Best Practices for Working with and Managing Millennial Students

Madison, Wis.—July 14, 2009 — Now that we in higher education have had a few years to learn about millennials and their general characteristics, we can pull together a few best practices on working with them in and out of class.

W. Scott Lewis, a partner with the National Center for Higher Education Risk Management and associate general counsel for Saint Mary’s College in Indiana, shared some of these best practices in the July 14 online seminar A Perfect Storm: Understanding and Managing Millennials. Lewis, who learned much about millennial students during his service as assistant vice provost and director of judicial affairs at the University of South Carolina, shared some of his recommendations:

Be specific with students and parents about actions and consequences.
Being vague is an invitation to challenge, Lewis said. A note on a syllabus that academic dishonesty may lead to a lowered grade is not specific enough. On the other hand, a clearly-publicized policy that causing a fire in a residence hall results in automatic dismissal from that hall, whether the fire was set intentionally or not, offers less room for argument and misunderstanding.

Educate students about how their actions affect other members of the community.
We shouldn’t assume in our responses to student behavior that millennials have fully developed senses of empathy. As a result, responses to their behaviors should help make them aware of how their actions affect others, Lewis said. (In a talk following the presentation, Lewis offered the following anecdote: A student who missed several appointments with an instructor didn’t understand that this behavior was a problem until the instructor explained that other students could have used the time that had been blocked off for her.)

Educate parents about your and your institutions’ motivations and limitations.
Despite their reputations as helicopter parents, most parents are easy to educate about how rules and procedures facilitate their students’ growth, safety, and success, Lewis said.

Encourage students to think critically.
Millennials are used to structure, so it does not necessarily prevent critical thinking and is “not always the bane of creativity,” Lewis said. In fact, students can be encouraged to solve problems within rules rather than seek exemptions from the rules (which is often the first strategy millennials try). For example, if students want to hold an on-campus social event that doesn’t fit residence life’s mission, rather than making an exception for them, you can challenge them to craft an event that will serve the mission while also accomplishing their other goals.

Another way to foster critical thinking is to use examples from the rest of the world, Lewis said. For instance, residence hall roommates who are convinced that they cannot share a small space together might learn about places where most families occupy what Americans would consider cramped quarters.

If you missed the seminar and would like to purchase it for your institution, you can order the program in CD or print transcript format, both of which include the presenters' handouts.

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