Aboutthe AHEPPPJournalThe AHEPPPJournalpublishesscholarly essays,research-basedarticles, personalessays,andreviewsthat addressimportantissuesrelatedtoparent/familyservicesand that makean originalcontributiontotheknowledgebaseaboutparent/familyprogramsandservicesinhighereducation.The guiding editorialpolicy isthat articlesare ofhigh standard, whileincluding practicalinformation ofinteresttoparent/familyprofessionals.

Membership andsubscriptionsThe Journalisprovidedonline atno cost. Forassociationmembership information,contactAHEPPPatbysendingarequesttoatmembership@aheppp.orgorvisitingaheppp.org

JournalsubmissionsTosubmit amanuscriptorarticle forconsiderationforpublication,pleaserefer to theguidelinesataheppp.org/aheppp-journal

EditorsChelseaA.Petree,Ph.D.DeanieKepler,Ph.D.MarjorieSavagePeer ReviewersBrankaKristic,ShariGlaserEditorialOffice8400BaltimoreAveSte105CollegePark,MD20740

BoardofDirectorsBrankaKristic,PresidentShariGlaserEmilyParkerJamiePattonChelseaPetreeAmySwankBrianWatkinsLaciWeedenKeshaWilliamsStaffLindsayMcKinney

AHEPPPJournal

VOLUME5,NUMBER1SPRING2017

TableofContentsEditors’Note .........................................................................................................................................iiiARTICLES OngoingEngagementandOrientation:ALiteratureReviewofCollegiateFamilyEngagementModels

AndrewSonn,TobyDavidow,AnnaWhiston,&ArianneWilt..........................................................................................................................2

LandingtheHelicopterParent:AssessingUniversityFamilye-NewslettersasaCommunicationTool

RyanW.Lovell,D’ArcyJ.Oaks,&SusanL.Kline..............................................................20

Copyright ©2017bythe AssociationofHigherEducationParent/FamilyProgramProfessionals

Editors’NoteDuringthepasttwodecades,wehaveseencollegecampusesthroughouttheU.S.andCanadaincreasetheirfocusontheroleofparentsandfamilymembersinpromotingstudentpersistence,graduation,andoverallsuccess.Thetwopeer-reviewedarticlesincludedinthisissueoftheAHEPPPJournalprovideinsightsintowaysthatParent/Familyprofessionalscanprovideeffectiveservicesthatpromoteappropriateparentingduringthecollegeyears.Thefirstarticle,byAndrewSonn,TobyDavidow,AnnaWhiston,andArianneWiltofGeorgeWashingtonUniversity,includesacomprehensiveliteraturereviewoffamilyengagementatthecollegelevel.Theauthorsapplycurrenttheoryandresearchinrecommendationsforadaptingparent/familyorientationprogramsandotherservicestomeettheneedsofcontemporarycollegestudentsandfamiliesinalltheirrichdiversity.Inthesecondarticle,byRyanW.Lovell,D’ArcyJ.Oaks,&SusanL.KlineofTheOhioStateUniversity,acomprehensivestudyofe-communicationsassessesparents’useofinstitutionalmessagesandthepotentialofe-newsletterstoencouragefamilydialogueoncriticaltopics.Theauthorsincludeasamplenewsletterandquestionsthatcanbeadaptedforsurveysbyotherinstitutions.TheAHEPPPJournalwelcomessubmissionsofscholarlyessays,research-basedarticles,essays,andreviewsthataddressimportantissuesrelatedtoparent/familyservicesandthatmakeanoriginalcontributiontotheknowledgebaseaboutparent/familyprogramsandservicesinhighereducation.SubmissionguidelinesarepostedontheAHEPPPwebsite:www.aheppp.org/guidelines-for-article-preparation-and-submission.ChelseaPetree,Ph.D.RochesterInstituteofTechnologyMarjorieSavageUniversityofMinnesotaDeanieKepler,Ph.D.SouthernMethodistUniversity

OngoingEngagementandOrientation:

ALiteratureReviewofCollegiateFamily

EngagementModels

AndrewSonn,Ed.D.AssistantVicePresident,OfficeofParentServices

TobyDavidow,Ed.D.

Coordinator,PlanningandOutreach,DivisionofStudentAffairs

AnnaWhiston

ArianneWilt

TheGeorgeWashingtonUniversity

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AbstractGivenrecentresearchandcommentaryontheeffectsofhighly-involvedparentingandchanginggenerationalandfamilydemographics,four-yearcollegesanduniversitiesshouldconsideralteringfamilyorientationmodelsandfamilyengagementactivities.Theserevampedmodelsshouldfeaturein-personandonlinefamilyengagementactivitiesthroughoutthestudentlifecyclewithdifferentiatedinstructionforfamilymemberstounderstandhowtoprovideappropriatesupporttoensurestudentefficacyasevidencedbystudentacquisitionofproblem-solvingskills,autonomousholisticdevelopment,andultimatelyadiplomaandaclearcareerpath.Thisliteraturereviewwilldiscussthehistoricalcontextforfamilyengagement,recentresearchonhighly-involvedcollegeparents,andcurrentfamilyengagementpracticesbeforecritiquingfamilyengagementmodelsandpracticesandputtingforthrecommendationsonpromisingpracticesforfamilyengagementandareasforfutureresearch.

Introduction

Theimageofthe“helicopterparent”hasbecomeubiquitousbothinthehighereducationliteratureandinthepopularpress.Commentatorshavedecriedhighly-involvedparentsandtheirdeleteriousinfluenceonstudents’collegeexperiences,resilience,mentalhealth,maturitylevels,creativity,andcareerprospects(Brown,2015;Grant,2016;Havrilesky,2015).Whilethistrendwarrantsattention,itdoesnottellthewholestoryofcontemporarycollegeparents.Whenhighereducationinstitutionspaintallparentswiththesamebroadbrush,theyneglecttheperspectivesandneedsofthemanycollegeparentswhodonotfitthismold.Ashighereducationresearcher,practitioner,andcollegeparentMerrilyDunn(2015)pointsout,thereareamyriadofstoriesamongcollegeparentsandfamilymembers,andthisheterogeneityneedstobeexamined.Ashighereducationenrollmentshavediversifiedinrecentyears,withincreasingnumbersofinternational,first-generation,andlow-incomestudents,amongmanyotherspecialpopulations,collegefamiliesandparentingpracticeshavealsochanged.Withmanyoftheexistingparentengagementmodelspredicatedonmorehomogenouspopulations,itistimetoexaminetherelevanceofthesemodelsforcurrentandfuturestudentandparentpopulations.Atthesametime,highereducationinstitutionsshouldnotexcludefamilymembersfromcampusesunderthebeliefthatallinvolvedparentsinhibitstudentholisticdevelopment.Infact,researchhasshownthatcollegestudentsandhighereducationinstitutionsbenefitwhenfamilymembersareengagedwiththeirstudentsandhighereducationinstitutionsinproductiveways(Pascarella&Terenzini,1991).AsCoburn(2006)observes:“Thechallengeinhighereducationisnotwhethertoinvolveparents.Thechallengeistofigureouthowtoenlistthesealreadyinvolvedparentsinourmutualgoalofhelpingstudents”(p.11).Givenrecentresearchandcommentaryontheeffectsofhighly-involvedparentingandchanginggenerationalandfamilydemographics,collegesanduniversitiesshouldconsideralteringexistingfamilyorientationmodelsandongoingfamilyengagementactivities.Theserevampedmodelsshouldfeaturein-personandonlinefamilyengagementactivitiesthroughoutthestudentlifecycle(definedasthedurationofastudent’sinteractionwithahighereducationinstitution,includingthetimefromthecreationofacollegeadmissionsapplicationtoalumnistanding).Thesemodelsshouldsupportdifferentiatedinstructionforfamilymemberstounderstandhowtoprovideappropriatesupporttoensurestudentefficacyasevidencedbystudentacquisitionofproblem-solvingskills,autonomousholisticdevelopment,and,ultimately,adiplomaandaclearcareerpath.Thisliteraturereviewwilldiscussthehistoricalcontextforfamilyengagement,recentresearchonhighly-involvedcollegeparents,andcurrentfamilyengagementpracticesbeforecritiquingprevalentfamilyengagementmodelsandputtingforthrecommendationsonpromisingpracticesforfamilyengagementandareasforfutureresearch.BackgroundonHighly-InvolvedParentsBefore critiquing existingmodels for collegiate family engagement, it is important to put today’sundergraduateparentpopulation incontext. In the1990s,whentoday’s traditionally-agedcollegestudents were growing up, parents spent more time with their children than did parents in thepreviousthreedecades(Howe&Strauss,2003).Duetothehighlevelofparentalengagement,manyperiodicalsbeganlabelingparentsas“helicopterparents.”Helicopterparentsaredefinedasparentswhocontinually“hover”overtheirchildrenastheywatchprotectivelyforanyemergency.Intimes

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ofemergency,parents“swoopdown”tocometotheirchildren’srescue.Whentheemergencyhasbeen rectified, theparents thengoback toahovering stateuntil thenextemergencyarises (Fay,1981).More recently, “helicopterparenting” refers to “a formofover-parenting inwhichparentsapplyoverlyinvolvedanddevelopmentallyinappropriatetactics”(Segrin,Wozildo,Givertz,Bauer,&Murphy,2012,p.1).Scholarsattributetheriseofhighly-involvedparentingofyoungadultstoseveralfactors,includingtechnologyandepisodesofmassviolence.Furthermore,scholarshavealsostudiedthecorrelationbetweenoverbearingparentsandtheirstudent’smentalhealth.Partofthetrendstemsfrommoderncommunicationtechnology:emailandcellphonesmakeiteasyforparentsandgrownchildrentostayintouchregularly,evenifthechildisfarfromhome(Cutright,2008).RichardMullendore(2005),anexpertonhelicopterparents,claimedthatthecellphoneisthe“world’slongestumbilicalcord”(ascitedinShellenbarger,2005,p.D1)connectingparentsandtheirstudents.Unlimitedminutesoncellphonesorsmartphonesenablecollegestudentstoincorporateparentsintheirdailylives.Studiesshowthatparentsandcollegestudentsarespeakingonaregularbasisusingacellphone(Lee,Meszaros,&Colvin,2009;Sorokou&Weissbrod,2005),communicatingatleast13.4timesaweek(Hofer&Moore,2010;Lourgos,2010).A2013ClarkParentspollshowedthat67%ofmothersand51%offathershavecontactwiththeiryoungadultchildalmosteveryday,amarkeddifferencefroma1986pollinwhichroughlyhalfofparentsreportedspeakingwiththeirgrownchildrenonlyonceaweek(Raphelson,2014).Communicationisalsomoreinstantaneousthaneverbefore,asstudentsandparentsbecomeversedinemail,textmessaging,andsocialmediaoutlets(EducationAdvisoryBoard,2010).Tragicepisodesofviolenceineducationalsettingsinrecentyearshaveincreasedmanyparents’vigilancearoundtheirchildrenbothyoungandold(Cutright,2008).Events,suchasthemassacreatColumbineHighSchoolinColoradoin1999,theterroristactsinNewYorkCityandWashington,D.C.in2001,thedeadliestshootingonaUnitedStatescollegecampusatVirginiaTechin2007,andtheshootingsatSandyHookElementarySchoolinConnecticutin2012,havecausedmanyparentstobecomeextravigilantwiththeirchildren.Duetothisenmeshedbondingfrombirthtohighschool,parentsandtheirstudentscreatedtightbonds(Howe&Strauss,2003)andoftenfinditchallengingtobreaktieswhenthestudentbeginscollege.Asmanyauthorshavepointedout,thesetightbondscanproveproblematicforcollegestudents.AsJulieLythcott-Haims(2015),aformerdeanofStanfordUniversityandauthorofHowtoRaiseanAdult:BreakFreeoftheOverparentingTrapandPrepareYourKidforSuccess,writesin“KidsofHelicopterParentsareSputteringOut”:

