Building Institutional Systems of Support for the Parents and Families of College Students

This book unpacks innovations in practice that engage with the parents, family, and key supporters of today’s college students, with particular attention to the experiences, programming supports, and needs assessment of first-generation, low-income, and families and students of color.

Organized in two major sections, chapter authors first address establishing parent and family programs, even with limited resources or institutional support, then cover more advanced opportunities to engage families to improve student outcomes. Each section concludes with staff resources and practice-based highlights designed for swift application.

Drawing upon promising practices, case studies, and emerging research, this guide will be a valuable resource for experienced, new, and aspiring student affairs practitioners tasked with partnering with parents and families.

Casandra E. Harper is an associate professor of Higher Education in the Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis Department at the University of Missouri. Her research is focused on the diversity of the individual student experience, which has included attention to race, ethnicity, gender, ability, and class across the following key experiences and outcomes: multiracial identity development, racial identification, openness to diversity, the influence of student-faculty and student-parent interactions, perceptions of campus climate, and financial aid as it relates to college access and academic success. Casandra received her B.S. in Psychology and her M.A. in Higher Education from the University of Arizona and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Higher Education and Organizational Change at UCLA.

Judy Marquez Kiyama is a professor in the Center for the Study of Higher Education, Department of Educational Policy Studies and Practice, at the University of Arizona. Dr. Kiyama is a community-engaged scholar with nearly 25 years experience in research, practice, and administration. She works to interrogate systems of power that perpetuate inequities for minoritized communities and is committed to understanding the cultural and collective resources drawn upon to confront and (re)shape such systems. Working alongside Latinx/o/a families and communities are at the core of Dr. Kiyama’s research efforts. As a first-generation, Mexican American college student, she draws on her own experiences with her family to connect with the sources of support that first-generation, families of color offer their students in the transition to college. Her numerous publications focus on inclusion efforts to better support first-generation, low-income, and families of color within postsecondary settings.