Can You Hear Me Now? Boosting First ‐ Year Parent/Family Connection Lynanne Yndestad Director of New Student and Family Programs
Our Touchpoints Family Orientation • Send ‐ Offs, Care Packages and Blog/E ‐ News • Beyond Orientation Parent Course • Family Weekend • Parent and Family Helpline and Social Media •
What Do You Want To Know?
Program and Swag Family OLs • Separated upon arrival • Expectations at Welcome • Morning together • Adjusting to Change talk • Ram horn tradition • Reception and O ‐ Show • Day two apart • Guide, calendar, magnet •
Blog/E ‐ News Monthly e ‐ newsletter • All stories linked to • Parent and Family Blog Costs time and money • Connects to social media • Reports • Campaign Stats List Performance Email Clients – MOBILE!
Beyond Orientation Course “This course has provided greater 1 credit online pass/fail • knowledge about what is available at VCU for the students Advertised at NSO • as well as the issues. New $25 registration fee • student orientation provided a Year 1: 90; Year 2: over 200 great overview. This class goes • into greater detail. It has fostered Meet at Family Weekend • communication with my children. Have a Facebook Group Each week, I write down • questions to ask our children. I hate to admit it, but I have even texted questions to our children during the class.”
Meeting Them Where They Are Pinterest: just launched Facebook: steady family followers and an additional outlet for Beyond Orientation class participants Instagram: very few families follow Twitter: very few families follow Ram Ready: launching in spring
How Do We Build Connections? By utilizing different avenues of communication and never being satisfied until every parent or family member feels listened to and we have evidence that they are listening to us
How do you connect with first ‐ year families on • your campus? How are you assessing the effectiveness of this communication? What obstacles do you face when connecting? How do you handle parent data? •
Contact Information Lynanne Yndestad Director of New Student and Family Programs Virginia Commonwealth University Phone: (804) 828 ‐ 1025 Email: ljyndestad@vcu.edu
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