Whenseeminglyperfectlyhealthybutoverparentedkidsgettocollegeandhavetroublecopingwiththevariousnewsituationstheymightencounter…theycanhaverealdifficultyknowinghowtohandlethedisagreement,theuncertainty,thehurtfeelings,orthedecision-makingprocess.Thisinabilitytocope—tositwithsomediscomfort,thinkaboutoptions,talkitthroughwithsomeone,makeadecision—canbecomeaproblemuntoitself.(para.17)

Lythcott-Haims’assessmentalignswithseveralstudieslookingattheeffectsofhighly-involvedparentsofcollegestudents.Throughanonlinesurvey,JillBradley-GeistandJulieOlson-Buchanan(2014)foundacorrelationbetweenover-involvedparentsandcollegestudents’lowself-efficacy,orone’sabilitytotrusthimselforherselftocarryoutgoal-directedbehavior.Studentswithlowself-

efficacyhadtroubledealingwithsetbacks,suchasalowgradeonatestoradisagreementwitharoommate,becausetheydidnothavefaithintheirabilitytoaddresstheseissuesindependently.Expandingonthecorrelationbetweenheavily-involvedparentingandlowself-efficacy,somescholarssuggestapossibleconnectionbetweentheriseofhelicopterparentingandincreasingmentalhealthconcernsamongcollegestudents.Inthe2013AssociationforUniversityandCollegeCounselingCenterDirectors(AUCCCD)AnnualSurvey,95%ofdirectorsreportedthatthenumberofstudentswithsignificantpsychologicalproblemsisagrowingconcernontheircampuses(AUCCCD,2013).Someresearchersarguethatthesehighratesofpsychologicalissuescanbeattributed,inpart,totheeffectsofhighly-involvedparents.Forexample,researchers(Schiffrinetal.,2014)foundthatstudentswhosesurveyanswersindicatedthepresenceofanover-involvedmotherreflectedhigherlevelsofdepressionandlowerlevelsoflifesatisfaction,themediatingfactorbeinglowself-efficacy.HistoryofParentServicesOfficesCollegiateparentinvolvementcanbeginwithparentsattendingadmissiontours,sometimesinlieuoftheirstudent(Cole,2010;Jacobson,2003;Lange&Stone,2001;Moll,1985;Sanoff,2006).Oncethestudentenrolls,parentsmightcalladministrators,withorwithoutthestudent’spermission,torequestsomethingforthestudent(Holder,2005;Nemko,2005)ortoassistwiththestudent’sdecisionofmajor(Howe&Strauss,2007).Parentsmightalsocalluniversityofficesseekinginformationandadvocatingonbehalfoftheirstudent(Cole,2010;DeBroff,2007).Inextremeexamples,parentsmightgotoclassesandjobinterviews,sometimeswithorwithoutthestudent(Damast,2007;Weiss,2006).Manyhighereducationdivisionshaveshiftedresourcestoaccommodatetheneedsofparentsseekinginformationfromtheuniversity.Manyadministratorsseethevalueofkeepingparentshappybyprovidinglearningopportunitiesandsharingresourcestohelpboththeparentandthestudent.Becauseoftheseconditions,thereisatrendofestablishingparentserviceofficestoaccommodatetheirneeds.Thirtyyearsago,onlyahandfulofcollegeshadparentserviceoffices(Savage,2007),butthenumberofthoseofficeshasincreasedexponentiallyasadministratorshaveshiftedresourcessothatstaffcanworkdirectlywithparents.Over70%ofthenation’sfour-yearcollegesanduniversitieshaveapositionknownas“parentcoordinator”(Lum,2006).Collegesemployanumberofdifferentnamesforparentserviceoffices:parentprogramming,parentserviceoffice,andfamilyrelations,justtonameafew.Auniversitycanchoosetopromoteparentservicesindifferentways(Cohen,1985;Davidow,2014;Wartman&Savage,2008):

• Servicestotheinstitution.Theseorganizationsfocusonwhattheparentcandofortheuniversity.Typically,universitieslooktoparentstohelpwithrecruitingnewstudents,fundraising,andmentoringcurrentstudents/alumni.Oneofficeusuallysupervisesaparentorganizationsuchasa“Mom’sClub.”Whentheserviceincludesfundraising,thedevelopmentofficeusuallyoverseestheefforts.

• Servicestotheparent.Theseorganizationsfocusonwhattheuniversitycandofortheparent.Modernparentswanttobeincommunicationwiththecollege.Theorganizationstypicallyprovidenewsletters,updatedwebsitesaboutuniversityservices,andparentprogrammingsuchasaparents’weekend.Typically,theoversightgroupisacompilationofvariousuniversityoffices.Forexample,anAssociateDeanofStudentscouldjugglefreshmenorientationanddisperseinformationtoparents.

• Liaison.Someuniversitiesoptforoneofficetochampionservicestotheinstitutionandprovideservicestoparents.Theseofficesdonothaveavisible,publicconnectiontoany

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otherofficesandusuallyhaveindependentnamessuchastheOfficeofParentServices.Typically,theyserveasaliaisonbetweenparentsandotheruniversitydepartments,suchastheOfficeofStudentServicesandtheAdvancementOffice.

Manyparentofficesopenedasaresponsetotheincreaseinparentswishingtoengagewiththecollegeoruniversity.Subsequently,schoolshavecontinuedtofindwaystonotonlyengageparentsappropriately,butalsotoeducatethemabouttheirstudent’scollegeexperience.Atthesametime,thestigmaoftheexceedinglyhoveringparentcontinuestopermeateuniversityculture.BackgroundonChangingDemographicsandPerspectivesWhilemanyscholarshavepointedoutthedrawbacksofso-calledhelicopterparenting,othersarguethatpaintingallmodernparentsashyper-involvedcreatesageneralizationthatdoesnotacknowledgethegreatdiversityamongstparentsoftoday’scollegestudents.MerrilyDunn(2015)suggestedthatnotallparentsarehighlyinvolvedintheirstudents’lives,andthosewhodotakeanactiveinterestarenotnecessarilyworthyofskepticismorscorn.Justascollegestudentsarebecomingincreasinglydiverse,sotooaretheirparents.In“OnBeingaParent,”Dunn,theparentofacollegestudentandastudentaffairseducatorattheUniversityofGeorgia,borrowsauthorChimamandaNgozi’sconceptofthe“singlestory”topointoutthedangersofreducingmoderncollegeparentstoanover-simplifiedstereotype.Dunnwrites:

Asweworktounderstandourstudentsandmovebeyondourownculturalstereotypes(thosesinglestories)andlistentoeachoftheirbeautifullycomplicatedstories,whydowebelieveorassumeallparentsarehelicopterparents?Thisbecomesthestereotypeofasinglerole—parent.Whilewemaythinksomeofthethingstheydoareoverprotectiveandover-involved,thatdoesn’tnecessarilymeanthey’rehoveringanddefiningoneendofabroadcontinuum.Beingtheparentofacollegestudentisn’tjustaboutbehavior.It’salsoaboutthericharrayofculturesandlifecircumstancesthesefamiliesrepresent;themultitudeofstoriestheywrote.(p.11)

Additionally,someexpertsarguethatcloserrelationshipsbetweenparentsandtheircollege-agedchildrenprovideanimportantsourceofemotionalsupportforyoungadults.AccordingtoPewResearchCenterresearcherKarenParker,thegenerationgapisclosing:theseparationbetweenyoungerandoldergenerationsisnotwhatitwasduringaperiodsuchasthe1960s.Asaresult,moreyoungadultchildrenareviewingtheirparentsasallies,notenemies(citedinRaphelson,2012).JeffreyJensenArnett,aresearchprofessoratClarkUniversityanddirectoroftheClarkPollforEmergingAdults,says“‘Ithinkit’sagreatthingoverallthatthere’sthiswonderfulclosenessbetweenparentsandemergingadultstoday,andIreallythinkit’sunprecedentedinhumanhistory’”(citedinRaphelson,2012,para.4).Thisbondisespeciallyimportantconsideringthatmanyyoungadultsaredelayingmarriage.Youngadultswhoarenotreceivingemotionalsupportfromaspouseorsignificantotherareinsteadfindingthissupportfromparents(Raphelson,2012).Fromthisperspective,heavily-involvedparentsarecrucialtoyoungadults’emotionalwell-being.FamilyOrientationModels:ContentandPurposeResearchshowsthatfamilysupportisamongthekeycomponentsofcollegestudentsuccessandproductivity(Pascarella&Terenzini,1991;Wells,2015).Amongthecollegeactivitiesthatfrequentlyengagefamilymembersareparentandfamilyorientationprograms.Parentandfamilyorientationprograms(hereafterreferredtoasfamilyorientationprograms)typicallyinviteparentsandcaregivers,andsometimessiblings,tocampusestolearnmoreabouttheinstitution,institutional

