Parent and Family Involvement
The Division of Campus Life and Student Success, in collaboration with offices and departments throughout the university, works with parents to help them understand the student experience, support student learning and empower students to take personal responsibility for their social and academic choices.
Both within and outside of the classroom, faculty and staff work to help students develop meaningful skills in mature critical thinking, problem solving, relationships, citizenship and personal responsibility, as well as appropriate work skills and attitudes.
Family members can be strong partners in their student's academic journey by partnering with the university in the following ways:
Understand the student experience and discover available resources:
- Be aware of the unique challenges and opportunities facing today's college students, including the academic and non-academic expectations for students at the college level.
- Learn about student support services and understand how students can access services; encourage students to identify and obtain support from appropriate resources.
Support the university's goals for student learning and development outcomes:
- Challenge students to identify, define and solve problems independently.
- Encourage students to set and achieve personal goals and make responsible decisions related to academics, career planning, social interactions and community engagement.
- Understand and support the university's commitment to academic excellence and integrity, ethical behavior, diversity and civility.
- Empower students to examine personal values; encourage student to learn about and respect the values and beliefs of others.
- Support students as they face conditions of uncertainty and learn to perform in complex environments and challenging situations.
- Allow students to accept consequences of their actions and accept responsibility for personal errors; urge students to examine disappointments and unexpected experiences in order to assess what caused them, what can be done about them and how to avoid them in the future.
Know when to step in to help and when to step back:
- Understand the role parents play as mentors to their student.
- Know and understand limitations to access student records, as delineated by federal requirements outlined in FERPA and HIPAA (FERPA and HIPPA Information).
- Promote self-advocacy by allowing students to make decisions independently.
- Be alert to signs that students are under significant stress, are taking unhealthy risks or are ill; discuss concerns openly with students and assist them in developing a plan to address the problem.
- If students' physical or mental health is endangered, contact appropriate campus or community authorities.
Develop an affinity for Stetson University:
- Understand that parents are part of the university community as prime supporters of their students.
- Participate in campus events; support and encourage all students as they learn, perform, lead or serve through campus and community activities.
- Assist other parents in understanding the student experience.
- Generate goodwill for the university by helping spread the word about the resources at Stetson University, impacting both students and society at large.
