Millennials—people born between 1981 and 1996 — have surpassed the Baby Boomers as the largest generation group in the U.S. Now, the oldest Millennials are reaching their forties and feel they don’t have the financial and emotional standing their parents did and have instead been left behind. Those who agree say Millennials are America’s most educated — but broke — generation and pay more for basic items, leading them unable to afford to buy a home or have children. Those who disagree say that not buying a house or having kids are their choices, not based on economic hardship; and really, they will soon be doing well financially because they strive for higher education and better jobs and they are close to reaching their peak earning years, which will help them earn more than the generations before them.
With this context, we ask the question: Will Millennials be Left Behind?
This debate will take place in front of a live audience, at the Comedy Cellar’s The Village Underground (130 W 3rd St), on June 7, 2023. Purchase tickets here.
Michael S. Roth is the president of Wesleyan University and is known as a historian, curator, author, and public advocate for liberal education. He has written a number of books, including "Beyond the University: Why Liberal Education Matters," which has been assigned to boards of trustees and incoming freshmen alike and serves as a powerful tool for students, their families, faculty, and policymakers who are wrestling with the future of higher education in America.
Long hailed as bastions of intellectual development and ground zero for the free and spirited exchange of ideas, today’s universities have come under attack by those who argue that a new generation of students and administrators are trading in academia’s most cherished values for political correctness and inclusion. At the heart of this debate is the question of safe spaces, how we define them, and whether they aid or hinder intellectual inquiry. Deeply rooted in social justice movements of the…
Long hailed as bastions of intellectual development and ground zero for the free and spirited exchange of ideas, today’s universities have come under attack by those who argue that a new generation of students and…