servicesandresources,andmeetotherparents,students,faculty,andstaffmembers(Mullendore&Banahan,2005).Familyorientationprogramsaretypicallyonetotwoandahalfdaysinlength.Mostfamilyorientationprogramsoccurimmediatelybeforethebeginningofanacademicsemester.Researchersandpractitionershaveidentifiedcoreobjectivesandcomponentsforfamilyorientationprograms.Mullendore&Banahan(2005)discussfourcategoriesoffamilyorientationcontent:institutionalservicesandresources,socialactivities,institutionalengagementopportunities,andstudentandfamilytransitions.TheauthorsorganizeorientationobjectivesalongMaslow’shierarchyofneedsinaddressingparentquestionsaboutsuchcorestudentservicesasdining,housing,safetyandsecurity,andfinancialaidbeforeturningtostudentengagementactivitiesandacademicresources.Coburn&Woodward(2001)alsopositthatthepurposeoffamilyorientationsistosupportthestudentandfamilymembers’transitionswhilealsoprovidingthefamilymembersresourcestosupportstudentswhileconnectingfamilymemberstotheinstitutionanddefiningthatrelationship.Therefore,familyorientationsareawidespreadactivityatfour-yearcollegesanduniversitiesandfurnishimportantinformationaboutservicesandresourcesatacriticaljunctureinthestudentlifecycleandfamilymembers’lifespans.CritiqueofCurrentFamilyOrientationModels—FamilyDemographicsGivenchangingcollegefamilydemographics,thereareflawsinmanyfamilyorientationprogramstoday.First,manyoftheexistingtheoreticalframeworksappliedinthedesignoffamilyorientationarenotadequatelyaddressingthechangingneedsoftoday’sfamiliesandstudents.Today’scollegiatefamilymemberidentities,liketheirstudents,arediversifyingintermsofrace,ethnicity,countryoforigin,socioeconomiclevel,amongmanyotherfactors(InstituteofInternationalEducation,2015;NationalCenterforEducationalStatistics,2016).Therefore,theholisticneedsoftoday’sfamilymembersarenotbeingmet.Anexampleistheterm“parent”itself.Manycollegestudentscomefromfamilystructuresthattranscendthenuclearfamily;students,thus,mayassociatewithanextendedfamilynetworkinstead.Thus,afocuson“parents”ratherthan“familymembers”wouldnotaccuratelyreflectmanystudents’dynamicsathome.Second,existingmodels,deliveredin-person,precludemanyparentsandfamiliesfromreceivingthebenefitsoforientationprograms.Cost,workschedules,andbasicunderstandingofacollegecampusstructureand/orexperiencecaninhibitmanyparentsandfamilymembersfromlowsocioeconomicbackgroundsfromattendingorientation.Similarly,manyinternationalfamilies,duetocost,time,orworkschedules,alsocannotattendon-campusfamilyorientationsessions.Last,manyorientationmodelsmakeassumptionsabouttheexistingknowledgeofparticipants,andthismaymakeorientationanunsatisfactoryexperienceformanyattendees.Someorientationprogramsdonotaddressbaselineinformationthatisneededforsomefamilies;forexample,internationalfamiliesmayneedsessionsonacademicculture,sometimesinnativelanguages,tounderstandthedifferingexpectationsforstudentsinUnitedStatescollegesanduniversitiescomparedtoinstitutionsabroad.CritiqueofFamilyOrientationModels—FamilyandStudentNeedsThereisalsoevidencethatmanycurrentfamilyorientationmodelsarenotaddressingthechangingneedsofcollegefamilies,students,andhighereducationinstitutions.First,thegenerationalshiftinparentsfromBabyBoomers(peoplebornbetween1943-1960)toGenerationX(peoplebornbetween1961-1981)andinstudentsfromMillennials(peoplebornbetween1982-2004)toHomelandGeneration/GenerationZ(peoplebornbetween2005-present)haveproduceddiffering

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attitudestowardeducation,technologypractices,andworldviews(Williams,2015).Forexample,technologyuseandparentingpracticesofthecurrentfamilygenerationshavechangedthedynamicsofcollegeparenting.Withsmartphonetechnology,familymembersandstudentshaveclosecontactwitheachother.Thismakesitcrucialforfamilymemberstodefinethenatureoftheirrelationshipfromthestart.Currentorientationmodelstendtoseparatestudentsandfamilymembersfromeachotheratmanypointsofthesessions,yetstudentsandtheirfamiliesremainatextmessageawayandmanystayinconstantcontactduringorientation.Thisseparationonlymagnifiesthesignificanceofweb-deliveredcontentanditbecomesamissedopportunitytoencouragestudent-familymemberdialogueregardingwhen,how,andhowoftentocommunicateduringcollege.Second,astheliteratureonhighly-involvedparentingindicates,therearedeleteriouseffectsoncollegestudentholisticdevelopmentwhenfamilymembers’actionsinhibitstudentautonomy.Whilemanyorientationmodelsseparatestudentsandfamilymemberstosymbolicallyfosterautonomy,noteveryfamilyorientationmodelisdeliberateinrelatingthereasonfordoingso.Thisneglectstherealrationale:thefindingsofstudentdevelopmenttheoryandhighly-involvedparentingresearchthatshowthenegativeeffectofsuchpracticesonstudentholisticdevelopment.Third,inthelastdecade,highereducationinstitutionshaveseenadramaticincreaseinthenumberofstudentswhohavereportedanxiety,depression,orhavingsuicidalthoughts(Novotney,2014;Scelfo,2015).ThisrequiresorientationsessionstofocusonwellnessresourcestoagreaterextentthaninthepastaswellasregulationsoverarchingfamilynotificationintimesofcrisissuchasFamilyEducationalRightsandPrivacyAct(FERPA)andHealthInformationPortabilityandAccountabilityAct(HIPAA)policies.Last,therearebenefitstotheinstitution,familymembers,andstudentswhenfamilymembersareproductivelyengagedwiththestudent’shighereducationinstitution.Someorientationmodelsdonotdefineappropriateandinappropriatefamilymemberinteractionwiththeinstitution.Thissometimesresultsinfamilymembersoversteppingboundariesincontactingprofessorstoappealstudentgrades,callingaresidentadvisortotrytomediatearoommateconflict,orevenbeingpresentatajobinterview.Totalfamilymemberexclusionfromthecampuscommunityisnottheanswereither.Forthestudent,institutionsnotengagingfamilymembersmaybeexcludinganimportantsupportnetworkfromthestudent’slife.Fortheinstitution,notengagingfamilymembersmaymeanthelostopportunityofexcludingafutureinternhost,employer,ordonor.RecommendationsforFamilyOrientationBasedonFamilyDemographicsToaddressthedeficienciesinmanyorientationmodelsrelatingtofamilydemographicshifts,thereareseveralrecommendationsbasedonpromisingpracticesinthefield.First,highereducationinstitutionsshouldrecognizethediversefamilystructurespresentamongtoday’sstudentsandrenameparentorientations“familyorientations.”AnotherstepistosupplementMaslow’sHierarchyofNeedsandothertraditionalmodelsbyviewingactivitiesandeventsthroughthelensofracial/ethniccampusclimatemodels(Chang,Milem,&Antonio,2011;Hurtado,1992;Hurtado,Milem,Clayton-Peterson,&Allen,1999;Milem,Chang,&Antonio,2005)aswellasstudentengagementmodelsfordiversepopulations(Quaye,Harper,andAssociates,2015).Thesemodelsofferempirically-basedperspectivesandpracticalinterventionstoengagediversestudentandfamilypopulationstocreatemorerelevantengagementmodels.ApplyingtheframeworkusedinQuaye,etal.(2015),institutionsshouldconsidertheneedsoffamilieswithstudentswiththefollowingidentities:studentsofcolor,multiracialcollegestudents,internationalstudents,lesbian,gay,andbisexualstudents,trans*students,religiousminoritystudents,low-incomestudents,first-

generationcollegestudents,transferstudents,commuterandpart-timestudents,returningadultlearners,andmilitarystudents,amongothers.Practitionersshouldfirstgatherinformationonfamilydemographicsandthenconsidertheneedsoftherepresentedspecialpopulationsinorientationdesign.Forinstance,questionstoasktoconsidertheneedsoffirst-generationandlow-incomefamilymembersinclude:wouldafamilyorientationsessionscheduledforaweekdayprecludecertainfamilymembersfromattending?Wouldatwo-dayorientationprecludefamilymembersfromattendingwhocouldnotaffordtopayforlodging?Therefore,thereareseveraltangibleactionstotaketoaddresschangingcollegiatefamilymembers’demographics.Second,toprovideresourcesforfamilymembersunabletoattendorientationsinpersonbecauseofcost,distance,andotherfactors,institutionsshouldconsideronlinemodulesandwrittenmaterialstodelivertimelyinformationforfamilymembers.OnepromisingpracticeisDukeUniversity’s(2016)onlineresourcesfornewfamilymembersthatcovers“just-in-timeinformation”andoffersacomprehensiveseriesofhandbooksandorientationinformationforfamilymembers.Anotherexampleofweb-deliveredfamilyresourcesisafamilyorientationcourseofferedbyVirginiaCommonwealthUniversity(2016)thatprovidesfirst-yearparentswithcomprehensiveinformationonhowtosupporttheirstudents’holisticdevelopment.However,onlinemodulesandwrittenresourcesforthosefamilieswithoutinternetaccessprovidefamilymembersunabletoattendorientationwithcriticalinformation.Last,toaddressthecritiquethatfamilyorientationcontentmaynotberelevantforallattendees,thereareseveralstepstoconsider.Oneistointroduceadifferentiatedinstructionmodelforfamilymembersthattakeintoconsiderationfamilymembers’diverselearningneeds(Sternberg&Zhang,2005).Onepracticalwaytostructurethismodelistohavedifferingoptionsduringfamilyorientationsforparentswhohavealreadysentstudentstocollegeversusfirst-timeparents.Anotheractionistoprovidecontentforinternationalparents.Internationalstudentsandparentshaveuniqueneedsrelatedtofourmainfactors:visaprocess,careeroptionsduringenrollmentandaftergraduation,culturaldifferences,anduniqueUnitedStatesacademicandcampuscultures.Thereareseveralexamplesofsuchcustomizedinternationalfamilymemberresources.MichiganStateUniversity(2016)offersbothonlineandin-personorientations.Otherinstitutions,includingTheGeorgeWashingtonUniversity(2016),offerinternationalfamilymemberresourcepageswithimportantinformationonimmigration,internationalfamilyandstudentresourcesandservices,safetyandsecurity,FERPAandHIPAA,careerservices/employment,andhealthinsurancerequirements.RecommendationsforFamilyOrientationBasedonFamilyandStudentNeedsToaddressthedeficienciesinmanyfamilyorientationmodelsrelatingtochangingfamilyandstudentneeds,thereareseveralrecommendationsbasedonpromisingpracticesinthefield.First,ratherthanseparatingstudentsandfamiliesduringorientationsessions,institutionsshouldoffersessionsthatmodelhowstudentsandfamilymemberscanengageinsubstantiveconversationsabouttransitionalissues.AtGeorgeWashingtonUniversity,studentsandfamilymemberswatchcurrentstudentsperformscenesthataddressdiversityandinclusion,wellness,timemanagement,alcoholandotherdrugs,familymember-studentcommunicationpatterns,andotherissues.Beforethepresentation,thedirectorofthesescenesencouragesstudentsandfamilymemberstousetheproduction’scontentasastartingpointforimportantandsometimesdifficult,familyconversationsonthesecriticaltopics.

