1. Director’s Report
on the
Status of
Parent Relations
at Keene State College
June 2007
Prepared by:
KSC Parents Core Group
Jeffrey J. LaValley, Director, Alumni and Parent Relations
Kay MacLean, Program and Events Coordinator, Alumni and Parent Relations
Anne Miller, Assistant Vice President, Academic Services
Susan Peery, Interim Director of College Relations
Peggy Richmond, Director of Admissions
Andrew Robinson, Associate Vice President, Student Affairs

2. Director’s Report on the Status of Parent Relations
at Keene State College
June 2007
Introduction
Parents of college students are increasingly becoming a part of the landscape of our institutions.
Colleges and universities are taking different approaches to the phenomenon of parent
involvement, and devoting increased human and financial resources toward engaging parents
proactively. While some colleges have been building parent programs and partnerships for many
years; others are just beginning.
Background
These different approaches are perhaps influenced by one of two possible factors. First, whether
the institution believes in a centralized or decentralized approach. Second, whether the institution
holds that Parent Relations are grounded in student affairs, or the advancement/development
division of the institution. Currently, Keene State operates under a decentralized approach to
parent relations with several offices in student affairs, academic affairs, and the advancement
divisions of the College sharing responsibilities for parent relations, programming, and
communication (including fund raising).
Several inherent challenges exist under this model, including what may appear to parents as a
disjointed organization. Many times parents call one office looking for an answer, only to be
redirected to another office. Additionally, parents often receive messages that are not always
consistent (i.e. one office interprets FERPA laws differently than another office).
In October 2006 an informal survey of COPLAC peer institutions was conducted by the Director
of Alumni and Parent Relations (Addendum A). While not attempting to draw any correlation
(Addendum A), it does offer a glimpse of varying levels of programming and services, as well as
the division under which they are organized.
Current Role of the KSC Parents Association
It is important to note the distinction between Parent Relations at Keene State College, and the
KSC Parents Association. The KSC Parents Association is a voluntary association of parents of
Keene State College students, which a) promotes the aims and ideas consistent with the best
interest of Keene State College, its students, and the parents of Keene State College students; b)
supports Keene State College organizations with grants, supports its students with scholarships,
and undertakes projects for the students and/or the College, consistent with the goals of the
Keene State College Parents Association; and, c) provides a means for parents to communicate
with the College and contribute to its progress and general welfare.

3. The Keene State College Parents Association was established as a charitable organization in
compliance with the Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and continues to
operate as an independent non-profit organization.
History
During a New Student Orientation Program in 1973, a group of parents and a dedicated KSC
administrator conceived the idea of establishing the Keene State College Parents Association
(KSCPA) starting with an initial sum of $80 in “seed” money. The goal was a non-profit
organization that would work to address the extraordinary needs of students and student
organizations. To date, the KSCPA has placed major emphasis upon providing scholarship
assistance. Working in conjunction with the Office of Student Financial Management, the
KSCPA Scholarship Committee’s aim has been to serve as an “avenue of last resort” – to help
students who otherwise might have been forced to leave school without this extra assistance.
It is important to mention this distinction, and the valuable relationship that exists, within a
historical timeline of a developing Parent Relations Program at the College:
1973 KSC Parents Association established by Ernest O. Gendron, Dean of
Students
1988 Dean Gendron retires, Parents Association moved to Alumni Relations
under the direction of Larry Colby, Director of Alumni (and Parent)
Relations
1989 KSC Parents Association Scholarship Endowment established in honor of
Ernest O. Gendron
1993 Mike Maher succeeds Larry Colby as Director of Alumni and Parent
Relations
1996 KSC Parents Association Annual Assistant Grant (Emergency Fund)
Established
1996 KSC Parents Association donates $1,000 to Appian Gateway; awards
nearly $20,000 in scholarship support
1997 KSC Parents Association supports Beer, Booze & Books for second year
with a donation of nearly $1,500 and directs nearly $7,500 to scholarship
support
2001 KSC Parents Association donates $2,000 to WWII Symposium
2004 KSC Parents Association donates $2,490 for purchase of two Automated
Electronic Defibrillators
2004-2005 KSC Parents Association donates $10,000 (over two years) to Science
Center
2006 Jeff LaValley succeeds Mike Maher as Director of Alumni and Parent
Relations [development of proposal]

