Education in the Era of the Millennials and Implications for Future Fisheries Professionals and Conservation

Abstract

Fisheries and other natural resource professionals face growing challenges in their fields and the resources that they manage. Many are well aware of the pending impacts of retirement of the Baby Boomers and the loss of collective knowledge held by those individuals. We are also acutely aware of the damaging impacts of reduced budget allocations for natural resources–based programs. Concomitant to the decrease in funding is the ever‐increasing complexity of the fisheries discipline that brings with it new and more complicated ecological and governance challenges. These, and the evolving preferences, morals, and values of today's college students, pose a unique and difficult dynamic for engaging the next generation in the stewardship of fish and wildlife resources. Critical to the success of future conservation efforts will be the modification of educational and workplace systems, including the American Fisheries Society, to prepare and support future professionals so that they may handle this suite of complex, interdisciplinary issues. Understanding the characteristics of the next generation of natural resource leaders, and the individuals with whom they will interact in pursuit of conservation, is key to ensuring that they can meet the challenges of a new era in resources management. The purpose of this article is to describe the next generation of fisheries professionals (the Millennials) and to provide suggestions for how higher education and the fisheries profession can best prepare to support the success of this generation and ultimately the future of fisheries conservation and management.

Full Issue PDF Volume 37, Issue 2

“…Further, mentoring has been described as one way of promoting a "productive and valued workplace" (Millenbah et al 2011). The value of mentorship to the younger members of AFS was evident in this survey.…”

“…The Millennial generation differs in many ways from Generation X (those who were born between 1965 and 1980) and the Baby Boomer generation (those who were born between 1946 and 1964) who comprise the majority of working professionals today. Much press has described how the Millennials will alter education and the workplace (see Millenbah et al [2011] for discussions on Millennials in fisheries education and conservation). Overly negative or positive commentary on this generation can make it difficult to predict changes at work or in professional societies with any degree of accuracy.…”

Membership and Communication: The Dual Benefits of Social Media for AFS

“…A second imperative for increased and dedicated social media efforts stems from the ongoing concerns regarding society (e.g., Fisher 2012;Seitz et al 2012;Wuellner and Jackson 2012) and the obvious need to understand the types of individuals we are trying to attract (Millenbah et al 2011). In other words, as a society we are losing members-and the lifeblood of a healthy scientific society is the influx of new science and ideas that are generated by new members.…”

Teaching wildlife techniques to millennials with a flipped classroom

“…These distinct characteristics are particularly evident in the way they learn and respond to different teaching styles. This generation has grown up online and is characterized by their near constant use of technology, which they expect to use in and out of the classroom (McGlynn , Millenbah et al ). Millennials also feel comfortable expressing their views and want discussions in the classroom (Krauss and Sear , Taylor and Keeter ).…”

“…Millennials also feel comfortable expressing their views and want discussions in the classroom (Krauss and Sear , Taylor and Keeter ). This cohort prefers working on assignments and studying together in teams, and they prefer to engage with real‐world issues in the classroom (McGlynn , Krauss and Sear , Millenbah et al ). Compared with previous generations of university students, millennial students are nontraditional and often have competing demands on their time (e.g., work, child care, social activities) and thus prefer flexibility in their courses (Hanson et al , Yoshimura ).…”