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Second,tocounteracttheeffectoftheso-called“helicopterparents,”orientationprogramsshouldraisefamilymembers’awarenessofrelevantstudentdevelopmentandparentingtheoriesthatcallforproductivefamily-studentrelationshipsduringcollege.Theserelationshipsencouragedialogueaboutcommunicationexpectationsandfamilymemberactionsthatsupportstudentautonomyanddevelopment.Atthesametime,familiesshouldbeguidedtodiscussthestudent’sdefinitionofsuccessandunderstandthevalueofhealthyrisktaking,andevenfailure,infosteringthestudent’sresilienceandgrit.Third,withmentalhealthissuesoccurringmorefrequentlyamongcollegestudents,familyorientationsessionsshouldemphasizethewellnessresourcesavailableoncampus,includingcriticalconversationsfamilies,especiallythosewhosestudentshavementalhealthissuesinhighschool,shouldhaveinadvanceofcollege.Apromisingpracticeisofferingpre-collegeprogramsandchecklistsforstudentswithmentalhealthissuesthatcouldbeadaptedforfamilymemberstosupportstudentwellnessincollege(Petersen,2015).Last,familyorientationmodelsshoulddefinetherelationshipfamilymembersshouldhavewiththehighereducationinstitution,includingwhatisandwhatisnotappropriatebehavior.Inmanycases,thisdefinitionmaydifferfromoneinstitutiontoanotherandbeaffectedbysuchfactorsasinstitutionalsize,mission,studentdemographics,etc.However,onegoodexampleofaninstitutionwithsuchadefinitionistheUniversityofWisconsin’sParentProgram’s(2016)purposestatement,whichdefinesgoalsforWisconsinstudents’parents.Familyorientationmodelsarealsowell-servedtoengageparentsaspartnersintheeducationalprocess.Thispartnershipshouldbeginwhenthestudentisadmittedtotheinstitutionandcontinueuntilgraduation.Familymemberscanhelptheirindividualstudent,aswellasthelargercampuscommunity,insuchareasascareerdevelopmentandphilanthropicsupport.OngoingEngagementandOrientationAnothercritiqueoftraditionalfamilyorientationmodelsisthefinitenatureoftheeducation,outreach,andcommunicationassociatedwiththeprograms.Parentsandfamiliesoftenreturnhomefromsummerorientationreassuredintheirchild’scollegedecision,confidentintheirstudent’sabilitytonavigatetheuniversity,andexcitedfortheirstudenttoembarkonanewjourney.However,inthefirstfewmonthsofcollege,studentsareapttoencounterunexpectedchallenges,feelnervousoranxiousabouttheirdecision,and,sometimes,experiencehomesickness.Manyparentsreportalsofeelingtheseemotionswithinthefirstseveralmonthsoftheirstudentleavingforschool,astarkcontrasttothepositiveemotionsandexcitementtheywerefeelingjustaftersummerorientation(Weiss,1989).Bymakingcontinualresourcesavailableforparentsandfamilies,universitiesareeffectivelycreatingamodelofongoingorientation.Ongoingorientationmodelsareeffectivebecausetheyallowforparentstomakeapositiveandlastingconnectiontocampus(Wardell,Rothenberg,Strawn&Tisdale,2010).Therearemanywaysforauniversitytofacilitateamodelofongoingorientation.Scholarshaveoutlinedthedifferentprogramsuniversitieshavedevelopedthatareusefulinprovidingongoingorientationandsupporttoparentsandfamilies.Theseprogramsinclude,butarenotlimitedto:parentandfamilyweekends,parentnewsletters,parentadvisorygroups,andupperclassmenseminars(Mullendore&Banahan,2005;Wardell,etal.,2010;Weiss,1989).ParentandFamilyWeekendsParentandfamilyweekends,whilewidelyusedbyhighereducationinstitutions,areavitalcomponentofongoingorientationsandsupportforparents.Withinthefirstfewmonthsofschool,

parentshavelikelybeenaskedquestionsbytheirstudentaboutwheretogoforspecificresourcesorassistance,andparentsmayhaveeitherlongsinceforgottentheanswer,orwerenevergiventheansweratsummerparentorientation.Parentandfamilyweekendsofferawayforparentstonotonlyreconnectwiththeirstudentsbuttoreconnectwiththeschool.Itgivestheuniversityavaluableopportunitytoensureparentsareremindedoftheresourcesavailabletobothstudentsandparents.KarenCoburn(2006)usesParentsWeekendatWashingtonUniversityinSt.Louistodiscussstudentdevelopmentandidentityframeworksthroughanenjoyableskitthat,sheasserts,alwaysleavesparentsamused,educated,andbetterpreparedtohandlesituationsofreceiving“thatcall”fromtheirstudent.CoburnarguesthatParentsWeekendisanoptimaltimetodigdeeperintoissuessuchasautonomousandholisticstudentdevelopmentbecauseparentsalreadyfeeloverwhelmedbymuchofthebasicinformationtheyreceiveduringsummerorfallorientationsessions.ParentAdvisoryGroupsTherehasbeenamajorshiftinrecentyearsfromtheuniversityasapurelyacademicinstitutiontotheuniversityasacompany.Muchofthisshiftcanbeattributedtotherisingcostoftuition,increasingmarketcompetitionamongstuniversities,andthegrowingnecessityofacollegedegreeinthejobmarket(Fullan&Scott,2009).Asaresult,studentsandparentsareviewedbyadministrators,andviewthemselves,asconsumersofabusinessservice.Sinceparentsareinvestingsuchavastamountofmoneyintheuniversity,parentadvisorygroupshavebecomemorecommonplaceincollegesanduniversities.Whileparentadvisorygroupsservedifferentfunctionswithindifferentinstitutions—fromactingasauniversityambassadortohostingeventsinregionalareastoprovidingadministratorswithsuggestionsonhowtoimprovestudentlife—itisapparentthatparentadvisorygroupsareakeypartoftheparentexperienceatmanyprominentuniversities.AprimeexampleofthesuccessfuluseofaparentadvisorygroupisatElonUniversity(2016).Simplycalled,“TheParentsCouncil,”thisgroupofparentsstrivesto“shareobservations,suggestions,orconcernsaboutElonprogramsandstudentlife,”“keepparentsinformed,”and“maintaincloserelationshipswithparentsofcurrentandformerElonstudents”(ElonUniversity,2016).ModelingElonUniversity’sParentsCouncil,parentadvisorygroupsserveasaneffectiveongoingorientationtoolinthesensethatstaffmemberscanensureasmallgroupofparentsobtainsvastknowledgeabouttheuniversity,whichcanthenbeconveyedtoalargerbaseofparents.Inadditiontoparentadvisorygroupsworkingtohelpbettertheuniversity,parentadvisorygroupsserveasambassadorsoftheuniversityintheircommunities—sharingwithcurrentandprospectiveparentsawealthofknowledgeandresources.Upper-DivisionCollegiateFamilySeminarsHighereducationinstitutionshavelong-acknowledgedthenecessityoforientationforfirst-yearstudentsandparents;however,thetypesofresourcesparentsneedtosuccessfullysupporttheirstudentchangedrasticallythroughthecollegeyears.Wardell,etal.(2010)assertthatone-timeparentorientationsjustdon’tcutitanymore;first-yearparentsneeddifferentresourcesandinformationthanjuniorandseniorparents.Offeringupperclassmenparentseminarsshouldbethenormatallcollegesanduniversities.Forexample,first-yearparentswanttoknowaboutwheretheirstudentshouldgoiftheyarehavingahardtimeadjusting,howtheirstudentcanmakefriends,whatactivitiestheirstudentshouldbeinvolvedwith,andwhatclassestotakeinordertochooseamajor.Upperclassmenstudentsandparentsalreadyhavetheseanswers.Thisconstituencyismoreconcernedwithhowtheirstudentcansecureaninternship,whethertheirstudentwillhaveajobintheirfieldupongraduation,whatresourcesareavailableforstudentscontinuingingraduatestudy,howtopursueseniorthesisresearch,andsoon.

