Last spring, my student employee and I were chatting about potential parent engagement ideas. I mentioned that I thought it would be fun to create a cookbook for parents, but brushed it off as something we could think about later. The idea, however, resonated with my student, and by the next day, she had sent me a list of recipe categories and a marketing plan for our cookbooks.

The New Student Programs & Family Outreach's (NSPFO) Parent and Family Webinar Series was created this fall as a new strategy for connecting and engaging with our Oregon State parents and family members. Currently, we have completed two different sessions, recorded both, and then made them available through our website. As this was not only a new initiative for our department, but for myself, I have some tips below if you are considering creating something similar!

Each fall, our institutions move in thousands of eager freshman students to our campus residence halls. At Appalachian State University, over 2,000 first-year students move in on the Friday before classes start. Emotions run high, traffic moves slow and, somehow, rain always threatens the weather forecast! To give our new students and their families extra support during this rite-of-passage, parent volunteers help by unloading cars and moving students’ belongings into their residence halls.  

For the last three years, on the third Sunday evening of Block Four, during the generally chilly month of December, Bemis Great Hall on the Colorado College campus has been aglow with soft light and sparkling smiles as a small cohort of seniors gather with their families, friends and cherished faculty to celebrate the end of their undergraduate studies and the beginning of their journey into the future. (For those of you unfamiliar with the idiosyncratic measurement of time known as the “block”—which is probably most of you!—you can read more here.) While the majority of the 2,000 or so undergraduate students at Colorado College conclude their time on campus by processing across the quad on a sunny May day during Commencement Weekend, there are a few students (generally between 10 and 20) each year who, for a variety of reasons, choose to complete their programs in December, mid-way through the academic year. To honor the diversity with which our liberal arts students design and pursue their academic experiences, and to celebrate those students who don’t take a traditional path to degree completion, Colorado College established the Winter Celebration. 

I’ve been pondering what I can share for the blog that will be a little different, and insightful, and fun. So here goes. I’m writing about what I live every day (in more ways than one): parenting. The following is a list of eight things I’ve learned over the past eight years since I’ve been gifted with parenthood. Not a parent? It’s okay. I hope you find something with which you can relate since all of us are trying to create balance in our lives.

Siblings Day or "Sibs Day" is a great way to not only create another opportunity to connect with your families, but also to expose a younger generation to campus life. Georgia Tech Parent & Family Programs proudly hosted Sibs Day for a third year on February 11, 2017.  Georgia Tech students were encouraged to host brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, cousins, family friends-you name it (ages 7-17) and give them taste of campus life–Yellow Jacket-style! NOTE: Parents and family members are welcome at all events, but must register as a participant as well. 

The Growth Mindset is presented during the first day of our two-day orientation. It’s the second presentation after the welcome, when students have temporarily left their parent to start their program.  It is presented by Amanda Durik a psychology professor at Northern Illinois University who has done extensive research on this concept. 

Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is located in a suburb of Rochester, NY. The area is rich with history, nature, culture, food and drink. Unfortunately, because of its location outside of the city, many of RIT’s students and families do not go into the city and miss opportunities to experience the many of the wonderful offerings available. In order to spotlight for our families that their visits to campus can be more fun than a trip to Target and a meal in the dining hall, I developed a program for our Family Weekend called Taste of Rochester.

The purpose of this program is to engage families of Gonzaga University (GU) students in promoting and encouraging healthy behaviors and responsible decision-making related to student alcohol consumption. The program was created in response to a need to reduce risky drinking behaviors often associated with 21st birthday celebrations among GU students, and also in response to several student narratives that their parents had encouraged them not to shy away from the campus drinking culture, stating that 'it was a just normal part of life as a college student'.

On move-in days for first-year students we host a family lounge with refreshments, a chance to write a note of encouragement to students, and an opportunity to chat with faculty, staff, current students, and administrators. The lounge has not been well-attended in the past, so this year we provided an incentive to encourage families to visit us. We offered our families the opportunity to create a goody bag for their student – free of charge. To make this happen with our limited budget, we reached out to our colleagues across campus for swag item donations typically given at recruiting and other outreach events.

Each year, the University of Wisconsin-Madison produces a calendar & handbook and provides it to incoming families at orientation, along with mailing a copy to all other families with a current undergraduate student in years 2-4. Additional family or support members may request a calendar by contacting our office. The piece meets our program goals by being inclusive, inviting and informative. It also allows us to share campus resources, points of pride and tips that help families transition into the role of a coach and a mentor. 

Ohio University (OHIO) is located in Athens which is in the Appalachian foothills of southeastern Ohio. 33% of the first-year class at OHIO identify as first-generation college students and, for many of their parents and supporters, this is the first or second time coming to a university campus. Even for those parent pros, they sometimes didn’t know if they are happy or sad…or both.☺️

Families love to take “first day of class” photos as their students navigate K-12. It is fun to continue the tradition even once your student is at college. The University of Kentucky shared the idea of “First Day of Class Pictures” with Georgia Tech Parent & Family Programs and it was implemented for the first time in Fall 2016. Several other campuses host this event as well. University of Louisville even made a cute video of the day.

One of the toughest parts of working in parent/family relations is how to help families understand when NOT to get involved, and recognize that allowing their students to solve their own problems will help them develop independence and essential problem-solving skills.

Based on your responses to questions posed on the AHEPPP Members Facebook Group, we have compiled a list of some of your favorite swag items!

Western Michigan University's move-in schedule for first-year students is spread over two days to ease traffic congestion and chaos in the halls. We offer a hospitality area in a convenient location for parents and families to take a break, ask questions, enjoy refreshments, and enter raffle drawings. As an incentive for families to stop by, we offer the opportunity to write a note of support, encouragement, congratulations, love, etc. to their student. We then mail the cards to the students about three weeks into the semester. 

Wake Forest hosts between 30-35 New Student Receptions nationwide each summer to provide an opportunity for incoming first-year students and their parents and family members to meet one another before the start of school. This is one of our most popular programmatic offerings because it helps reduce the anxiety of starting the unknown.

Eight Tips for Parent/Family Programs Professionals