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Tell Us What You Think!
Wanted: Parents' Opinions on the Dartmouth Experience
Parents of Dartmouth undergraduates on campus this spring are being asked to give their feedback on the Dartmouth experience and how they are paying for it. This feedback is being collected in an eight-page survey form titled "The Parent Survey," which began arriving in mailboxes in early April.
College administrators hope parents will take advantage of this opportunity to make their voices heard. "Parents of students are some of the most important customers in higher education," said Heather Kim, Director of Dartmouth's Office of Institutional Research (OIR), which is conducting the research.
The survey was designed by the Consortium on Financing Higher Education (COFHE), an institutionally supported organization of 31 private colleges and universities that compiles data relevant to its member institutions' missions. Other COFHE members are also conducting the survey this spring. Dartmouth parents were last surveyed in this manner early in 2002.
Responses to the survey are confidential, and results will be reported in aggregate. No individual responses will be shared or made public. The survey takes 20 to 25 minutes to fill out and can be returned using the business-reply-mail envelope included with it.
In an April 3 letter, Dartmouth President James Wright urged parents to complete and return the survey. "It is important for us to hear from as many of you as possible to ensure that the responses we receive are representative of Dartmouth parents as a whole," Wright wrote. "The survey also provides an excellent channel for you to tell us about your perspective, and I hope that you will take advantage of this opportunity."
The survey has five parts. Part I asks you to evaluate your child's college education, including the quality of the academic experience, campus services and facilities, and campus life. Part II asks about your experience as the parent of a college student, including whether or not the information you receive from the college is helpful, your familiarity with college policies about student confidentiality, and what concerns you most about your child's life during and after their college years. Part III is titled "Paying for College" and asks about financial aid your student is receiving and your family's general financial situation. Part IV concerns miscellaneous family information, and Part V provides space for written comments.
Specific questions about the survey or its administration may be directed to the coordinator for the project, Lynn Foster-Johnson at the OIR, by email at Lynn.Foster-Johnson@Dartmouth.Edu and by phone at 603-646-1187.