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Orientationshouldbetargetedanddifferentiated,butitshouldalsobeongoing.Parentsareunlikelytorememberthreeyearslateriftheyweretoldaboutcareerfairsduringorientation.Offeringtimelyinformationtoparentsatcriticaljuncturesoftheirstudent’scollegeexperiencedevelopsaparentengagementmodelthateducatesandinformsparentsattimeswhentheinformationismostvaluable.Targetedandtimelydisseminationofinformationandresourcesallowsforparentstobettersupporttheirstudent’sgrowthanddevelopmentbyrelievingmuchoftheanxietysurroundingcollegemilestones.“Thelessanxiousparentsare,themorelikelytheyaretosupporttheirchild’sgrowthinappropriateandmeaningfulways—andthelesslikelytheyaretointerveneinappropriately”(Coburn,2006,p.10).RecommendationsforFurtherResearchThisliteraturereviewcomesamidsttwomajorshiftsthatwarrantadditionalresearchoncollegefamilies.First,withthegenerationalshiftinparenting,frompredominatelyBabyBoomerparentstopredominantlyGenerationXparents,andinthe17-22-yearoldcollegepopulation,fromtheMillennialstoGenerationZ,thereisaneedtoreassesscollegeparentingmodels(Williams,2015).Oneexampleoftheeffectofthisgenerationalshiftisinthewaysthesenewgenerationsofparentsandstudentsusetechnology.Researchhasshownthatthesmartphoneandothertechnologies(suchasSkype,textmessaging,socialmedia,etc.)havecontributedtonewcommunicationpatternsbetweenstudentsandtheirfamilies(Hofer&Moore,2010;Lee,Meszaros,&Colvin,2009;Lourgos,2010;Sorokou&Weissbrod,2005).Thisisanimportantattribute,butonlyoneamongthischangingpopulationofstudentsandtheirfamilymembersthatneedstobestudiedinmoredetail.Second,withtheincreasingnumberofinternationalstudents(InstituteofInternationalEducation,2015)andthegrowingdiversificationofstudentenrollmentsintermsoffirst-generation,low-income,andstudentsfromotherspecialpopulationgroups(NationalCenterforEducationalStatistics,2016),thereisalsoaneedtore-examineresearchers’assumptionsaboutcollegeparentingthat,overall,werepredicatedonstudiesthatusedlessdiversepopulations.Basedonthesetwofactors,thisliteraturereviewcallsforadditionalresearchinseveralareasrelatingtofamilyengagement:

• Applicationoflifespanandstudentlifecyclemodelstofamilyengagement.• Examinationofthediverseexperiencesofinternationalcollegeparents.• Examinationofthediverseexperiencesofspecialpopulationparents.• Examinationofhowcollegefamily-studentinteractionsaffectstudentsuccessin

termsofacademicachievementandcareerdevelopment.• Surveyresearchoncomparativeparentingpatternsacrosshighereducation,andas

differentiatedbyinstitutionaltype,mission,andstudentenrollment.• Evaluationoftheeffectivenessoffamilyorientationandengagementmodelsand

activities,especiallythosethataredeliveredviatheweborotherelectronicmeans.RecommendationsforPracticeHighereducationprofessionalsshouldalsoconsideraddressingchangingstudentandfamilydemographicsaswellasgenerationalshiftsamongstudentsandfamilymembersbytakingdecisiveaction.Thisarticleputsforththefollowingrecommendationsforfamilyengagementactivities:

• Renameorientationsforfamilymembers“familyorientation”torecognizediversifiedfamilystructuresamongtoday’scollegestudents.

• ApplyracialandethnicclimateandspecialstudentpopulationtheoreticalframeworksinadditiontoMaslow’sHierarchyofNeedsasalenstoevaluatefamilyorientationmodels.

• Augmentin-personfamilyorientationwithonlinemodulesandotherengagementactivitiesthroughoutthestudentlifecycle(pre-admissiontoalumnistanding).

• Utilizein-personopportunities,suchasparentandfamilyweekends,toprovideongoingorientationprogrammingthatsupportsstudentdevelopment.

• Introduceadifferentiatedinstructionmodelforfamilymemberswithdiverselearningneeds.

• Offercustomizedorientationresourcesforinternationalfamilies.• Evaluatefamilyorientationmodelsintermsofspecialpopulations.• Questionwhetherspecificfamilyorientationactivitiesmaybeproducinga“chilly”

campusclimateforspecialpopulations,especiallylow-incomefamilies,first-generationfamilies,andfamiliesofcoloratpredominantlywhiteinstitutions.

• Modelthecriticalconversationsfamiliesshouldhaveondefiningstudentsuccess,addressingchallengeversussupport,budgeting,drugsandalcohol,amongotherissues.

• Evaluatewhetherfamilyorientationprovidesampleinformationandresourcesonwellnessissuesandtheoverarchingfederal,state,andlocalregulationsthatoverarchstudentprivacy(i.e.FERPAandHIPAA).

• Definewhatisappropriateinthefamilymember-studentandfamilymember-institutionalrelationshipsduringcollege.

• Engagefamilymembersinproductivewaysthroughoutthestudentlifecycle.

ConclusionThereiscertainlymuchmoreworktobedoneintermsofunderstandingandworkingwithchangingcollegiatefamilypopulations.Basedonrecentarticlesandbooksoncollegefamilies,aswellaspromisingpracticesinthefield,wesuggestcoursesofactionforpractitionersatcollegesanduniversitiesonwaystoengage,educate,andcommunicatewithcollegiatefamilymembersaswellasforresearcherstostudythisdiversepopulation.Thisliteraturereviewcallsfordifferentiatedinstructionforcollegiatefamilymemberstorespecttheirdifferinglearningneeds.Inaddition,thepaperarguesthatcollegiatefamilymemberscanbeproductivelyengagedthroughoutthestudentlifecycle.Theauthorshopethatthisworkwillenablehighereducationpractitionerstohaveabetterunderstandingofcollegiatefamilymembersandconsiderchangestoexistingparentorientationandengagementmodelstoaddressthispopulation’slearningneeds.Inmanyrespects,MerrilyDunn’s(2015,p.8)calltotranscend“thesinglestory”ofcollegiateparentingisafittingandtimelychargeforcollegiatefamilypractitionersandscholars.

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18 19

Abstract

LandingtheHelicopterParent:

AssessingUniversityFamilye-NewslettersasaCommunicationTool

RyanW.LovellSeniorDirectorofParentandFamilyRelationsandSororityandFraternityLife

D’ArcyJ.Oaks,Ph.D.

SeniorAssociateDirectorwiththeCenterfortheStudyofStudentLife

SusanL.Kline,Ph.D.AssociateProfessor,SchoolofCommunications

TheOhioStateUniversity

Withtheproliferationofparentinvolvementoncollegeanduniversitycampuses,parentprogrammingandcommunicationsareincreasinglyimportantconsiderationsforoperationsandfunctionsofinstitutionsofhighereducation.Asresourcesaredevotedtodevelopingmeaningfulcommunicationsforfamilies,determininghowfamiliesutilizetheseresourceshasbecomeimportanttodetermine.InthisstudywepresentandassessauniversityFamilye-communicationstrategythatinvolvessendingregularemailnewsletterstoparentsandstudents.Twoweb-basedsurveysofuniversityparentsin2012(n=202)and2014(n=835)examinedwhetherparentsreadthee-newslettersandperceivedthemtobeeffective.Acrossthetwoyears,atleast68%ofparentsreadthenewslettersatleastmonthly,82%evaluatedthenewslettersaseffective,54%believedthenewslettersprovidedinformationandadvice,74%feltinformedaboutuniversityresourcesfortheirstudentand66%feltincludedbythenewsletters.Theseresultswerenotaffectedbyparentalincomeoreducationlevel.AnexampleoftheFamilye-Newsletterisprovided,andimplicationsforparentalinvolvementarediscussed.

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Introduction

TheemergenceoftheMillennialstudent(childrenbornbetween1981and2000)ontoday’scollegecampuseshasmeantchangestotheservicesandprogramsthatareofferedtomeettheneedsofthesestudents.Oneofthebiggestchangescollegecampuseshaveseenistheleveltowhichparentsareinvolvedinandconnectedtothedailylivesoftheirstudents.TheMillennialstudenthasbeenraisedinanenvironmentwherefamilyinvolvementhasbeenanexpectationsinceayoungage.ManywereeducatedundertheedictsoftheNoChildLeftBehindActof2001,whichcontainstheword“parent”300timesandhasasegment,Section1118,specificallydevotedtoparentengagement.Theevolutionoftechnologythroughmobiledevices,emailandtextmessageshassimplifiedhowcontactcanbemade.Wherecollegewasonceseenasatimetoseparatefromparentengagement,enrollmentintheuniversitysettingisnotalteringtheexpectationsfamilieshaveforinvolvement.Suchexpectationsoffamilieshavedictatedthatcollegesanduniversitydevelopparentprogrammingandcommunicationofficestoaddresstheincreaseddemands.Inmanyways,collegecampusesarenolongersimplyaboutthestudentexperience,butaboutthefamilyexperience.Inordertobestaddresstheseneedsandexpectations,collegesanduniversitieshavemadechangestoexistingservicesanddevelopednewprogrammingandcommunicationsnecessaryforparentsandfamiliestostayinvolvedandconnectedwiththeirstudent.Theseeffortsaretimeandresourceintensive.Althoughcollegecampusesareincreasingthefocusontheexperienceofastudent’sfamilymembers,theoverridingmissionremainsensuringthatstudentssucceedandaresatisfiedwiththeircollegeexperience.Graduationrates,retentionrates,involvementopportunities,academicsuccessesandtheabilitytofindemploymentaftergraduationstilldictatehowstudentsandfamiliesfeelaboutthehighereducationexperience.Intoday’senvironmentofreducedfundingandshrinkingbudgets,devotingresourcestoprogramsorcommunicationsthatarenotproventocorrelatewithstudentinvolvement,satisfaction,orsuccessaredifficulttojustify.Animplicationofthiscurrentenvironmentisthatcollegesanduniversitiesarelikelytobenefitfromdevelopingacommunicationstrategythatenablesfamiliestostayinvolvedwiththeirstudents,andtoroutinelyassessthecommunicationstrategyforitssuccess.Educationscholarshavecalledforuniversitiestopromoteparentalengagementthroughtheircommunicationssuchasnewsletters(e.g.,Ward-Roof,Heaton,&Coburn,2008;Wartman&Savage,2008).Surprisingly,however,thereislittleresearchontheeffectivenessofuniversitycommunicationsthattargetparentsandtheirstudents.Tofillthisgap,thisstudyreportsanexampleofauniversityfamilye-newsletter,andaninitialevaluationofitssuccessinmeetingparents’needs.ParentalInvolvementinStudentHigherEducationEducation,familystudies,andcommunicationscholarsaredevelopingaliteratureontheeffectsofparentalinvolvementandparent-childcommunicationonundergraduatestudentsuccess.Parentalinvolvementoccurswhenparentsshowan“interestinthelivesoftheirstudentsincollege,gainingmoreinformationaboutcollege,(and)knowingwhenandhowtoappropriatelyprovideencouragementandguidancetotheirstudentconnectingwiththeinstitution”(Wartman&Savage,2008,p.5).Suchengagement,encouragementandsupportispositivelyrelatedtoavarietyofpositivestudentoutcomes(seethereviewofWolf,Sax,&Harper,2009).Onetheoreticalexplanationfortheimportanceofparentalinvolvementcomesfromexplicationoftheseparation-individuationprocess(Grotevant&Cooper,1998).Asyoungadultsestablishtheir

