The Association of Higher Education Parent & Family Program Professionals (AHEPPP) is pleased to announce the election of three new members to its Board of Directors.

Dawn Bruner, Director of Parent Relations, University of Rochester is a dedicated parent professional who brings to the board her enthusiasm for the field and for AHEPPP.  Dawn served on the first AHEPPP Proposal Review Committee; provided an interview for The Cutting Edge AHEPPP newsletter; attended the inaugural AHEPPP conference and is committed to empowering and creating opportunities for others.

Nancy Stephens, Assistant Director, New Student and Parent Programs, University of Kentucky served on AHEPPP’s Awards Committee; presented at the inaugural AHEPPP conference on Family Weekend: Balancing Collaboration, Outcomes, and Expectations, has a strong background in parent/family programs, and brings her experiences at Kentucky to AHEPPP.

Chad Barnhardt, Coordinator of Parent Outreach and Special Projects, Ohio University presented at the inaugural AHEPPP Conference on Emergency Communications. Chad has developed the Ohio University Parent Programs from a modest beginning to include a comprehensive website, e-newsletters, a family handbook and a parent/family communication plan.  In addition, Chad has worked to reform OHIO’s current struggling regional parent clubs and created OHIO’s first Parent Advisory Council.

The new board members replace Marjorie Savage, Parent Program Director, University of Minnesota Twin Cities; Sheila Hrdlicka, Assistant Director, New Student & Carolina Parent Programs, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Deanie Kepler, PhD, Director of Parent & Family Programs, Southern Methodist University.  All have served on AHEPPP’s Board since its inception in 2008.

AHEPPP serves as a clearing house for professional development and as a resource center for new parent/family programs. Founded in 2008, the organization charged its board of directors with developing standards for the field of parent/family programming. These standards were approved in April 2010 by The Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS), and adopted in October, 2010.

News Release
November 19, 2010

Association of Higher Education Parent/Family Program Professionals
(AHEPPP) Holds Inaugural Conference in Colorado
Boulder, Co – November 16, 2010 – AHEPPP, the Association of Higher Education

Parent/Family Program Professionals, held its inaugural conference in Boulder, CO, November 10 – 12 with 97 professionals from the field of Parent/Family programming in attendance.

Teresa Valerio Parrot, vice president of Widmeyer Communications’ higher education practice, with expertise in higher education media, crisis communications, marketing and administration, was the conference’s keynote speaker. Parrot described her experiences in developing strategic media and marketing plans aimed at enhancing institutions’ image, reputation and brand.

Dr. Jeffrey Arnett, Research Professor, Department of Psychology, Clark University and author of Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens Through the Twenties kicked off the conference educational sessions with an intriguing look at the behaviors of young adults between the ages of 18 and 30. Following Dr. Arnett’s presentation was a full day and one half of workshops that generated discussion and provided attendees with ideas to take back to their institutions. Some of the workshop topics included crisis communications, parents and philanthropy, starting a new parent program, student development theory, communicating with parents, introduction of CAS standards in the field of parent/family programming, and burnout in parent/family services. The feedback from conference participants was very positive. Stacey Wilkerson, Assistant Director, First Year Experience, Longwood University remarked, “The conference was incredible. Seriously, it was the best conference I’ve ever attended. The location and hotel were superb and it was the perfect size to get to meet everyone and make great connections. Thanks so much and I look forward to becoming more involved with AHEPPP in the upcoming years!” Branka Kristic, Director of Parent and Family Programs at Hofstra University added, “Congratulations on a wonderful conference! It was really great. I know this is only a first in many great ones. I cannot say enough thank-yous for how much I learned from all of you. It would be an honor to be more involved with AHEPPP.”

