The Bridge

SDSU’s Parent Program to Present at National Conference

Eric Rivera, Rey Monzon and Anna Jost also to publish a related article in the NASPA Journal

The Aztec Parents Association has long been recognized as one of the top parent programs in the nation. As such, SDSU’s parent programs has been invited to present a workshop titled “College Student Success and Parent Involvement: Partnerships for Lifelong Learning” at the NASPA conference in March 2009.

NASPA is the leading organization of Student Affairs Administrators in the world. Its annual conference hosts more than 3,000 attendees.

Heading to Seattle in March will be Eric Rivera, associate vice president for Student Affairs; Janet Castro, director of New Student and Parent Programs; Reynaldo Monzon, director of Student Testing, Assessment and Research; Michelle DuBord, parent programs coordinator; and Aztec Parent Advisory Board members Jack and Dee Dee Klunder, and Dan and Lori Steinberg.

“The presentation will highlight the results of a study that analyzed the impact of the centralized Aztec Parent programs model on student success,” said Rivera. “We collected and analyzed the academic performance data of first-time freshmen and compared those whose parents were members of the Aztec Parents Association to those who were not. The findings show that students with involved parents perform better academically.”

The workshop will show the evolution of SDSU’s parent program. SDSU’s philosophy of parent involvement is based upon the belief that parents contribute to student success, as borne out by the study. They will also discuss the recruitment of parents for the board, as well as the role they play and how they help guide the decisions for the Vice President for Student Affairs.

“Our parent board really is unique,” said Castro. “Even those universities with more advanced parent programs rarely have parents provide input into the allocation of funds or advising a vice president. It’s a powerful engine that drives many of our programs.”

DuBord said having parents speak directly to the higher education administrators at the conference also sends a powerful message.

“Some institutions are leery of having involved parents, but our board members exemplify the partnership aspect of the relationship parents have with the university,” said DuBord. “Our message is that parent participation can be a nurturing partnership that benefits the institution and, most importantly, our students.”

Corresponding with the workshop, Rivera and Monzon, along with Anna Jost of Student Testing, Assessment and Research, have submitted an article to the NASPA Journal entitled “The Effect of Parent Partnerships on College Student Success.” Their article should be published this spring.

“The leadership at SDSU is acutely aware that successful connections with parents need to be deliberate, systematic and consistent,” said Rivera. “I think that is where our parent programs shine – we purposely and systematically continue to maintain our connections to parents to build a solid relationship that benefits students, families and the university.”