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Effectively Communicating with Parents:
Addressing the Needs of Baby Boomers, GenXers, and First Generation College Parents
Marjorie SavageParent Program Director
Agenda: What We’ll Talk About• Today’s Parents
and College-Parent Relations
• Boomer Characteristics
• GenX Characteristics
• Similarities, differences
• Non-generational issues
• Implications
Definitions• Parents/Family
– Primary support system• Generational terms
– Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1960, 1962 or 1964, depending on who defines them)
– Generation X (born between 1961, 1963, or 1965 to 1981, depending on who defines them)
– Millennials (born 1982 or later—no terminology or span of birth years yet for post-Millennials)
• First Generation– First generation Americans– First generation college students
Definitions
Why work with parents?• Cost of college• Level of communication between
students and parents• Parents as a key secondary
audience• Expectations: No Child Left
Behind• Parents seek institutional affinity
Is Parent Involvement New?
• Parent programs have been around for nearly 100 years
• Parents have always been involved, especially those with “social capital”
• What’s new is “consumerism” of higher education
Parent Program Status
• Family programs have been established based on needs/demands of Baby Boomers
• Parent services are primarily a product of four-year colleges and universities
• Goals of programs differ depending on schools’ public/private status
Parent Program Development
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
1970s orearlier
1980s 1990s 2000-2007
1970 or earlier
3-D Column 2
3-D Column 3
3-D Column 4
Data from National College and University Parent Programs Survey 2007. N=193
Size of Institution
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
percent
Small
Mid-size
Large
• Small schools 36.9%• Mid-size 40.3%• Large 22.7%
Data from National College and University Parent Programs Survey 2007. N=193
Program Placement
Reporting structure for parent programs
Placement Public Private
Advancement/Alumni
15.40% 50.50%
Student Affairs 73.60% 34.50%
Other 11.00% 15.00%Data from National College and University Parent Programs Survey 2007. N=193
The Media Image of College Parents
Nameso Helicopterso Lawn mowerso Stealth bomberso Submarines
Imageo Overly involvedo Intrusiveo Manipulative
An International Phenomenon
• Great Britain: The Agent, Banker, White Knight
• Japan: Kyoiku Mamas, Monster Parent
• Singapore: Kiasu Parent
• Scandinavia: Curling Parents
Overview of Today’s Parents
“Traditional” students: Students born 1985-
1990 Generation: Millennials
(aka GenY)
Parents, Class of 2012: Parents born anywhere
from 1940s to 1970s Generation: Silent,
Boomer and GenXers
Movies for the Ages
Boomers• The Graduate (1967)
• To Sir with Love (1967)
• American Graffiti (1973)
• Paper Chase (1973)
Movies for the Ages
GenXers—First Wave• Fast Times at Ridgemont
High (1982)• Revenge of the Nerds (1984)• Breakfast Club (1985)• Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
(1986)
Movies for the Ages
GenXers—Second Wave• Stand and Deliver (1988)
• Dead Poet’s Society (1989) (set in 1950s)
• Heathers (1989)
Technology for the Ages
Boomers• Transistor radios, Color TV, Princess
telephones/second phone, Room-size computers
GenXers• Walkman, Cable TV, Cordless telephones,
Home computers
Millennials• iPods, Netflix/Roku, Cell phones, Laptops
Technology for the Ages
Douglas Adams’ rules related to technology:
1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.
2. Anything that’s invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.
3. Anything invented after you’re thirty-five is against the natural order of things.
From The Salmon of Doubt, 2001
Overview of College Parents Today
Age: 36 to 65, plus or minus About half of Millennials are children of
boomers; half are children of GenXers
Overview of College Parents Today
Commonalities between Boomers and GenXers
Have a good relationship with their children; are their children’s “best advisers”
They…and their students…have choices
Multiple learning styles No Child Left Behind
Overview of College Parents Today
Would you like a return to more traditional standards?
