During Parents Weekend, parents, grandparents, and siblings of students at Hillsdale flocked to campus, eager to spend time together as families.
Beginning the weekend, Student Activities Board-sponsored Fall Fest drew together students, parents, professors, and younger siblings. Lured by the smell of cider, popcorn, and cinnamon donuts, attendees of all ages participated in pumpkin painting, mason jar decorating, and corn hole games. Although students had spotted snowflakes only the day before, the sun shone warm and bright for the fest, providing the perfect weather for a fall festival.
The following morning while their students slept in, parents hurried off for their short conference rounds. To some, these rapid 10-minute meetings may seem unproductive. Even faculty members have had their doubts.
“When I first arrived at Hillsdale, I (like many new faculty) was unaware of the Parents’ Weekend phenomenon,” Professor of History David Raney said in an email. “I was quite skeptical about the parent conferences, wondering why an institution devoted to independence on multiple fronts seemingly enabled the ongoing dependence of its students on parental contact and involvement.”
However, after conducting countless interviews over the years, his opinion has changed. As College President Larry Arnn often points out, college is intended to be a partnership between professors, students, and their parents. After his experience with these conferences, Raney said he feels that they facilitate this partnership.
“I soon came to appreciate and enjoy getting to know my students’ parents a bit, and the meetings do indeed promote collegiality and a shared commitment to the college’s mission,” he said. “Not surprisingly, the conferences are widely popular among parents, who appreciate receiving an unfiltered description of courses and their students’ performances in them.”
Despite the early morning, parents say they appreciate these meetings as well.
Sandra Mangravite, mom to a freshman, said she enjoyed her time talking with her daughter’s professors.
“The opportunity to meet with the faculty and staff was immediately helpful,” Mangravite said. “Each of her professors offered excellent recommendations and helped us understand the course structures. This kind of careful feedback is a rare, precious aspect of Hillsdale which I wish other colleges would emulate.”
After the meetings, parents and students could attend a variety of events such as a luncheon with Arnn, opera performance, symphony orchestra, and even a wine tasting hosted by the Catholic Society.
However they spent their afternoon, parents took advantage of the time to build relationships with other Hillsdale families. Mangravite said she particularly loved talking with like-minded parents in the college community.
“Meeting friends of our daughter along with their immediate family is a treasure perhaps exclusive to small communities,” she said. “We enjoyed one inspiring, thoughtful conversation after another and valued the common peer sentiments we share with the other parents.”
For many families, seeing their students in a college environment was very encouraging. Freshman Ashley DeVore said she enjoyed showing her parents around campus and introducing them to her friends.
“The weekend was an excellent opportunity for my family to catch a glimpse of what my daily life is like here at Hillsdale and to meet other like-minded parents,” DeVore said.
As Sunday afternoon wore on, parents began to say their goodbyes and begin their journey home. For Mangravite, Parents’ Weekend comforted her that her daughter was in a safe, yet challenging environment.
“We knew about Hillsdale’s emphasis on personal character and academic standards, but the warmth and support of all the Hillsdale families and students makes us feel blessed and yet more grateful that our daughter was invited to join this community where she can safely grow in so many more ways than merely academic,” she said.