4. Observations: Decentralized Approach to Parent Relations
One has only to compare Keene State’s results to other colleges and universities – among them
our peer COPLAC institutions – to see that the College is missing an opportunity. What is less
apparent is the small extent to which we have attempted to make parents a part of the Keene
State College family.
Too little thought has been given to communicating with parents and to addressing their special
needs. Neither have we investigated thoroughly what parents may be able and willing to do for
the College. Simply increasing the energy and attention paid to friend raising with parents will
produce results; and, it is believed, will have a significant return on investment. Only a carefully
planned comprehensive parents program, however, will lead to greater satisfaction with the
College among parents, to inclusion of parents among the most important leaders of the College,
and to achieving the benefits of the many kinds of contributions parents can make to Keene
State. At other institutions, parents have been shown to be among the most effective volunteers
in admissions, career planning, and fundraising. If the experience of their children is good,
parents often become the very best ambassadors and spokespeople for the college.
Two main headings seem to cover what parents want and need from the College. Firstly, parents
are caught in the tension of being “the providing parent” who has an “emerging independent
child.” Colleges rightly contribute to this tension by treating the student as an independent adult,
and too often fail to note that parents are not irrelevant. They need and deserve consideration in
our financial and regulatory dealings with students. They want to share to a small degree the
experiences of their child by meeting professors, attending classes on Parent/Family Weekend,
and being involved in the various volunteer opportunities at the College.
Secondly, for most parents the expenditure for their child’s college education is one of the largest
investments they will make. They want to know they are getting their money’s worth. Is the
college well managed? Are the investors kept informed about the performance of the institution?
Is the College known to provide consistently high quality education to students of great talent
and promise? When the answers to these questions are “yes,” parents can become very good
advocates for the College indeed.
All of this seems perfect for Keene State College. The reputation of the College is excellent.
Anecdotally we know that many parents are happy with Keene State and with the experiences of
their children. Again, anecdotally, they believe the College is well-managed and there is a strong
case for making parents happy and satisfied with their investments in the College. We also
believe parents deserve the kind of communication and events which make them feel part of the
Keene State family and which will motivate them to be the best advocates, volunteers, and
donors for Keene State College that they can be.
Several models exist for the organization of successful parents programs. They include separate
offices with full-time directors dedicated to parents relations, and combined alumni and parents
programs with the parents fundraising component being carried out by the advancement office or
some other advancement office entity (e.g. parents fund/annual fund). After considerable debate,
we favor a Parent Relations Coordinator to serve as an ombudsperson to oversee parent relations,
programming and communication (including fundraising). The Coordinator would report to the

