Update: New director of parent programs and survey

In December, Aggie Family Pack introduced you to the university’s first director of parent programs and invited you to share your thoughts about parent programs and services in a mini-survey. We have an update for you on both.

Maria Zalesky, special events coordinator for UC Davis Athletics since 2002, began Feb. 24 as the director of parent programs. The first director left in January to take a position at another UC campus.

As the new director, Zalesky will help develop resources and activities for parents and help build relationships with parents in support of campus fundraising efforts.

Zalesky, who also worked with donors, alumni and parents as donor stewardship officer for Athletics for the last year, moved to Davis in 2001 when her husband, Lennie, became head wrestling coach for the Aggies. The couple has an 18-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son.

Zalesky began her career in advertising and public relations and taught high school Spanish and art in Alaska for seven years. She received a bachelor’s degree in communications and Spanish from the University of Iowa in 1987 and completed teaching credential studies at the same university in 1989.

Survey results

Aggie Family Pack also shares with you the results of our mini-survey. About 50 of 54 respondents identified themselves as parents or guardians of UC Davis students. Here’s what they told us:

The idea of a parents weekend is popular. More than 60 percent said they would be likely to attend, and another 27 percent said they might.

Parents and students need a designated opportunity to meet each other’s families and connect to the university, wrote one respondent. “Picnic Day is great, but a day focused on the families early in the school year is important, (especially) for freshmen,” the parent continued.

The most popular activities for a parents weekend include parent information workshops, academic presentations and performing arts. A few parents expressed interest in learning about faculty research and opportunities for their students to participate in the research or related internships.

Activities

Respondents said other programs most likely to encourage them to visit campus include major campus events such as Homecoming and Picnic Day, this year on April 18. Parent information sessions and academic presentations also received high ratings. Fifty percent of parents said they would prefer to participate in parent programs quarterly, and more than 35 percent said they would participate on an annual basis.

When asked what they’d like a parents program brought to their area to include, parents said they most wanted updates on campus activities, receptions with campus leaders and faculty members, and parent education sessions.

More than 55 percent of parents wanted to receive information about events through Aggie Family Pack, and more than 35 percent wanted a separate e-mailing. Less than 5 percent preferred regular mail.

Services

Aggie Family Pack and MyBill, through which parents can review and pay student accounts electronically, are used by more than 90 percent of respondents.

What other services or programs do parents want UC Davis to make available? The 11 parents who answered this question called for more information about college costs and financial aid, meal plans and dining hall menus, and planning for careers or graduate school; annual photos of students that parents could purchase; and a detailed checklist to walk parents through the admissions process.

A few parents asked for services already available at UC Davis:

• Parents can talk with counselors at Counseling and Psychological Services by calling (530) 752-0871.
• Aggie Pride Parents is a support network for the parents of student-athletes.
• To receive alerts about major campus emergencies, students can register personal contact information with WarnMe.

Parent forums

One parent suggested that UC Davis needs a forum for parents to voice their concerns and contribute ideas to the school. “I feel that parents have a lot of feedback that could be given to the school regarding academic performance, what works well and what doesn’t because they hear it from their students,” the parent wrote. “Most companies go out of their way to find out how they rate with their customers. Schools forget that they too have ‘customers’ and they could benefit from the input.”

A few other parents voiced interest in participating in a network or support group for those who live in Southern California.

Continue the dialogue at Aggie Family Pack’s Facebook site.