Concerns Beyond Helicopter Parenting: Implications of Increased Parental Involvement in Higher Education for Rural Students

• In Event: Millennium Hotel Roundtable Session 10
  In Roundtable Session: Rural College Preparedness and Family Support

Abstract

In an era of higher education that is increasingly characterized by neoliberalism, universities are increasingly outsourcing functions once performed in-house in order to meet demands for maximized efficiency. One group of stakeholders that universities have turned to is their students’ parents. This trend, coupled with the increase of overinvolved, “helicopter” parents, has resulted in students relying on parents not only for financial support but also for course advising, internship placements, and advocacy on their behalf with university personnel. As rural students are less likely than their nonrural peers to have college-educated parents, this study explores how the increased parental role in higher education impacts rural students. The author discusses implications for higher education personnel and K-12 rural school staff.

Author

• Jennifer Kessa Roberts, The Ohio State University