The mindset gap
Beloit, Wisconsin, is about as far south in the Badger State as a Yankee can get. Situated right on the Illinois border, the small city of 36,000 has been called the “Gateway to Wisconsin.”
It was founded in 1836 by New Englanders, who fondly christened it “New Albany” in a nod to a Vermont village namesake.
The name was changed to Beloit in 1838 ( as a rhyming tribute to Detroit), and true to the Yankee settlers’ passion for education, by 1846 the territorial legislature had chartered an eponymous college in the small settlement.
A year later the first building was constructed— which still stands in full operation on the campus today— and the first degrees were awarded in 1851.
Today, Beloit College is the oldest continuously operated college in Wisconsin with an enrollment of 1,300 and a Latin motto that translates to “True knowledge with pure faith.”
Truth and piety are fine foundations for any educational institution, and Beloit has distinguished itself over the decades as a small liberalarts college, earning ranking and recognition as a “Best Value” in the U. S. News & World Report’s 2011 listing.
Created in 1963, the college’s Center for Entrepreneurship was one of the first programs in the country to provide hands- on opportunities for students to hone entrepreneurial skills in both business and the arts.
But what Beloit is probably most famous for is its Mindset List, which has been published annually since 1998.
The list originated as an e- mail forward by then- public affairs director Ron Nief, who shared it with peers at other schools as a reminder that incoming freshmen had a mindset far removed in ways from that of aging professors.
Each list is a compilation of about 40 to 60 statements about those born 18 years prior to the fall semester of their first year at college.
Some of the observations from the inaugural list, meaning students born in 1980, included:
“They have no meaningful recollection of the Reagan era, and did not know he had ever been shot.”
“They have never owned a record player.”
“They have always had an answering machine.”
“They never heard the terms ‘ Where’s the Beef?’, ‘ I’d walk a mile for a Camel’ or ‘ De plane, de plane!’”
Members of that first Mindset List class are now 34 or 35 years old, and many of them soon will have 18- yearold children of their own whose cultural idiosyncrasies will be chronicled by Beloit College over the next few years.
The latest couple of lists already reveal some cultural slippage from the Millennials— those born from 1981 through 1996— to whatever label will be applied to the next generation just now coming of age in adulthood:
“Joe Camel has never introduced one of them to smoking.” Despite Joe’s demise, nearly 19 percent of U. S. college- age adults smoke; in Arkansas it’s a deplorable 27 percent. “They have only known two presidents.”
“A tablet is no longer something you take in the morning.”
“The water cooler is no longer the workplace social center; it’s the place to fill your water bottle.” Enduring phrases, especially those altered by technology, are fading fast among the young.
“Courts have always been ordering computer network wiretaps.”
“Washington, D. C., tour buses have never been able to drive in front of the White House.” Issues of security and cybersecurity are framed far differently than in the past.
“‘ Press pound’ on the phone is now translated as ‘ hit hashtag’.”
“Java has never been just a cup of coffee.” The evolving lexicon can pose Babel- like miscommunications.
“With GPS, they have never needed directions to get someplace, just an address.”
“When they see wire- rimmed glasses, they think Harry Potter, not John Lennon.”
“There has always been ‘ TV’ designed to be watched exclusively on the web.”
In addition to being a tool for college teachers to connect with students, the Mindset Lists offer insightful, valuable perspective for parents, politicians ( more than 41 percent of 18- 24 year olds voted in 2012) and employers.
The Pew Research Center reported earlier this month that Millennials were now the largest generation in the U. S. labor force at 53.5 million strong ( compared to only 44.6 million baby boomers still working).
Every Millennial alive has been covered by one of the Mindset Lists, and employers seeking to build quality work forces need to keep the worldview gap in mind.
Beloit College occasionally publishes supplemental lists, including a financial version this year with these nuggets of perspective:
“To them, Yellow Pages have never been yellow or contained in a book.”
“They’ve grown up in a world largely devoid of payphones, glass pop bottles, and bobby pins.”
“During their lifetimes the price of a first- class stamp has risen 65 percent, but not to worry: they rarely write letters or pay bills with postage.”
Information- age children born in cyberspace have radically different approaches to how they research, communicate and even think from earlier generations. Understanding those differences is crucial to managing them effectively.
For those parenting, teaching, employing or campaigning to young adults, their mindset matters in your success. A million people a year read the lists online; you should too.