High on any required reading list for college-level student affairs officers and high school counselors is "Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation" by Neil Howe and William Strauss (2000). Experts on generational change in the United States, the authors contend that the current generation of college-age and pre-college-age students possesses many unique qualities that will both delight and challenge professionals working at various stages of the educational continuum. According to Howe and Strauss (2000), members of five generations comprise the vast majority of the current U.S. population (with birth dates listed): the G.I. generation (1901-1924), the Silent generation (1925-1942), the Boom generation (1943-1960), Generation X (1961-1981), and the Millennial generation (1982-2002). This newest generational cohort, the Millennials, builds upon the values instilled by the Baby Boomers while also filling the cultural void left by the departing G.I. generation.