Course Overview:
Parents of today's college students are more involved in their child's
collegial experience then ever before, so much so that college
administrator's have nicknamed them "helicopter parents" because of
their tendency to "hover over" their students. This
course will explore the history of parental involvement. Participants
will examine what messages are given to parents in today's high schools
and how that is setting up parent expectations of the college
experience. Participants will review books and web sites that are
targeted at parents of college students. Discussion will focus on what
college administrators can do to build a partnership with parents and
get to the core of the "help them to help themselves message" that we
are trying to promote.
Course Outline:
- We will examine and discuss the following topics: 1) Overview of the history of parental involvement in the field of higher education.
2)Overview of the Millennial Generation and their parents.
- We will examine what is currently going on at the high school level; including the number of students receiving special education services and the parental advocacy that occurs at the high school level. Participants will be encouraged to research high school websites to study these messages first hand.
- Participants will review some websites that are targeted to parents of today’s college students as well as popular books that are currently on the market. The group will be asked to explore what these influences mean for college administrators.
Participants will discuss strategies for involving all level of staff in partnering with parents.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course, active participants will be able to:
- Have a better understanding of today’s college parents through an appreciation for the influence of the high school experience
- Gain ideas on how to successfully partner with parents
- Learn how to craft a message to parents that works for their institution and their department
Participant Expectation:
Participants should plan to spend approximately 3 to 4 hours per week in this course. This will include time to read materials, complete on-line exercises and surveys and participate in asynchronous on-line discussions. Participants will need to log on for course content that will be posted weekly. In addition participants will need to respond to questions posted on the discussion board each week. As the discussion board is asynchronous, students may check in and post at their convenience. This learning tool will be an important part of participant's learning experience.
Individuals registering for CEUs will receive 1.0 CEU upon successful
completion of the course.
Instructor Bio:
Beth Moriarty has worked in the field of Residence Life for 19 years and is currently the Director of Residence Life and Housing at Bridgewater State College (BSC). In addition to BSC, she has held various positions at the University of Hartford and Roger Williams College. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Master's Degree in Human Development, Counseling and Family Studies from the University of Rhode Island.
Beth has been active in the NEACUHO region for over 16 years and served on the executive board for eleven years in a variety of roles, including president. Beth is also an active member of ACUHO-I and NASPA. Beth lives in Bridgewater with her husband Dan, her two children Megan and Jim and their dog Sparky. In her spare time Beth enjoys camping, warm climates, and rooting for the Red Sox.