5. Director of Alumni and Parent Relations. Obviously, the Office of Parent Relations would need
to establish close relationships with all parts of the College in order to do its work successfully.
What follows is a proposed plan for going forward with a comprehensive Parents Program.
Proposed Plan
The proposed Keene State College Office of Parent Relations would seek to facilitate, develop
and nurture the lifelong relationships between the College and parents as well as within the
parent constituency.
Suggested Steps
 Work with PAs to develop a budget that supports a comprehensive parent relations
program
 Reconvene the “Parents Working Group” initiated in October 2006 and conduct
regular meetings each semester
 Work with OS and PAT Councils to implement trainings during OS and PAT
Professional Development Days
 Initiate “working group” for planning of Parent/Family Weekend (position weekend
as a campus event)
 Continue to work with the KSC Parents Association on development of a strategic
plan
o Identify opportunities for increased interaction between parents and students
o Provide a mechanism for the Association to consider support to institutional
priorities
o Create additional opportunities for volunteer involvement
o Enhance communications (print and electronic)
Mission
The Mission of the Office of Parent Relations would be to promote the interest of parents and
Keene State College.
Priorities
 improve communication with parents
 serve as a resource for parents and for the College community regarding parent issues
 manage all parent-related activities by directing the programs (Parents Orientation,
Parent/Family Weekend) and working with other College offices as needed
 build relationships with parents by recruiting and supporting a parent volunteer
structure (under the umbrella of the KSC Parents Association)
 increase the financial resources of the College by developing and managing parents
fundraising programs, under the auspices of the KSC Fund.
Schedule of Communications
The Coordinator will work with Principle Administrators, Deans, and Directors to conduct an
initial communications audit of all mailings sent to parents. The Coordinator will then develop a
plan to manage and maintain a calendar of College-wide mailings to parents. One objective of
this calendar is to monitor mailings so that fundraising appeals do not overlap with receipt of

6. tuition bills, for example. It also will help the Coordinator assure that parents are informed of
relevant issues in a timely manner.
The Coordinator will be responsible for:
 updating and maintaining the Parents web pages
 developing and disseminating e-communications
 developing programming and publicity materials for major weekends (Parent
Orientation and Parent/Family Weekend; and
 coordinating official correspondence from the College (including, but not limited to
the President, Principal Administrators, as well as appropriate Deans and Directors
Future Role of the KSC Parents Association
Parents of all Keene State students would automatically be enrolled as members of the KSC
Parents Association with the assessment of a $35 fee on annual tuition bills. [Note: parents
would have the opportunity to “opt-out” by checking a box on the bill.] If 50% of parents choose
not to opt out the Parents Association membership could potentially generate nearly $90,000.
[see attached budget proposal].
With the new Parent Relations Office serving in an ombudsman capacity, parents could direct
questions to a centralized office, advised by the administrative body of the Parents Association.
However, it should be noted that it is not the intent of the Office of Parent Relations to become
an intermediary for parents with other parts of the College. When parents have specific
comments or concerns, they would be directed for further information by the Parent Relations
Coordinator, to the relevant department or individual (e.g., Admissions Office, Dean of Students,
etc.).
The proposed KSC Parents Association would be designed to help parents communicate with the
College and among themselves, as well as to assist Keene State in providing the best education
and experience for its students. The Parents Association would encourage parents to participate
in the KSC community in a number of ways. The Association would be open to any parent who
wished to participate. Parent involvement would enrich the educational environment of the
College and enhance the experiential and career component for students.
The KSC Parents Association would be the center of volunteer activity for families. Lead
volunteers would form the executive arm of the Parents Association, which would be headed by
the parent or parents of a Keene State student for a two-year term. With the support of the
Coordinator of Parent Programs, this executive group would oversee the activities of the Parents
Association and plans for the future. Parents would focus their efforts in the following areas:
 Admissions
 Career Development
 Advancement [fundraising]
 Public Affairs
 Special Events

