In Loco Grandparentis?
Sunday's (August 26, 2006) StarTribune has an article about a new, free, online class about finances for the parents of students at the University of Minnesota. The idea is to give parents the tools to communicate more effectively with their off-to-college children about credit card debt, balancing a checkbook, gambling, and related topics.
This course follows one on the risks of binge drinking, and will be followed by others on sex and sexuality and on spirituality. It was developed by Marjorie Savage, director of the University Parent Program , and Jodi Dworkin, an assistant professor of Family Social Science who studies risky adolescent behavior.
Innovations such as this are important but not widely recognized contributions to the public engagement activities of colleges and universities: connecting the public (parents and students) to the realities of life on campus, with the goal of fostering responsible behavior and a more successful educational experience.