Jamie Merisotis: Retooling higher education to meet the needs of Gen Z

Marketers love them. Politicians court them. Colleges want them—badly. For the 69 million members of Gen Z in America, things might finally be looking up.

This is the generation, ages 12-27, that grew up amid the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Iraq and Afghan wars, the Great Recession, the COVID-19 pandemic. They have never known a time before school shootings and brutally toxic social media. No wonder they are suspicious of institutions, as we saw in last year’s State of American Youth Survey from Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation.

But there’s a bright spot for those of us concerned with falling college enrollment and the effect that could have on our economic well-being: A strong majority of young Americans—83%—believe in the importance of college.

This, even as overall confidence in higher education is faltering. For Gen Z, college represents an opportunity to pivot from being defined by the traumatic events that shaped their childhoods to creating real change. These are idealists—or as a McKinsey report calls them: socially progressive, “inclusive consumers.”

“More than any other generation, Gen Z collectively demands purpose and accountability, the creation of more opportunities for people of diverse and underrepresented backgrounds, and rigorous sustainable and green practices,” McKinsey says.

They’ll need education to create the change they seek. And against a rising tide of higher-ed skepticism over cost and economic outcomes, colleges and universities must define themselves with the authenticity and transparency this generation demands.

Fortunately, there’s fertile ground here. We know that 4 out of 5 Gen Zers believe college is important to their futures. In economic terms alone, they’re right: Those who hold bachelor’s degrees earn, on average, an estimated $1.2 million more over their working years. And a new study from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce shows that, within seven years, 85% of good jobs will require post-high-school degrees or credentials.

For Indiana, that means job growth in the state’s leading industries—including health care, technology and other sectors—will likely favor those applicants with bachelor’s degrees. Even jobs traditionally considered blue collar—including those in manufacturing, transportation and skilled trades—will provide a better career path to those with a degree or high-quality credential than without, according to the CEW findings.

Even more important to the new idealists: A college credential generally leads to greater personal fulfillment and a longer lifespan. And we know that education after high school promotes deeper engagement with democracy and social issues.

In many ways, Gen Z reminds me of the World War II generation, often called the Greatest Generation. Like Gen Z, the Greatest Generation grew up in traumatic times.

For them, the G.I. Bill opened the doors to economic opportunity. While racial discrimination still festered, the Greatest Generation went on to advance the Civil Rights Act. Their legacy is one of rebirth: emerging from hardship to build a stronger nation.

Gen Z has the chance to do the same. And just as this nation gave previous generations the tools to succeed, we must do so, as well. If young Americans have doubts about the affordability of college, the value of degrees and the opportunities of success afforded by their diplomas, we have to fix that. A lot of good work is already happening to address higher ed’s problems, including the efforts on many campuses to provide the counseling and other supports needed to help students stay enrolled, but we must do more—and do it more quickly.

A new generation—the one we’re counting on to lead in the complex, fast-moving world of the future—is watching.•

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Merisotis is president and CEO of Lumina Foundation. He is the author of “America Needs Talent” and “Human Work in the Age of Smart Machines.”