7. These volunteers would work with the Coordinator of Parent Programs who would serve as a
liaison with the appropriate KSC department or office and coordinate volunteer efforts. Parents
would be incorporated into existing volunteer committees that serve to support these areas.
Separate parent committees also could be formed if the particular programs involved believed
that would be beneficial.
Areas of Involvement for Parents
Admissions
The main volunteer focus for Admissions could be outreach to prospective parents through
events. For example, parents could participate in Admissions Day activities. A parent luncheon
and/or a welcoming continental breakfast could provide opportunities for parents to participate in
the events and simply mingle. A parent committee table could be added at the department and
program fair to serve as a place to ask questions of current parents.
Parent Committee members could be a superb addition to the Parent Orientation program, from
welcoming and check-in, to mingling with other parents. Parents could form diverse and
informative panels during these events as well. Finally, parents could host or attend “yield”
events to encourage admitted students to attend Keene State, or host or attend “sendoff” events
for newly-enrolled KSC students and their families. Over time, Parent Admissions volunteer
goals could be extended to assist with additional admissions events and functions.
Career Development
The Career planning parent volunteers would assist the Elliot Center/Academic and Career
Advising in serving students and alumni. Throughout the year, the Career Advising staff
organizes career activities, programs, and events utilizing alumni and parent volunteers as
panelists, interviewers, and resources for information and employment opportunities. Volunteer
opportunities might include: posting job and internship openings; speaking on a career panel;
hosting a student or recent graduate for an informal interview/job shadow; critiquing resumes
and interviewing skills; housing a student or recent graduate during an internship, job hunting
trip, or while visiting graduate schools; organizing a regional community career-related activity;
or, providing parent resources for the Office of Parent Relations and/or Career Advising
websites.
Advancement
Parent volunteers for Advancement would help identify, recruit and solicit individuals for
annual, capital and/or deferred support. Each parent fundraising volunteer would be asked to
make a contribution and follow-up on solicitation mailings with phone calls to selected parents,
personally asking them to contribute to the KSC Fund. Volunteers would work closely with a
member of the Parents Fund Committee and with the Office of Parent Relations at the College.
Volunteers would be recruited from all four classes, with the capstone fundraising initiative for
parents of seniors being the Senior Parent Initiative. Parents of graduates could also volunteer as
members of the Parents Fund Committee. Parent volunteers who serve in this capacity would
receive appropriate orientation to fundraising through regional training sessions and training
sessions during Parent/Family Weekend.

8. Those parents who support the College at the leadership level ($1,000+) would have
opportunities to attend “insider” receptions and events on and off campus. Two such events
could include a Parent Leadership Reception hosted by the President during Parent/Family
Weekend as well as during Commencement Weekend. These leadership parent donors also
would be accorded all regular recognition and stewardship through the Advancement Office.
Public Affairs
Parents who volunteer in this capacity would offer important feedback on content, tone, timing
and design of communications aimed at parents, ranging from Business Office billings to the
Parents Relations website and a Parent’s Handbook [to be developed]. Based on this feedback, a
communications strategy would be developed to coordinate such activities among all offices that
communicate with parents, with the intent of maintaining a consistent tone and message
throughout.
These volunteers would also assist with setting up a parents’ communication calendar to
coordinate mailings with other College activities. Communications that would be sent to parents
might include: Keene State Today; fall and spring editions of a parents newsletter [proposed];
Parents Handbook [proposed]; invitations to serve on the Parents Committee; regional
community activities; as well as periodic letters from the President and other Principal
Administrators. Parents could also offer ideas on additional ways in which the College could
more effectively reach parents.
The proposed newsletter would be designed as a parent-to-parent voice to communicate with the
College and among Keene State parents. The format of this publication would seek to achieve a
personal tone. It would focus on personal experiences, provide contact information to answer
parent questions, conduct interviews with administrators and faculty, supply information about
academic and career resources and other KSC departments, and relay news from the volunteers
who lead our Parents Association efforts.
Special Events
The Special Events volunteers of the Parents Association would assist the College in planning
events and programs of particular interest to KSC families. During Parent Orientation and
Parent/Family Weekend, parent volunteers would serve in a variety of capacities to assist these
important campus functions. Current Keene State parents would welcome and greet incoming
families during Parent Orientation and serve as panelists to address parent questions and
concerns.
Keene State regional activities would offer parents a chance to be involved without traveling to
campus. Parents would be encouraged to participate fully by assisting with event planning or
simply attending events and representing the parent constituency.