autonomyandidentity,successfulseparationoccurswiththesupportofandstrongrelationshipswithfamilymembers,whichpositivelyaffectsadjustmenttocollege(Kalsner&Pistole,2003).Parentalinvolvementaffectstheamountandkindofcommunicationparentshavewiththeircollegestudents,whichislinkedtostudentsuccess.Forinstance,Shoup,Gonyeah,andKuh(2009)foundthatparentalinvolvementisrelatedtogainsinstudentlearningandhigherengagementineducationalpracticesassociatedwithdeeplearning.AgliataandRenk(2008)foundthatcommunicationreciprocitybetweencollegestudentsandtheirparentsisalsoapredictorofstudents’adjustmenttocollegelife.Small,Morgan,Abar,andMaggs(2011)havefoundthatparentalcommunicationwithcollegestudentsactuallyconfersprotectiveeffectsinthedomainofalcohol,inthattheamountofcommunicationparentsandstudentshadonweekendspredictedlessalcoholconsumptionbystudents.Smallandhercolleagues(Small,Morgan,Bailey-Davis,&Maggs,2013)havealsofoundprotectiveeffectsfordietaryandphysicalactivitybehaviors,withmorefrequentcommunicationbetweenparentsandtheirstudentpredictingincreasesinphysicalactivityandconsumptionoffruitsandvegetables.Smalletal.advocatethatparentsshouldbeencouragedtotalkmorefrequentlywiththeircollegestudents.Giventhepositivefunctionofparentalcommunicationandinvolvementwiththeirstudents,universitieshavebeenencouragedtocreatetheconditionsformoreeffectiveparent-childcommunicationbyofficiallysponsoringinstitution-parent(andsubsequentparent-student)communication.Forinstance,Smalletal.(2011)suggestthatuniversitiesencourageparentstocommunicatewiththeircollege-agestudenttohelpreducedangerousalcoholbehaviors.Similarly,Napper,Grimaldi,andLaBrie(2015)foundthatparentsaremorelikelytodiscussalcoholwiththeirstudentswhentheyperceivedthelikelihoodofnegativeconsequences,whichledNapperetal.toadvocatethatuniversitiesprovideparentswithinformationaboutdrinkingnormsandconsequences.Danieletal.(2009)suggestedincreasingthefrequencyandvolumeofofficialcommunicationmaybeeffectivewithparentsbutnotforstudents.YetScottandDaniel(2001)havenotedthatmanyparentsexpecttobeinvolved,whichresult“fromacombinationoffactors,includingthehighcostofattendance,changingroleofhighereducationinsociety,andtheirownregardfortheirstudentsaschildrenratherthanadults”(p.84).Finally,scholarshavedelineatedtheneedforandbestpracticesforcommunicatingwithparents(e.g.,Taub,2008;Ward-Roof,Heaton,&Coburn,2008;Wartman&Savage,2008).Somearguethatconventionalinstitution-parentrelationshipsshouldbereassessed,andamodelofinterdependencebeimplemented(Daniel,Evans,&Scott,2001).Withtheeaseofcommunicationasaresultofcellphone,email,text,andsocialmedia,aswellasthepromotionofparent-studentinteractionsinelementaryandhighschoolsettings,itisnotunreasonabletothinkthatparentswouldhavesimilarexpectationsforcommunicatingwiththeirstudentsintheircollegeyears.Theideaofthehelicopterparent,theparentwhohoversovertheirchild’scollegeexperiencetoprovidedirection,hasbeengivenattentionforatleastadecade(e.g.,Lipka,2005;Taylor,2006).Collegesanduniversitieshavenottypicallyviewedhelicopterparentinginapositivelight,forparentinvolvementhasbeenseenasinterferingwithstudentsuccessbystuntingstudentindependence.Inrecentyears,however,thisviewhasshifted,andmanycollegesanduniversitieshaverespondedtotheincreasedexpectationsoffamilyinvolvementbycreatingparentandfamilyengagementopportunities.Althoughparentandfamilyorientationprogramminghasexistedsincethe1970sto

22 23

assistinthetransitiontocollege,increasedfamilyexpectationshavenecessitatedtheneedforexpandedresourcesbeyondparentorientationtoallowformoredirectedeffortsforengagement.Byprovidingsuchavenuesforengagement,universitieshavebeenbetterabletoguidethehelicopterparenthowheorshecanbebestinvolved,includingprogramminglikeparent,family,andgrandparentweekends.Universitieshavealsomademoreconcertedeffortstoeducateparentsoncampusresourcesandeventsthroughdirectcommunicationsviaelectronicorprintnewsletters(Wartman&Savage,2008).Collegesanduniversitieshavealsoincreasedtheirprofessionalstaffsthroughthecreationofparentprogrammingoroutreachofficeswhoseresponsibilitiesincludedirectingparentinvolvementtohelptheirstudentssucceed.Althoughsomehavedelineatedtheneedforbenchmarking,assessing,andgatheringdataonparentalprograms(Savage,2008),therearesurprisinglyfewexamplesintheliteratureofthestrategiesuniversitieshaveforcommunicatingwithparentsandfamilies,orevidenceoftheireffectiveness.AnexceptionisHarrisandJones(1999),whohavedescribedthestrategiesthattheUniversityofNorthCarolinausestoeducateparentsandstudentsaboutcareerplanning.Thesestrategiesincludeprovidingnewsletters,acareerserviceswebsite,andprovidingspecificencouragementtoparentstoprovideinternshipsandjobsforstudents.However,noevidencewasprovidedtoshowtheeffectivenessofthesecommunicationstrategies.DevelopmentofaUniversityFamilye-NewsletterToday’sstudentscommunicateoftenwiththeirparents;onestudyfoundthatstudentscommunicatewiththeirparents13.4timesperweekonaverage(Hofer,2011).Suchfrequentcontactprovidesfamiliesanopportunitytoprovideinputonandpotentiallyaffectstudentbehaviors.AtOhioState,wehavenearly56,000parentemailaddressesonalistservassociatedwithourParentandFamilyRelationsOffice.ThedesignoftheFamilye-NewsletterwasdevelopedattheonsetoftheOhioState’sParentandFamilyRelationsOfficein2010.Toassesstheneedsofthestudents’families,anelectronicsurveywasdistributedto3,000parentsandfamilymembers.Theobjectiveofthisinitialstudywastoprovidebaselinedataregardingfamilypreferencesforcommunicationfrequency,communicationchannels,andtopicalareasoffocus.Therewasminimalinformationintheliteraturethatdiscussedhowauniversityshouldcommunicatewithparents,sothestudywasafirststepinthatdirection.Thebasicresearchquestionrevolvedaroundthepotentialneedsofthislargepopulation.Thedatagatheredfromthisfirststudyinformeddecisionsregardingthecommunicationstrategiesoftheofficemovingforward.SubsequentlytheParentandFamilyRelationsOfficedesignedacommunicationstrategytoleveragethestudent/familyrelationshiptopositivelyinfluencestudents’successandsatisfactionwiththeircollegeexperience.Thestrategyincludesfamilyprogrammingaswellase-newslettersthataresenttoparent/familyemailaddressesobtainedfromthestudent’sadmission’sapplication.Familye-newslettersaresentbothweeklyandmonthlyresultinginroughlyfivenewsletterssenttofamilieseachmonth.Thereisalsoanoutletforspecialcommunicationstobesentoutsideofthoseregularlyscheduled.Althougheachnewsletterservesaslightlydifferentpurpose,allnewslettershavetwoprimarygoals:providinginformationandresourcesforfamiliesandprovidingfamilieswithpointsofprideabouttheuniversity.Contentforcommunicationisgatheredfromacrosstheinstitutionthroughanetworkofcommunicationsspecialistsembeddedinvariousdepartments.Eachmontha“callforcontent”issenttotheseindividualstogather

events,resourcesandotherimportantinformationforparents.Contentischosenbaseduponthosepreferencessuppliedbyparentsandfamiliesintheoriginalsurveydistributedin2010.AscreenshotofpartofonenewsletterispresentedintheAppendix.Weeklycommunicationsfocusonactivities,eventsandotherrelevantinformationforstudentsandfamiliesforthatweek.These“OnCampuse-newsletters”forparentsandfamiliesareadaptedfromsimilare-newslettersstudentsreceiveeachweek.“BuckeyeParent,”themonthlye-newsletter,iswritteninanarrativeformatfocusingoneventrecaps,pointsofpride,andotherstorydrivenpieces.AdditionalresourcesaredevotedtoproduceaChineselanguageversionofBuckeyeParentforparentsandfamiliesinChina.“Buck-i-Briefs,”thevehicleforspecialcommunications,areusedwhenfamiliesneedtobeinformedaboutaspecificeventorissue.Resourcesandinformationprovidefamilieswithacommonlanguagetoempowertheirstudentstotakeadvantageoftheresourcesavailablethroughtheuniversitythathelpstudentsfeelsatisfiedandsucceed.Thepointsofpridegivefamiliesgeneralhighlightsabouttheuniversitysothatfamiliesmayfeeltheyaremakingagoodinvestmentbyhavingachildattendtheuniversity.ThesepointsofpridealsoprovidefamilieswithtalkingpointstobecomebrandambassadorsfortheuniversityastheyinteractwithindividualsnotassociatedwithOhioState.Althoughcollegesanduniversitieshaveincreasedparentandfamilyoutreach,limitedresearchexistsontheimpactofparentinvolvementonstudentsatisfactionwiththeircollegeexperience.Someresearchhasshownthatparentandfamilyengagementcanhaveapositiveimpactonareassuchashealthissues,careerdevelopment,anddecisionmakingaroundalcoholuse(NSSE2007).Thisresearchprovidesabasisforparentandfamilyrelationsprofessionalstobeabletojustifytheexpenditureofresourcestoengagefamiliesinthecollegeoruniversityexperience.Whatisnotentirelyclear,however,ishowfamiliesaffectstudentbehaviorsbaseduponcommunicationsprovideddirectlybytheinstitution.PurposeoftheStudyThepurposeofthisstudywastoreportaninitialassessmentoftheuniversity’sFamilye-Newslettersfortheireffectivenessinmeetingparents’needs.Twoformativeresearchsurveys(2012&2014)wereconductedtodeterminehowparentsviewedregularcommunicationsfromtheuniversity.Surveyquestionsfocusedonfivetopicareas:safetyoncampusfromcrimeandphysicaldanger;remaininghealthyandwell;career-relatedinformation;studentinvolvementwithcampusevents,clubs,orsocialactivities;andacademicssuchascourses,schedules,majors/minors,grades,andfees.Thefocusofthisreportisonparents’assessmentsoftheweeklyandmonthlycommunicationstheyreceived.Wefirstwantedtolearnifthee-newsletterswerereadbyparents,undertheassumptionthatreadingthee-newsletterswouldhelpestablishabasisforhelpingparentsengageinproductivecommunicationwiththeirstudents:

RQ1:Howoftendouniversityparentsreadabouttopicsrelevanttotheirstudent’ssuccess(i.e.,safety,health/wellness,involvement,career,academics)fromtheUniversity’sFamilye-Newsletters?

