Finding new ways to meet students where they are (opinion)

Over the past five years, Gen Z has had a major impact on transforming business, the workplace, and even politics. But in higher education, institutional leaders are at the heart of transforming their universities and colleges.

Every coming-of-age cohort brings with it experiences that shape its expectations for education. However, not all cohorts are entering college after a global pandemic. Not all incoming classes have had to deal with extended high school closures and a health crisis.

Today’s students are navigating college life after years of remote learning and limited in-person socializing. They’re also doing so amid racial justice movements, war in Ukraine, conflict in the Middle East and a tense U.S. election year.

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On the one hand, this has exacerbated the student mental health crisis to the point where all institutional leaders must acknowledge the need for new and better resources, not just pay lip service to wellness. But it has also created a student body that is more vocal than its predecessors, more willing to take a stand and advocate for one another.

The biggest challenge facing leaders today: harnessing these voices in a productive way and transforming campus life for the better.

Active, informed and eager to be heard

One of the most telling signs that today’s generation of students expect more from themselves is their willingness to take action.

Students are demanding meetings with campus leaders and reporting misconduct at a higher rate and with a broader reach. In addition to reporting long-standing issues like hazing and bullying, they are speaking out against problematic behavior in the classroom and in every corner of student life. Today’s generation places even greater emphasis on standing up for what they believe is right, not only as a means of expression, but also as a way of caring for one another.

As leaders at William Smith College in New York recently pointed out, they’ve seen a definite increase in applications that focus on the personal mental health of students and their peers. A 2024 survey found that more than 80% of college students suffer from some degree of emotional distress. For young adults who spent part of their formative years in the midst of a pandemic, it’s no wonder they’re so focused on protecting others.

Today’s students are also an incredibly informed population. Many have done their homework to understand campus policies (particularly around free speech), which shapes the conversations they are willing to have with faculty and staff.

In some ways, this poses new challenges. How can leaders effectively communicate and clarify policies to a student body that has grown up with access to information at the click of a button? Particularly in times of global or political tension, what are the best channels to create productive dialogue on campus and share information clearly?

With students so well-informed, it is even more imperative that administrators and staff be prepared for these conversations. The days of winging it are over. How we approach these issues will shape student life for years to come.

Rethinking the scope of student support

Whether it’s a health crisis, war, or economic instability, larger forces will always be at play to shape a student’s college experience. It’s not possible to address each issue individually. Higher education leaders must look beyond the bigger picture and seek more holistic changes to support students today and tomorrow.

Some options to consider:

• Audit your organizational structure. Four years into the pandemic, it has become clear that some aspects of higher education will never return to the way they were. As we enter this next chapter, institutional leaders must assess whether student-facing staff and resources are organized to reflect this new reality. For example, in spring 2022, Texas Tech reorganized its Office of the Provost, consolidating student services and student life functions while integrating all academic-focused support teams. This alignment places a greater emphasis on function, ultimately creating more resources dedicated to the daily student experience, in and out of the classroom. The more leaders we have who are responsible for student success, the more we can support their physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
• Evaluate your reporting mechanisms. It’s impossible to diagnose, much less mitigate, campus issues if you don’t know they’re happening in the first place. Are your current reporting tools located in different places depending on the issue at hand? Look for ways to consolidate and eliminate the guesswork that keeps many students from sharing information or finding the specific help they’re looking for.
• Invest in relationship building. Aligning your teams and strengthening your reporting processes are critical. But when it comes to supporting current and future generations of students, nothing is more powerful than strong relationships. It’s critical that student services administrators identify and build connections with student leaders across campus. Introduce yourself early to cultivate trust throughout their academic careers. And don’t hesitate to nurture and evolve these relationships as new administrators and student leaders come on board. Proactively nurturing these connections will make it easier to navigate future conflicts, both individually and collectively.

Student success is not something to set and forget

Some variables will always remain valid, regardless of the generation of students or the state of world affairs. Facing new academic challenges, building a social life away from family, thinking about future career paths: these are timeless stages of higher education that institutions must guide students through.

But that doesn’t mean that the strategies and resources that were sufficient five or ten years ago will work today, much less in the future. Today’s students come to colleges and universities with different experiences and worldviews. They bring with them a new set of priorities and expectations to campus. It’s up to us to find new ways to meet them where they are.