by James Whitley

Today’s adult learners are far different from their predecessors of less than a decade ago. Almost without notice we are in the midst of a radical demographic tsunami which is altering the American landscape in everything from religion and health care, to business and education. Dubbed “Generation Why,” this powerful group in ragged jeans and flip-flops is now center-stage in the University classroom and likely challenging the system every step of the way.

The name “Generation Why” was coined by Eric Chester (Employing Generation Why: Understanding, Managing, and Motivating Your New Workforce) and is catching on as the de facto name over other previously assigned titles: Generation Y, Millennials, Echo Boomers, Nexters, and The Net Generation. Depending on which expert you consult for reference, Generation Why was born between 1978 and 1994 and consists of over 60 million Americans. To put this within context, Generation Why is three times larger than Generation X (1964–1978) and stands second only to the Baby Boomers (1946–1964) with their 72 million members.

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