Wealsowantedtoexamineparents’perceptionsoftheoveralleffectivenessoftheUniversity’sFamilye-Newsletter,andtheutilityofthenewslettertoincreaseparents’understandingofvarioustopicsaswellasincreasetheirabilitytoprovideadvicetotheirstudents:

RQ2:AreFamilye-Newslettersconsideredbyparentstobevaluableintermsofthee-newsletters’(a)overalleffectiveness,and(b)perceivedutilitytoprovideinformationandadvicerelevanttostudentsatisfactionandsuccesswiththeircollegeexperience?

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Finally,wewantedtoexamineparents’perceptionsoftheFamilye-Newsletter,specificallyinregardtofeelinginformedandincludedbytheuniversity:

RQ3:AreFamilye-Newslettersconsideredbyuniversityparentstobehelpfulinkeepingthem(a)informedand(b)includedbytheuniversity?

Method

ParticipantsandProceduresTwouniversityoffices,theParentandFamilyRelationsOfficeandtheCenterfortheStudyofStudentLife,collaboratedin2012and2014tosurveyparentsandguardiansabouttheregularcommunicationsdistributedbyTheOhioStateUniversity.Surveysweredevelopedseparatelyforstudentsandparents.Theanalysispresentedherefocusesontheparents’assessmentoftheUniversity’sFamilye-Newsletters.Tworandomsamplesparentsweregenerated:forthe2012sample,2,500parentsweredrawnfromtheadvancementdatabase;forthe2014sample,4,400parentsweredrawnfromthelistofparentsthathadopenedanemailfromtheParentandFamilyRelationsOffice.Theparentandstudentsurveyswereadministeredusingsurveysoftwareinthespringof2012andinthespringof2014,usingthreeremindersoverapproximatelya14-21daywindow.TheParentandGuardiansurveyshad11.64%and24.3%responserates,respectively,for2012and2014,producingnsof202and835forthemeasuresusedinthisreport.Thesurveymeasuredtheoveralleffectivenessoftheuniversitye-newsletterswithparents.Thesurveybeganwithdemographicquestionsongender,educationallevel,householdincome,ethnicity,andcountry,state,andcountyofresidence.Parentswerethenaskedquestionsabouttheuniversity’se-newsletters,andhowfrequentlythesenewsletterswerereadwithrespecttofivetopics:safety,health,career,studentinvolvementwithcampusactivities,andacademics.InstrumentationandMeasuresParticipants’evaluationsoftheFamilye-Newsletterswereassessedwithfivemeasures.Exceptwhereindicated,allassessmentsweremadeonscaleswitheitherafour-point(2012)orfive-point(2014)Likertresponseformat(i.e.,stronglydisagreetostronglyagree).First,participantsindicatedhowmuchtheyreadaboutthefivetopicscoveredinthee-newsletters,byindicatinghowfrequentlytheyreadabouteachtopiconsix-pointscalesthatvariedfromnever(1),onceperschoolyear(2),quarterly(3),monthly(4),twicepermonth(5),toweekly(6).Thisassessmentwasadaptedfromanotherparentalcontactmeasure(Brint,Douglass,Flacks,Thomson,&Chatman,2007).Thesefrequencyratingswereaveragedacrosstopicstoformameasureofe-newsletterreadingfrequency(2012M(SD)=4.50(1.13),α=.925;2014M(SD)=4.65(1.05),α=.902).Participantsthenassessedthegeneraleffectivenessofthee-newsletterswithfouritems,“trustworthy,”“important,”“relevant,”and“useful.”Thismeasurewasadaptedfromothercommunicationeffectivenessmeasures(e.g.,Dillard,Shen,&Vail,2007;Goldsmith,Mcdermott,&Alexander,2000).Itemswereaveragedtoformageneralcommunicationeffectivenessmeasure(2012&2014αs=.942,.926).SeeTable1formeansandstandarddeviations.

Table1Parents’EvaluationsofUniversitye-NewslettersEvaluationMeasure

Year StronglyDisagree

Disagree NeitherAgreeorDisagree

Agree StronglyAgree

Mean(SD)

Generalcomm.Effectiveness

20122014

2.0%

.60%

6.4%

1.0%

--

15.6%

69.5%

62.6%

22.2%

20.1%

3.23(.640)

4.15(.564)Specificcomm.Utility

20122014

2.2%

.60%

21.7%

3.3%

--

42.1%

70.0%

49.7%

6.2%

4.4%

3.03(.451)

3.84(.558)

InformedbyUniv.comm.

20122014

3.1%

.40%

14.8%

1.0%

--

23.9%

59.5%

56.0%

22.6%

18.6%

3.23(.640)

4.17(.575)IncludedByUniv.comm.

20122014

4.5%

2.2%

17.4%

4.3%

--

27.2%

64.0%

54.4%

14.0%

12.0%

3.05(.700)

3.95(.726)Participantsalsoevaluatedtheregularcommunicationsfortheirfunctionaleffectivenessinhelpingparentsandtheirchildrenunderstandthetopicsbetter.Itemswereconstructedthatweresimilartoassessmentsofadvicemessages(Feng&Burleson,2008;MacGeorge,Feng,Butler,&Budarz,2004).Fiveitemsassessedtheusefulnessofthenewslettercontent(e.g.,“givesadvicethatisrelevanttomystudent/child,”“summarizesknowledgeonimportanttopics,”“clarifieswhatpotentialproblemsandissuesare,”and“proposeseffectivewaystohelpmystudent/childaddressproblematicsituations”)thatwereaveragedtoformameasureofnewslettercommunicationutility(2012&2014αs=.942,.884).Finally,participantsindicatedifthee-newslettersenabledthemtofeelinformed(threeitems,e.g.,“Iread…tokeepmyselfinformedaboutresourcesandusefulinformationformystudent”),andinvolvedintheuniversitycommunity(threeitems,e.g.,“IfeelapartoftheOhioStatecommunity”).Itemswereaveragedtoformtwomeasures:feelinginformed(2012&2014αs=.760,721);andfeelingincluded(2012&2014αs=.896,.720).Afactoranalysis(principalcomponentswithvarimaxrotation)ofthefourassessmentmeasuresproduceddistinctfactorsthatcollectivelyaccountedfor75.39%(2012)and73.41%(2014)ofoverallassessmentvariance.Therewerenocrossloadingsandallcoefficientswereabove.62.

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Results

Theresearchquestionswereansweredwithdescriptivestatistics,correlationalanalyses,andanalysesofvariance.Table2presentsthedemographiccharacteristicsforeachsample.Table2DemographicCharacteristicsoftheSamples

Characteristic 2012 2014SexFemaleparent/guardianMaleparent/guardianUnidentified

77.0%22.3%0.8%

72.7%27.3%

--HouseholdIncomeUnder$74,999$75,000-$99,000$100,000-$124,000$125,000-$149,000Over$150,000Prefernottoanswer

26.5%17.2%18.8%11.8%

25.7%--

13.9%12.2%15.0%9.9%24.6%24.4%

EducationLevelHighschoolorlessSomecollegeAssociateDegreeBachelors’DegreeMasters’DegreeDoctoral/ProfessionalDegree

6.4%22.1%

--44.0%19.9%7.9%

5.6%10.8%6.4%42.1%26.4%8.7%

RaceCaucasianAfricanAmericanAsianAmericanHispanicNativeAmericanMultiracialNotindicated

82.5%3.0%3.0%2.7%0.4%1.5%6.8%

70.6%2.4%3.2%2.2%.8%

--20.8%

Ascanbeseen,three-quartersoftherespondentsineachsampleweremothersorfemaleguardianswhowereCaucasian.Halftherespondentshadahouseholdincomeofatleast$100,000,andtwo-thirdshadattainedatleastabachelor’sdegreeintheirlevelofeducation.Thefirstresearchquestion(RQ1)askediftheFamilye-Newsletterswerereadbyuniversityparentsandguardians.In2012,68.4%ofparentshadreadthee-newslettersatleastweekly(16.1%),twiceamonth(24.4%)ormonthly(27.9%);theremainingparentshadreadthenewslettersonlyfourtimesperyear(20.6%),onceayear(7.3%),orhadneverreadthenewsletters(3.4%).Similarly,in2014,mostparentsreadthee-newslettersatleastweekly(30.4%),twiceamonth(24.5%)ormonthly(21.0%);otherparentshadreadthenewslettersonlyfourtimesperyear(18.5%),onceayear(4.6%),orhadneverreadthenewsletters(1.0%).Hence,two-thirdstothree-quartersofparentshadreadthee-newsletters,atleastmonthly,acrossthetwosurveyyears.

Whetherornotparents’readingofthenewslettersdifferedasafunctionofthetopicwasdeterminedwitharepeatedmeasuresanalysisofvariance,whichdetectedasignificantdifferencefortopicfor2012and2014,respectively:F(4,1044)=23.402,p<.001;F(4,3876)=45.635,p<.001).Contrastanalysesfor2012foundthatparentsreadsignificantlymoreoftenaboutsafetyandacademics(M(SD)=4.55(1.26),4.61(1.29)),andlessoftenabouthealth/wellnessandcareerinformationthanothertopics(M(SD)=4.17(1.41),4.13(1.51)).Similarly,the2014contrastanalysesfoundthatparentsreadsignificantlymoreoftenaboutinvolvementandacademics(M(SD)=4.73(1.23),4.82(1.18)),andlessoftenabouthealth/wellnessandcareerinformationcomparedtoothertopics,respectively(M(SD)=4.47(1.31),4.44(1.35)). RQ2askediftheFamilye-Newsletterswereconsideredbyuniversityparentstobevaluable.Thisquestionwasansweredintwoways:throughparticipants’assessmentsoftheoverallcredibilityandeffectivenessofthee-newsletters,andthroughassessmentsofthespecificutilityofthenewsletterstoprovideadviceandunderstandingaboutspecifictopics.Table1showsthatinboth2012and2014,atleast82%oftheparticipantsconsideredtheFamilye-Newsletterstobeeffectiveintermsoftheirtrustworthiness,usefulness,relevanceandimportance.Infurtheranalyses,perceptionsofthenewsletters’effectivenesswasnotsignificantlycorrelatedwithparents’householdincomeoreducationallevelforeither2012or2014(rs=.063,-.077,-.008,-.062,ns,respectively).RQ2baskediftheFamilye-Newsletterswereconsideredbyuniversityparentstoprovidespecificinsights,adviceandunderstandingonthetopics(e.g.,safety,academics).Table1showsthatatleast76%of2012parentsand54%of2014parentsagreedorstronglyagreedthatthee-newsletterswereeffectiveinthisregard.TheutilityoftheFamilye-Newsletterswasnotcorrelatedwitheitherparentalincomeoreducationlevelfor2012or2014,respectively(rs=-.082,-.047,-.003,.000,ns).Finally,parentsconsideredwhetherornottheyfeltinformedandincludedbytheuniversity’sFamilye-Newsletters(RQ3).Table1showsthat82%of2012parentsand74%of2014parentsreportedfeelinginformedbytheFamilye-Newsletters.Feelinginformedwassignificantlycorrelatedwithparents’levelofhouseholdincomefor2012(r=.152,df=242,p<.05),butnotcorrelatedwithhouseholdincomefor2014(r=-.004,ns);feelinginformedwasalsonotcorrelatedwitheducationlevelin2012or2014(rs=.082&-.004,ns,respectively).IntermsoffeelingincludedbytheFamilye-Newsletters,78%of2012parentsand80%of2014parentsfeltincludedbytheuniversitythroughthee-newsletters.Feelingincludedwasnotsignificantlycorrelatedwithparents’levelofhouseholdincomeoreducationlevelineither2012or2014(rs=.004,-.031,-.003,-.063,ns,respectively).

