NACADA Executive Office Kansas State University 2323 Anderson Ave, Suite 225 Manhattan, KS 66502-2912 Phone: (785) 532-5717 Fax: (785) 532-7732 e-mail:

NACADA Executive OfficeKansas State University

2323 Anderson Ave, Suite 225Manhattan, KS  66502-2912

Phone: (785) 532-5717   Fax: (785) 532-7732

e-mail: [email protected]

© 2011 National Academic Advising Association

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NACADA Summer Institute 2011

Jo Anne HuberUniversity of Texas Austin

Terry MusserPenn State University

Your perspectives Overview of millennial students Characteristics of today’s parents College Parents of America Survey Rational for working with parents Parent Do’s and Do Not’s Resources for working with parents

Student preferences

Parent desires

Higher Education Administrators

FERPA/Legal issues

Right thing to do

“No escape from ‘helicopter parents.’” Albany Times Union

“Hovering parents need to step back at college time.” CNNhealth.com

“How to ground a helicopter parent.” Donna Krache, CNN

“Parents, quit the hovering.” Debra Bruno, USA Today

“Putting Parents in Their Place: Outside Class.” Valerie Strauss, WASHINGTON POST

“’Helicopter’ parents hover when kids job hunt.” Stephanie Armour, USA Today

“Back Off: Gen Y’s helicopter parents are a good thing” Rebecca Thorman (modite.com/blog)

“Do ‘Helicopter Moms’ do more harm than good?” ABC News

“Helicopter Parents Reconsidered” (CollegeBoard)

Special Technology saavy

Sheltered Multi-taskers

Confident Impatient

Team-oriented Skeptical

Conventional Blunt and expressive

Pressured Image driven

Achieving The “me” generation

Advice for Academic Advisors:

Know how to cut through red tape

Explain academic protocol (compare to health care)

Emphasize existing processes and appeals, especially for grade grievances

Advice for Academic Advisors:

Identify “hot button” issues

Colleges have considerable discretion concerning FERPA and how it is interpreted/applied

Give parents information on when to intervene:

Language is important: student vs. child; professor or faculty vs. teacher; college vs. school; young adult vs. kid

E-mail “bursts” before important deadlines, events

Focus intervention efforts on personal issues with students

Communicate with parents:

Newsletters

Blogs

Website ‘Strictly for Parents’

More communication is usually better

Manage situation:

Identify campus expert on parents Housing (RA’s)

May not be the Vice President for Students

Look for common problems

Review best practices/share across campus

Stop problems before they happen:

Letters/e-mails

Newsletters at least twice in academic year to parents/families

Identify problem processes, offices, staff

Continual training in dealing with parents

Solve policy and process issues that cause problems

Finances top the list of college parent worries

Publish accurate and complete financial information

Create parent information for financial aid offices

Source: College Parents of America (College Parent Experience survey)

Conversation 7.9% talk more than once a day 22.8% talk daily 41.8% talk two or three times per week 22.4% talk weekly Nearly all are cell phones or e-mails 8/10 parents initiate conversation 50% or

more of the time

College Parents of America -- 1,722 college parent responses

“Providing opportunities for parents to participate in the college experience can pay huge dividends in terms of increased student success, institutional financial support, and enhanced public relations.” (Keppler et al., 2005)

Consequences of not working with parents

Parent and family activities

Regular Communication

Provide current Information

Be responsive

Provide specifics at Parent Orientation

Do not dismiss them after they leave their students

Do not indicate you care the way that they care

Do not pretend you know their son/daughter better than they do

Try not to pass them off to another office

Never be flip or curt with them!

NACADA FAMILY GUIDE

NACADA Clearinghouse

Current bibliography

Reactions

Ideas

Your success stories

Your challenges