Neil Howe, the historian and generational theorist who co-coined the term 'Millennial,' delivered a unique commencement address at the University of Mary Washington in 2012 — one directed as much at the parents in the audience as at the graduates. While most commencement speakers address the future, Howe addressed the present through the lens of generational history. He argued that every generation is what it has to be, given the environment it encounters. The Millennial Generation, he explained, is correcting for the excesses of the Boomers and Gen-Xers who run America: leadership gridlock, refusal to compromise, rampant individualism, the tearing down of traditions, and a pathological distrust of institutions. Rather than criticizing the younger generation for being different, Howe urged parents to recognize that these differences — their children's team orientation, conventional values, and desire to build rather than tear down — are precisely what the country needs.