9. Issues
The following are key issues for the implementation of a Parents Program:
 Staffing
o Recommend a Coordinator of Parent Relations
 Reporting Structure
o Option I: Coordinator to report to Director of Alumni and Parent Relations
o Option II: Coordinator to report to VP for Student Affairs
 Budget
o Primary budget considerations would include staff salaries/benefits, and
operating costs (See also attached proposed budget)
 Roles/Responsibilities
o the role of the KSC Parents Association in relation to a Parent Relations
Program at KSC needs to be clearly defined (e.g. recommend the Office of
Advancement maintain direction for parent fundraising, etc.)
 Space
o Secure office space in Elliot Hall, the Student Center, or possibly the new
Alumni Center
 Coordination
o There will be a great deal of involvement by the Offices of Admissions, The
Elliot Center; Orientation Office; College Relations Office; Advancement; as
well as all areas of Student Affairs [the Director’s responsibilities must be
clearly outlined]
 Leadership involvement
o The role of the President, Principal Administrators, and Trustees must be
defined
o The role and responsibilities of affiliated offices must be defined
 Campus involvement
o The role of faculty, students, and alumni in the program must be defined
 Volunteer roles
o Clear position descriptions for each committee must be developed
 Research
o Access to admissions files will be vital to the program’s success
 Mailing calendar
o Coordination of communications to parents will be essential.

10. Proposed Budget
Coordinator of Parent Relations
Salary (annually) $35,000
Benefits (44.6% of salary) 15,610
Total Cost $50,610
Existing financial support: $ 0
Additional funding required: $50,610
Programming
Orientations $ 1,200
Parent Family Weekend 3,800
Cultivation 5,000
Programs/Services/Benefits 5,000
Publicity/Promotion/Marketing 7,500
Total Cost $22,500
Existing financial support: $ 0
Additional funding required: $22,500
Office Support/Operations
Salary (1 student worker @$6/hr x 10 hrs x 42 weeks) $ 2,520
Computers (1 @ $726) 726
Printer (1 black & white @ $300) 300
Office Supplies 2,500
Workstations/Furniture 1,200
Total Cost $ 9,272
Existing financial support: $ 0
Additional funding required: $ 9,272
TOTAL ADDITIONAL FUNDING REQUIRED: $82,382

11. Sources
“Improving Parent Relations through Campus Partnerships,” Academic Impressions;
https://www.academicimpressions.com/on_demand/1206-parent-relations.php
“Parent Relations Strategic Plan,” Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX.
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/studentaffairs/vpsa/stratplan/pr_stratplan.pdf
Gibbens, Ted, “Proposal for Building Parent Relations at Pomona College,” Former Vice
President, Advancement, Pomona College, Claremont, CA.
Watkins, Richard; Senior Director of Alumni and Parent Relations, Pomona College;
Claremont, CA.

12. Addendum A:
Comparison of Parent Relations Programs at COPLAC Schools
Bridgewater Source: www.bridgew.edu
Student Affairs
Parents E-Newsletter
Parents Association (fundraising)
Separate web pages for: Parents/Residential Life & Career
Services
Membership in: http://www.collegeparents.org/cpa/index.html
Eastern Connecticut Source: http://www.easternct.edu
Institutional Advancement (Parents Association)
Parents Orientation (Student Affairs)
Ramapo Source: Kathy Austin, kaustin@ramapo.edu, Director of
Constituent Relations
Current Alumni Relations/Advancement
Shared responsibilities for Family Day with Student
Development
Parents Advisory Council deals mostly with Student Life
issues
In the process of model shift for Parent Relations back to
Student Development
Rhode Island www.ric.edu
Source: Ellie O’Neil, Director of Alumni Relations
Programming/Responsibilities currently being reviewed
Parent/Family Weekend combined with Homecoming
Communication – limited/not formalized (via e-comm or web
or newsletter)
Truman State www.truman.edu
Source: Denise Smith, Director of Alumni Relations
Decentralized approach / shared responsibilities between
Alumni Relations, Public Relations and Development
Events: Truman Day (= Homecoming) directed by P.R. and
Residential Life)
Parents Council & Family Day directed by P.R. and Alumni
Relations