March 17, 2008
Dawn Bruner helps parents navigate college years
susan.hagen@rochester.edu
Students are often not the only ones tested by college
life. Unfamiliar with University resources, hampered by long distance, and
unsure of their role, parents can be equally challenged during the
undergraduate years. What should a parent do, for example, if a child
reports that she must appear before a disciplinary board: ignore the issue,
lose sleep worrying, consult a lawyer?
Dawn Bruner
The best answer, says Dawn Bruner, the
University’s new director of parent relations, is to give her office
a call. She’s there to help.
On board since November, Bruner is the
University’s first staff person dedicated solely to assisting moms
and dads navigate the sometimes-confusing maze of University procedures.
Working out of the Office of the Dean of Students, she fields all kind of
parent inquiries, from clarifying simple billing charges to handling
delicate roommate conflicts.
“She provides a one-stop shopping place for
parents to call,” says Matthew Burns, acting dean of students.
Knowing who to turn to for help can be daunting in an institution this
size; Bruner simplifies that process for parents, says Burns. She also
provides prompt and personal responses to parent questions that Burns, as
dean, cannot always answer right away.
In cases of disciplinary hearings, for example, Bruner
advises parents to first talk to their son or daughter since the University
does not share confidential information—even with
parents—without the written consent of the student. In all
situations, her goal is to “help parents understand their role, not
to allow them to take over and control, but to help parents empower
students to make decisions.”
Bruner, a nationally certified counselor, sees her
responsibility as first and foremost “building relationships.”
Most recently the coordinator of counseling for the Higher Education
Opportunity Program at Nazareth College, Bruner brings to the job a decade
of experience in higher education and community settings.
Bruner’s position is part of a growing effort to
involve parents at Rochester and in colleges across the country. In May of
last year, University Advancement brought on board Lis Bischoff-Ormsbee in
the newly created position of senior director of parent programs. Her
primary focus is to encourage parent giving through a variety of
activities, including the Parents Council and events for parents of
undergraduates. Bischoff-Ormsbee and Bruner will work together to respond
to concerns of parents and to provide opportunities for parents to stay
connected to University life.
Reaching out to parents, says Burns, is not a reaction
to so-called “helicopter parents,” a term he hesitates to use,
noting that studies show that students by and large approve of their
parents’ level of involvement. Positions like the new director of
parent relations, he adds, provide a better way to “establish a
partnership with parents.”
Bruner agrees: “As a counselor, I appreciate the
experience of parents who ultimately want to be heard, and they want their
sons and daughters to be safe. To be able to hear them, and in some cases
to calm them down, ease concerns and refer them to appropriate staff,
that’s giving them something.”
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