Boomers 1977
Xers1997
Boomers 1997
Family life 56% 73% 76%
Parental responsibility 47% 70% 75%
Schools 40% 58% 62%
Social relationships 23% 41% 44%
Sexual relationships 20% 46% 46%
Work 19% 33% 41%
Homemaking 16% 35% 42%
Source: Yankelovich MONITOR
Overview of College Parents Today
Differences:
Boomer Characteristics Older—More patience, more money Career identifies the individual Theme: Anything should be possible
GenX Characteristics Younger—Generally less disposable income Career must fit lifestyle; lifestyle must fit family Theme: Anything should be available
Implications
Private vs. Public work time Multiple learning styles Different parent messages
Rebellion looks different Parent relationship to college is different Post-college expectations are different
Expectation about student services
Implications
Boomers: “Question Authority” Xers: “Savvy” Both groups project their outlook on their
children
Implications
Student satisfaction with parent involvementWho wants more parent involvement?
Factor White BlackNative
Amer. Asian Latino
Dealings with college officials 12.10% 20.50% 20.70% 33.30% 32.20%
Choosing college courses 18.60% 33.40% 28.80% 37.40% 43.50%
Choosing college activities 16.10% 33.70% 27.80% 39.60% 43.30%
From Higher Education Research Institute, 2007
Implications
First Generation college status matters
• First Generation students enter college less prepared, get lower grades, and are more likely to drop out
• More First Generation students take remedial courses
• More First Generation students enter college without an intended major
Data from National Center for Education Statistics 2005
Implications
Financial status matters• Families are expected to contribute to
student’s expenses; if they don’t have the funds, are not credit-worthy, student cannot afford college
• Students who work more than 15 hours a week are less successful
• Families with the largest loans are those with annual incomes between $40,000-$105,000
Implications
Culture matters• Traditional student development theory
does not fit all cultures
• Strong family ties are threatened by the separation that education brings
• What’s intrusive for some families is not for others
Implications
FERPA
• Talk about policy, “what’s typical”
• Explain how parents can get information
• Work with new professionals on how to handle FERPA
• Work with faculty on institution’s relationship with parents
Implications
Key Parent Messages• Provide action steps • Normalize behaviors/emotions• Discuss the critical issues
– Finances– Mental health– Physical health
• Crisis communications
Implications
Parents will call regarding• Financial aid/billing questions • Housing/roommate issues• Course selection/academic advising• Career planning• Mental health concerns• Physical health concerns• Safety• Faculty dispute• Other
Implications
How do parents help us?• Contribute to
student success• Reinforce our
messages• Provide just-in-
time messages
Predictions
Participant Question: What may change in college-parent relations based on
• Today’s economy?• National call for volunteerism?• President Obama’s call for
parents/individuals to “take responsibility”?
Predictions
What may change?• Communication style and frequency
• More clearly defined parent roles
• Financial implications of higher education could be a significant parent issue
Conclusions
We’re looking for appropriate parent involvement
• Parents don’t know what’s appropriate
• Student doesn’t know
• We need to define “appropriate”
• Explain parents’ role in terms of student development, but keep culture in mind
Conclusions
Key messages for parents • “Here’s what your student can do”• “Here’s what your student is learning.”• Crisis message: “Here’s what happened,
what we’re doing, when we’ll know more, how you can help your student.”
• “Here’s where we need your help.”
Consistency is critical across campus, across the years
Parent Outcomes
Families contribute to student success by
• Understanding the student experience and knowing about resources available at the University of Minnesota.
• Supporting the University’s goals for student development outcomes
• Knowing when to step in to help their student and when to empower their student to take responsibility
• Developing an affinity for the University of Minnesota
Discussion
• What changes have you seen in families at your institution in the past three years?
• What’s the biggest reason for the changes you’ve seen: generation or culture?
• Do you think your parent messages reach all families? If not, why not? – Do you need different communication methods?– Do you need different messages?
Contact Information
Marjorie SavageParent Program Director
University of MinnesotaPhone: 612-626-9291, e-mail:
Web site: www.parent.umn.edu
Resources
Parent Outcomeshttp://www.parent.umn.edu/about.html
National Survey of College & University Parent Programshttp://www.parent.umn.edu/parentsurveys.html
Wartman, Katherine Lynk and Savage, Marjorie (2008). Parental Involvment in Higher Education: Understanding the Relationship Among Students, Parents, and the Institution. San Francisco: Jossey Bass, ASHE Higher Education Report, Vol 33., No. 6.
Carney-Hall, Karla C., ed. (2008). Managing Parent Partnerships: Maximizing Influence, Minimizing Interference, and Focusing on Student Success. San Francisco: Jossey Bass, New Directions for Student Services, No. 122.