Discussion

Weposedthreeresearchquestionstoassesshowauniversity’sFamilye-Newslettersaresucceedingwithrespecttoparents’needs.Acrosstwoyears,parentsconsideredtheFamilye-Newsletterstobesuccessful;parentsorguardiansreadthenewsletters,regardedthemascredibleandeffective,sawthenewslettersasprovidinginformationandadvicerelevanttotheirstudents,andfeltinformedandincludedbyreadingthenewsletters.Inregardtothefirstresearchquestion,howoftendidparentsreadabouttopicsrelatedtostudentsuccessinthee-newsletter,over68%ofparentsreadthee-newsletteratleastmonthly.Parentsreadsignificantlymoreaboutsafety,involvement,andacademicsthanothertopics.Regardingthesecondresearchquestion,towhatextentisthee-newsletterconsideredeffectiveanduseful,atleast82%ofparentsfoundthee-newslettertobeimportant,trustworthy,useful,andrelevant,

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andatleast54%foundittobespecificallyusefulforprovidingunderstandingandadvicetotheirchildrenabouttopicsrelatedtostudentsuccess.Finally,inregardtothethirdresearchquestion,istheFamilye-Newsletterperceivedashelpingparentsfeelinformedandincludedbytheuniversity,theresultsshowedthatitiswasseenassuch;atleast74%ofparentsreportedfeelinginformedbytheFamilye-Newsletters,andatleast66%reportedfeelingincludedbytheinstitutionbywayofthee-newsletters.Takentogether,thisassessmentvalidatestheeffortsbeingmadeaboutthisparticulartypeofuniversityfamilynewsletter.Parentsandfamiliesnotonlyindicatedthattheyregularlyreadthenewsletters,buttheyalsoindicatedthattheygainedknowledgeabouttheidentifiedtopicalareas.AsParentandFamilyRelationsatOhioStateisthedepartmentcoordinatingfamilyoutreachattheuniversity,thenewslettersbeingsentfromthisareaserveasaprimarypointofinformationaboutresourcesandeventsattheuniversity.Theseeffortsareprovidingfamiliestheinformationtheyneedtonotonlybeinformedcitizensoftheuniversitycommunitybutalsobebetterpositionedtosupporttheirstudent’ssuccesses.AnotherreasonwhythisassessmentoftheUniversity’sFamilye-Newsletterissignificantisbecauseofthenatureoftheassessmentmeasuresused.FourmeasuresassesseddistinctanddifferentvalidityclaimsabouttheeffectivenessoftheFamilye-Newslettersforsatisfyingparents’needs.Thegeneraleffectivenessmeasureassessedthecredibilityoftheinformationprovidedinthenewsletters,whilethefeelinginformedmeasureassessedtheparticipants’understandingoftheinformationprovidedbythenewsletters.Thecommunicationutilitymeasureassessedtheefficacyoftheinformationprovidedforstudentsuccess,whilethefeelingincludedmeasureassessedthepositivesocialrelationshipscreatedbytheuniversitywithparents.BecausethefourmeasuresevaluateddifferentclaimsaboutthevalidityoftheFamilye-Newsletter,togethertheyformaconvincingevaluationframework.Still,thefindingswerenotcompletelyconsistentacrossthetwoyears.AscanbeseeninTable1,agreementresponsestothe2014surveyweregenerallylowerthanagreementresponsestothe2012survey.Thesedifferencesarelikelyduetodifferencesintheresponseformat,forthe2012responseformatlackedaneutralmidpoint,whichwasincludedinthe2014responseformatwithaLikertresponseformat.The2014responsesfoundthatfewerparticipantsfoundthatthee-newslettersprovidedspecificcommunicationutilitydespitefindingthenewsletterstobecredible.Thesefindingssuggestthatmoreworkcouldbedonetodeterminewhatspecificresourcesmightbeaddedtothecurrente-newsletterstoprovideparentswiththeconfidencetheyhavealltheresourcestheyneedtohelptheirstudent.Despitethelimitations,however,thefindingsobtainedfromthisassessmentdemonstratetheeffectivenessoffamilye-newslettersfromtheparent’sviewpoint.Collegesanduniversityprofessionalswhoarecontemplatingthevalueoflaunchingane-newslettercommunicationstrategymayconsultthesamplee-newsletterprovidedinAppendixA.Inaddition,forthosecollegesanduniversitieswhoalreadyemployane-newsletterstrategybutwhomaynothaveassessedofeffectivenessoftheire-newsletters,theassessmentsurveyitemsemployedinthisstudyareprovidedinAppendixB.Parent/familyprofessionalscouldpotentiallyusetheirsurveyinstrumentforevaluatingtheire-newslettersandcomparetheirresultswiththeseresults.Together,thee-newslettertemplate,processes,andassessmenttoolprovidedhereformamodeltodrawuponforanyprogramconsideringane-newslettercommunicationstrategy.

AsthemillennialstudentcontinuestopopulatecollegesanduniversitiesthroughouttheUnitedStates,therealityoffamilyinvolvementintheirdaytodaylivesiseverapparent.ThedesireofstudentsandfamiliestoremainconnectedthroughouttheAmericanhighereducationexperiencecontinuestoemphasizethatastudent’sattendanceatcollegeistrulyafamilyaffair.Inanerawherecostofattendanceandaffordabilityaredrivingconversationsregardingaccesstohighereducation,resourceallocationsareattheforefrontofconversationsregardingofficegoalsandhowbudgetssupportthosegoals.Ascollegesanduniversitiesfindcreativewaystostretchfewerbudgetdollars,parentandfamilyinvolvementandhowuniversitiescultivateandpotentiallyleverageparent-studentrelationshipscanbekeycomponentsinimprovingstudents’collegeexperience.However,wemustdeterminewhatparentsandfamiliesneedfromuniversityoutreachtobestsupporttheirstudents.Ifcommunicationsthatrequireresourceallocationstoperformeffectivelyaregoingtobeakeycomponenttofamilyoutreachandinvolvement,toolsshouldexistthatnotonlyassesshowconnectedfamiliesfeeltotheuniversitybutalsowhattopicalareasremainthemostimportantformaintaininguniversity-familyrelationships.Insum,ifuniversitiesaregoingtodevoteresourcestothesecommunicationsendeavors,wemustassuretheireffectivenessinthismission.Thisstudyhaslimitationsthatshouldbeconsideredwhenreviewingitsoutcomes.AlthoughthesamplesomewhatreflectsthedemographicsofTheOhioStateUniversitywith76.2%beingfromOhio,69.7%beingfemale,and84.7%beingCaucasian,thesampleisnotrepresentativeofallcollegesanduniversities.Thereisalsoaselectionbiasbecausethesampleincludesparentswhohadalreadyreceivedtheparentcommunications.Additionally,wesampledfromparentswhoregularlyopenemailcommunications.Thissampleismorelikelytotakethesurvey,respondfavorablyabouttheirexperience,andbereceptivetowardstheParentandFamilyRelationsoffice.Moreover,althoughtopicalareasofthesurveywerespecified,parentsandstudentsmayhavedifferentideasanddefinitionsofeachtopicalarea.Finally,theresponseformatforsomeofthemeasuresdifferedacrossthetwoyears,whichmakescomparingsomeofthefindingsmoredifficult,butthechangeslikelyimprovetheassessmentmeasuresmovingforward.Regardlessoftheselimitations,thissurveyaffirmstheimportantrolethatcommunicationsplayineducatingandconnectingparentsandfamilieswiththeirstudent’suniversity.Therehasbeennocommunicationtoollikethisdescribedintheliterature.ThenextstepinthisassessmentresearchistodeterminewhethertheUniversity’sFamilye-Newslettersaffectthewayparentsactuallycommunicatewiththeirstudents,andhowstudentsperceivetheeffectivenessoftheFamilye-Newsletterstheyreceive.Sincesurveysweresimultaneouslyadministeredtostudentsaswellastoparents,futureworkcouldcomparebothparentandstudentsurveystodeterminetheoverallroleuniversitye-newslettershaveinparent-childconversations.Theroleofe-newslettersforfirst-generationfamiliescanalsobeexamined.Asuniversityparentandfamilyrelationsofficeslookformeasurestojustifytheeffortstakentowardsparentandfamilyoutreach,thiscommunicationtoolisavailabletousetocommunicatewithfamilies.Thestudyprovidesinitialsupportforthevalueofparentandfamilyoutreachthroughemailnewsletters.Insodoing,thestudycontributestotheunderstandingoftheeffectivenessofcommunicationstrategiesandawaytomeasureeffectivenessinthecontextofinstitutionaleffortstocommunicatewithparents,demonstratingthatsucheffortsareconsideredvaluable,useful,informative,andhelpfulinkeepingparentsincluded.Theevidencesuggeststhatuniversity-parentcommunicationstrategiessuchastheseareaworthwhilepartofuniversityendeavorstopromoteaqualityexperienceforcollegestudents.

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