A step beyond simple “target” website pages for helicopter parents

You’ve probably heard about these famous helicopter parents who have been hovering over their kids since they were born and you know that they’ve already arrived at a college or university near you — yours.

Admission offices have realized that this new “breed” of parents plays a very big role in the whole college decision process (and, most of them pay the bills).

Parents have always been an important target audience in higher education. That’s why they usually get their own “affinity” or “target” page on most university or college websites.

That wasn’t enough for the helicopter parents who are craving for more information about the whole college experience and want to make sure their kids get the best start possible in the higher education world.

As reported in Inside Higher Education this morning in an article titled “Fogy Facebook,” the University of Alabama has decided to go a bit further to serve the very special needs of this new type of college parents by providing them with a dedicated social networking website called “myBama Family Connection.”

“Parents […] don’t get to join study groups, but they are invited to “share stories and get advice from fellow parents,” according to the site, and they can e-mail questions and get a response within 72 hours. The goal of the sites is to increase retention of students, said Jennifer Jones, director of academic retention and student affairs assessment, who said she got about 60 questions a week via Family Connection over the first three weeks of class, but now gets only about three per week,” reports David Epstein in his article.

In a press release, Dr. Hank Lazer, UA’s assistant vice president for undergraduate programs and services at the University of Alabama explains that his office, “want[s] parents to feel connected to their son or daughter’s new home.”

This new program isn’t only targeted to parents. The freshmen also get their own social networking website, “myBama Freshman Connection.” Both websites are monitored by advisors who can address any concerns or questions, and make sure the first-year college experience is the best possible for the freshmen and… their parents.