The Association of Higher Education Parent/Family Program Professionals 3800 Arapahoe, Ste. 210 Boulder, CO 80303 http://www.aheppp.org AHEPPP serves as a clearinghouse for professional development and as a resource center for new parent/family programs. Founded in 2008, the organization established its board of directors charged with creating standards for the field of parent/family programming. These standards were approved in April 2010 by CAS, the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education, and adopted in October 2010 as the accepted standards in the field of parent/family programming. The organization has 89 members and continues to grow. For more information, please visit: http://www.aheppp.org.

News Release
November 5, 2010

The Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) approved two new organizations for associate membership status in CAS at its October meeting in Washington, D.C.

The two new associate members are

• The Association for Higher Education Parent/Family Program Professionals, which serves as a national clearinghouse for professional development and as a resource center for parent/family programs at colleges and universities; and
• The Association for the Study of Transfer Students, an association dedicated to promoting transfer student success, advancing transfer research, and facilitating partnerships to enhance transfer among higher education institutions.

CAS is a consortium of professional associations that work collaboratively to develop and promulgate standards and guidelines and to encourage self-assessment in higher education. The new associations join nearly 40 member organizations of CAS in their mission of advancing quality standards for student learning and development and promoting self assessment of outcomes and processes in higher education.

“We value the work you are doing and are pleased with how it will enrich CAS,” said Susan Komives, president of CAS.

Professional standards and guidelines for Parent/Family Programs, along with a self-assessment guide, were approved by CAS earlier this year. Professional standards are currently being developed for work with transfer students.

For more information, contact Sarah Schupp at (720) 327-1628 or sarah@universityparent.com

News Release
November 4, 2008
For more information, contact Marjorie Savage, 612-626-9291; e-mail mbsavage@umn.edu

National Association Formed to Support
Higher Education’s Parent/Family Professionals

A new organization is being unveiled on January 1, 2009, to represent professionals who work with parents and family members of college and university students. The Association of Higher Education Parent/Family Program Professionals (AHEPPP), based in Boulder, Colorado, is intended to serve as a clearing house for professional development and as a resource center for new parent/family programs as well as for seasoned programs. Founding members of the group laid a foundation for the organization a year ago by reviewing the history of parent services nationally, dating back to the 1920s; developing guidelines for best practices in the field; and identifying benchmarks for parent and family services.

Colleen O’Connor Bench, chair of the nine-member AHEPPP board and director of Syracuse University’s Parents Office, acknowledged NODA as a model for the new association. “We have talked with past and present NODA leaders about the time and dedication it takes to develop a successful professional association, and we appreciate the ‘lessons learned’ that they have shared.

“Among the important lessons we can take from NODA is its philosophy of considering orientation in the greater context of student success,” Bench said. “Clearly, NODA represents expertise in orientation and transition to college, and we recognize that their development of parent orientation programming represents one of the critical best practices of parent services. In addition, though, NODA consistently keeps its members up-to-date on emerging trends in higher education and student development theory beyond the transition phase. It is an association that actively promotes an atmosphere of partnership and professional support. We look forward to working with NODA and following their model of collegiality as we put our emphasis on the long-term role of college-parent relationships in student success.”

Sarah Schupp is the association’s executive director. She will manage the association office in Boulder and will lead a membership drive, strategic planning process, and Web site development. Schupp has extensive business development and management experience as the founder of University Parent Media, a company that produces parent guides for colleges and universities. She is an associate member of NODA and her company has been an exhibitor at NODA’s national conferences for several years.

“Having been in personal contact with parent and family program staff across the country, I know there is a hunger for information about this emerging profession,” Schupp said. “This association fills a need for information sharing and support, and I’m excited to work with the members of the board as they set a direction for the future.”

In addition to Bench, the founding board includes members from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; North Carolina State University; Johnson & Wales University, Providence, R.I.; Miami University; Vincennes University, Indiana; University of Minnesota-Twin Cities; University of Denver, and Southern Methodist University.

For membership information, contact Sarah Schupp at (720) 327-1628. The AHEPPP Web link, www.aheppp.org, will be live in January.