Mark Taylor, M.S.W., Ed.D.

Generation NeXt Comes to College

Understanding, Teaching and Serving Today's Postmodern Students

The young people of Generation NeXt are different from previous generations of college students. Few schools understand these differences well enough to respond effectively to bring about meaningful learning and developmental outcomes.

The products of a postmodern, consumer driven culture, Generation NeXt presents special challenges to the purposes, structures and methods of colleges and universities; challenges complicated by the generational differences between these young people and the Traditionals, Baby Boomers and Xers who predominate faculty and staff.

For most students there is a serious mismatch between what they want and expect from a school, and what we offer. The expectations by many students of academic success with little effort is distressing and confusing to faculty and staff. Few in academia report seeing the much anticipated "Millennial generation" in significant numbers (conventional conformists respectful of social norms and institutions, trusting of adults, focused on grades and performance, etc.) Check out the articles on the Resources/ Links page for more details.

My programs on Generation NeXt Comes to College and A Postmodern Pedagogy for Today's Learners are resonating with college communities around the country at community and technical colleges, public universities, professional schools and private colleges, as well as at conferences and meetings. These programs and workshops help college and university faculty, staff, and administration better understand these young people to more effectively recruit, retain, develop and teach our Generation NeXt students, and the other students we serve. Specific suggestions and methods are offered to improve services and instruction, both school-wide and appropriate to each audience.

Programs are available from a keynote of under an hour to an extended sequence of trainings or consulting relationship. Sessions are individualized to each school and audience, or can be the central stream of a meeting or conference.

Use the tabs at left or contact Dr. Taylor directly to learn more about programs for your school or meeting.

• email mark@taylorprograms.com
  
• call 501 626-5889
• write 12961 Southridge Dr, Little Rock, AR 72212

About Dr. Taylor:

Mark Taylor has over twenty-five years of experience in higher education, management and the helping professions. He holds a Bachelors degree in Psychology and Biology, a Masters degree in Social Work and a Doctorate in Counseling, all from the University of Arkansas. He was most recently the Director of Guidance Services at Arkansas State University at Beebe where he was responsible for counseling, disability, career, testing, academic advising, orientation, housing/ residence life, student activities/leadership, student success programming and other student services. He left that position in January 2006 to continue his research and programs to improve educational services to Generation NeXt, and the other students we serve. Dr. Taylor has been licensed as a psychotherapist in Arkansas since 1981. He has also worked as a college professor and academic administrator, medical administrator and clinical psychotherapist. His resume reflects over 150 professional publications and presentations at state, regional, and national events in 35 states. His eye-opening perspectives grounded in data and the literature, practical suggestions and humorous presentation style has made him a popular training consultant with numerous schools, colleges and professional organizations.

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