By Dr. Mabel Freeman
Whether
we call them �Generation Y,� �Echo Boomers,� or �Millennials,�
today�s entering college students do not arrive on campus with the same
background, intentions, or expectations that most of our university faculty had
when they were college students twenty and thirty years ago.� The adolescent patterns are different; the
family patterns are different; the demographics are different; the goals are
different.� On most of our campuses, it
has traditionally been the Student Affairs staff who
have been tuned into the changing student patterns.� Academics are beginning to focus on these
changing patterns as we consider different classroom paradigms which focus more
on how today�s students learn.� Our panel will examine the characteristics
and experiences of these children of the Baby Boomers and how we can positively
influence their college performance.���