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

Cusp: Boomers to GenXers• Animal House (1978);

• Grease (1978);

• Fame (1980)

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

What really matters

Culture/ethnicity Economic

status Parents’

education

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

The technology gap• Is it real?• Can it be

overcome?

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:

mbsavage@umn.edu

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.