This time of year presents the perfect opportunity to reflect and remember the great accomplishments that we have achieved. From awards and scholarships, to outstanding growth and new traditions, join us as we recap 2014 with the top 10 highlights of our year!
PPA Book Scholarships
The Parent Partnership Association awarded $1,500 in book scholarships to three deserving University of Arkansas students. To read about the recipients, click here. PPA Book Scholarship applications for 2015 will be available in February—encourage your student to apply!
Regional Parents Club Events
During the year, 15 Regional Parents Clubs events were hosted by our clubs in Northwest Arkansas, Little Rock, Dallas-Ft. Worth, and Kansas City. Through these events, almost 500 parent and family members were engaged in activities supporting their students and the University of Arkansas. Some of our most successful events were our care package assembly parties where we were able to assemble and deliver over 100 care packages to students during final exams. If you are interested in joining a Regional Parents Club, click here.
Launching of the Kansas City Regional Parents Club
Launched in November 2013, the Kansas City Regional Parents Club has concluded its inaugural year with a bang! The group started with only 17 people in attendance at the Kick-off and has grown exponentially. Parents have flocked to this group and made the Kansas City Regional Parents Club events our best-attended to date. Throughout the year, we hosted a basketball watch party, care package assembly parties, meet and greets, and a tailgate party in Columbia with the Arkansas Alumni Association.
Social Media
2014 was the year of social media. We introduced Instagram and Pinterest accounts and utilized our blog, Hog Talk, to highlight the expertise and experiences of our Parent Ambassadors. We also increased our social media footprint with 1,300 additional “likes” on Facebook and 900 new “followers” on Twitter. Remember to “like”/”follow” all of our social media avenues to stay connected to the University of Arkansas.
Family Weekend
The 2014 Family Weekend program was our largest ever with 2,847 parent and family members in attendance. With the increase in participation we were able to offer additional football tickets and more activities throughout the weekend. New activities included Proud Razorback Family photos, walking campus tours, a parent panel, and a silent auction raising approximately $2,000 for scholarships! If you have not viewed the Family Weekend photos, click here. The date for Family Weekend 2015 has not been set, but stay tuned to our website, parents.uark.edu, and our social media accounts for an announcement during the spring semester.
Increase of Parent Ambassador staff
With an increase in programming efforts within the department, the Parent Ambassador staff was increased from 5 to 20 student leaders in 2014. These students were selected in February and participated in a six-week training program to prepare them for working with parents and family members. During training, students learned about customer service, parent needs, the University of Arkansas’ history and traditions, diversity, and how to work together as a team. Students assisted with Spring Family Reunion, Family Weekend, New Student Orientation, and also completed office hours to make these events successful. Applications are currently available for 2015 Parent Ambassadors, so encourage your student to apply for this great leadership/job opportunity. For more information, click here.
“Tips for Parents” Best Publication Award
Staff from Parent & Family Programs attended the 2014 Association of Higher Education Parent/Family Programs Professionals (AHEPPP) National Conference in November and were recognized with a “Best Publication” award for their “Tips for Parents” video.
The video features Quincy Spencer, Director of New Student & Family Programs and Alison Leach, Assistant Director of Parent & Family Programs, offering transition tips focusing on transition issues including academics, homesickness, getting involved, and career planning. Click here to watch the award winning video.
Community Service/Giving Back
Throughout the year we continued a theme of service, stemming from Family Weekend and culminating in our recent trips to Little Rock, Kansas City, and Dallas for end of the year Regional Parents Club events. During Family Weekend, 163 pounds of non-perishable and canned goods were collected to benefit the Full Circle Food Pantry. With our end of the year travels, we collected 37 unwrapped toys for Santa’s Helpers (Dallas) and an additional 30 pounds of canned goods benefitting Harvesters (St. Louis) and the Arkansas Food Bank (Little Rock). Thank you to all who donated items!
Top Stories in 2014
The Razorback Parent e-Newsletter has seen significant growth this year with over 14,000 subscribed readers. Our most read articles of the year included: Winter Break: Easing the Transition, Fall Off-Campus Living Fair: Where Will Your Student Live Next Year?, Dealing with Homesickness, Tips to Reduce Move-In Day Stress, and Preparing for Spring Break. If you are not subscribed to receive the monthly Razorback Parent e-Newsletter, click here to sign up.
Collaborations with Campus Partners
Collaborations have been vital to the success of Parent & Family Programs throughout 2014. We have partnered with numerous offices/departments (Friday Night Live, Arkansas Alumni Association, University of Arkansas Bookstore, Study Abroad, Career Development Center, Associated Student Government, Greek Life and many more!) to offer programs and resources for you to help support your student.
One of our most significant collaborations has been with the Arkansas Alumni Association and the Office of Admissions as we partnered to host “Arkansas & YOU”, an admitted student and parent reception series. Together we traveled to nine cities across the country, including Little Rock, Memphis, Dallas, Tulsa, Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, Rogers, and Houston. We welcomed newly admitted Razorbacks and their family members to the Razorback family and answered questions, while informing them of key information before they stepped foot on campus. Over 1,000 students and family members participated in an “Arkansas & YOU” program.
We are fortunate to work with dedicated parent and family members, students, staff, faculty, and administrators to accomplish so much. Thank you for letting us serve you! Happy New Year and we look forward to another great year in 2015!
