues and can sense disdain, which makes reaching out for help that much less comfortable. When the class of 2020 feels judged or dismissed they are likely to internalize the experience, becoming less likely to engage, and more likely to exhibit behaviors that frustrate and befuddle. Shared ownership for student success across campus will increase the likelihood that the right people will be able to impact a student at just the right time.
Begin with the End in Mind
Another way to cultivate belonging and drive student engagement is to connect today’s activities to tomorrow’s success. In There Is Life After College, best-selling author Jeff Selingo suggests that faculty and staff all-too-often feel pressure to balance institutional values with students' perhaps more practical desires to use their education as a pathway to a productive and rewarding career and life. As it turns out, employer priorities, including curiosity, wonder, critical thinking, and humility, often mirror the skills and habits that academics value most. Perhaps, success with the class of 2020 is less about shifting our collective focus and more about explaining to students the “why” behind the work we require of them in a way that resonates with and respects incoming students’ practicality.
The unique forces currently in play give us pause to consider how we can best equip students and those who support them for a successful year. Our reflection underscores the importance of empathy, listening, and inclusion and renews our commitment to develop and deploy the best coaching skills and tools possible. We’ll continue to share what we learn through our interactions with this year’s freshmen as they transition to college and we invite you to join the conversation by sharing your own observations and insights as you get to know them this fall.
Christina Downey, Ph.D. is the Interim Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Student Success Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at Indiana University Kokomo. Catherine Parkay is the Research Programs Director at InsideTrack.