PARENT AND FAMILY SURVEY 2022
Please complete the Parent and Family Survey by May 22.
SUMMARY OF THE PARENT AND FAMILY SURVEY RESPONSES
We take your input seriously. Below are major results from the Parent and Family Survey 2019.
In our last parent survey in 2019, when we asked Hofstra parents about their satisfaction with the communications from the Office of Parent and Family Programs, 89% of surveyed parents were satisfied or very satisfied. 85% considered our Family Link e-newsletter as an important or very important source of information. In addition, 78% of respondents told us that our Hofstra parent website, hofstra.edu/parents, is a very important or important source of information.
In 2019, 80% of respondents felt the Office of Parent and Family Programs telephone or email outlets are very important to important tools in obtaining information. This was the same percentage from the survey in 2017. Currently, we are continuing to challenge ourselves with the help of our Parent Council’s input to make our communication outlets, especially our parent website, be more user/parent friendly.
In 2019, when we asked how often you communicate with your student, not surprisingly, a majority of respondents view their student as a very important to important source of information, trumping all other methods of communications. Parent communication with their students decreased slightly from 2017. The number of parents surveyed who report communicating with their student more than once per day has gone down by 5% from 22% in 2017 to 17% in 2019. A majority (81%) of respondents communicate with their students 2-3 times per week or more frequently. One respondent reported communicating with their student less than once per month. Technology enables an increase in frequency of parent communications with their students. However, we are also aware that students are bombarded with information and are busy with classes, so our office proactively sends you information via the methods below.
You've asked for information in different formats but have recently preferred getting it electronically. That is why we provide you with the Hofstra Parents Facebook page, where we post updates, photographs, and give you an opportunity to connect with other parents. Since its launch in the spring of 2011, Hofstra Parents Facebook page has seen its membership grow significantly. We are pleased to You may also follow our @HofstraParents Twitter feed. In 2019, 55% of respondents viewed the electronic blog, Hofstra Family Connection, as a very important to important source of information. We are pleased that you are reading the blog; this is a 2% jump from 2017. On Family Connection Blog, you will find stories from our Hofstra students, information regarding campus events, and important tips to help you mentor your college student. Please read, subscribe, comment on, and contribute to the Family Connection blog and email us at parents@hofstra.edu to let us know how we can improve it. We also keep you updated on the many events sponsored by academic, cultural, development, and athletic departments throughout the year via Family Link e-newsletter; you may subscribe additional email addresses at hofstra.edu/familylink.
Aside from receiving information electronically, you have also told us that you often communicate with offices besides the Parent and Family Programs. 47% of you noted that you have contacted other offices and the majority of these responses stated that you have contacted Student Financial Services and Office of Admission. Many of you were grateful for the Office of Admission and noted how helpful they were to you and your student during the transition to college.
Most of you are visiting our campus regularly. When asked how often you visit, 58% reported visiting once or twice per semester, 14% visiting about once per month, 5% visiting two to three times per month, and 4% percent traveling once per week or more to campus. We program at least one event for families per semester. In the fall, we have Family Weekend, which includes Fall Festival. In the spring, we have Siblings Day and Tulips and Trees. Family Orientation and Welcome Day happen during the summer. For those parents whose students first enter Hofstra in the spring semester, we offer a Winter Family Orientation.
We have also made some changes to the events above, based on your feedback. For example, in previous years you noted that Family Weekend was costly for your whole family to attend, so we adjusted pricing and made Family Weekend a more affordable event for families. You also let us know that you would like to spend more time with your student during this weekend. We now offer many student shows, including the Pride Expo. Pride Expo is an interactive experience for you and your student to become familiar with some of the student clubs and organizations on campus. We also listened to your request to make Siblings Day available to younger family members. Instead of limiting participation to siblings ages 13-17, we now welcome siblings from ages 8-17.
Of essential worth to our Office of Parent and Family Programs is your sense of inclusion in our campus community. When we asked you to let us know whether you agreed with the statement, “Hofstra University includes parents and families in the college community,” 84% of you agreed or strongly agreed. We would like more of you to feel connected to your Hofstra campus family, especially since 91% of you said that you agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, “My student made a good choice in attending Hofstra.”
We will continue striving to better serve parents and family members of Hofstra undergraduate students. Your input and suggestions are always welcome and we invite you to email us at parents@hofstra.edu.
Hofstra Parents, Hofstra Pride!
Kayla Rozanski, Graduate Assistant for Parent and Family Programs
Branka Kristic, Director of Parent and Family Programs