A Study of Identified Needs and Desires for Parents of College Students

The purposes of this study were to (1) to determine what services parents desire when seeking membership in a parents association, (2) to determine why parents decide to join a parents association, (3) to determine how satisfied parents are with a particular service offered by the parents association, and (4) to determine whether or not members of The University of Tennessee Parents Association are aware of the services offered to them. Over the last several years, a new form of student services has begun to appear on college campuses around the nation, the parents association. As a new generation of college students begins to fill college campuses, college administrators have started these organizations to meet the needs of the students and their parents. Despite a preponderance of research on parental involvement in elementary and secondary schools, no research exists to discuss the ramifications or needs of parental involvement on the college level. This study attempted to discover what desires and expectations today’s college parents have regarding colleges and universities and parents associations. Through a descriptive study, the question of what parents want from a parents association was answered. Findings revealed that parents of college students want to feel connected to their student’s college or university. According to the findings, parents join parents associations to initiate a connection with the university so they have updated campus information and resources available to them at all times. A review of the implications of the findings is provided as well as recommendations for further research