Students outside the Center for Student Engagement

Division of Student Engagement

Parent & Family Resources

The transition from home to college is significant for students, parents, and families. At North Park University, parents and families are viewed as members of the North Park community and partners in the educational process. As a campus we offer assistance to parents and families by anticipating some of their questions and concerns.

Stay connected to the campus in the following ways:

We hope these tools will be helpful points of an ongoing connection between you, your student, and North Park throughout the academic year.

We look forward to meeting you whenever you are on campus. Please let us know if we can be of service to you in any way. We trust your visits to campus will be frequent and enjoyable.

For more information, please email the Division of Student Engagement or call us at (773) 244-5737.

School Records

The University is prohibited, based on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), from releasing certain information to parents and/or family members without permission of the student. FERPA, also known as the Buckley Amendment, considers college students as responsible adults who are allowed to determine who will receive information about them. Under this law, parents who want to receive a copy of their student’s academic or financial records can do so only if their student signs a FERPA Release form. We encourage you to have a conversation with your student about how information regarding academic and financial records will be shared.

External Resources

The transition to college can be an exciting but challenging time. Not only are students adjusting, but parents and families have some adjusting to do as well. Here are some suggestions for books, articles, and websites that can help students, parents, and families during this time of transition.

Books

Don’t Tell Me What to Do, Just Send Money: The Essential Parenting Guide to the College Years,” by Helen E. Johnson and Christine Schelhas-Miller

:Letting Go: A Parents’ Guide to Understanding the College Years“(fifth edition), by Karen Levin Coburn

“The iConnected Parents: Staying Close to Your Kids in College (and Beyond) While Letting Them Grow Up,” by Barbara Hofer and Abigail Sullivan

“You’re On Your Own (But I’m Here If You Need Me): Mentoring Your Child During the College Years,” by Marjorie Savage

Articles

Parents: Stop Hovering Over Your College-Bound Kids
U.S. News and World Report, September 14, 2011

Struggling to Let Go of My College-Student Daughter
The New York Times, August 8, 2012

Websites

College Parents of America

The College Solution