The “younger generation” often gets a bad rap.

But if my recent visit to Rochester Institute of Technology is any indication, we have a lot to be optimistic about.

I was invited to speak to a class of business students about healthcare policy. I shared with them some of the relevant issues impacting healthcare today and some insights into the business of senior living.

Not only were the students attentive and respectful, they were  enthusiastic, inquisitive, and engaging. They asked thoughtful questions and were eager to gain an understanding of the concepts I was presenting.

Some of that eagerness, no doubt, is a credit to their professor. But clearly, this was a sharp, dynamic group of young people with a keen interest in absorbing new information and making sense of it. It was a genuine pleasure interacting with them.

Why does this matter? Because one day soon, these will be our business leaders, our CEOs, or top administrators. They will be leading the way in the business of caring for our seniors as our 65+ population continues to grow.

With 11,000 Baby Boomers retiring each day, the demographic of the workplace is changing. If these RIT students are representative of their peers—and I have every expectation that they are—we have much to be hopeful about.

– Michael E. McRae, President & CEO, St. Ann’s Community