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A Seat at the Table
A Seat at the Table
For students, going off to college can trigger anxiety, excitement, and curiosity. Their parents often share those feelings.
Students rely on friends, roommates, clubs, and institutional resources to help them adjust and thrive. But what about their parents? How can they find out what’s happening miles, states, or even countries away? How can they get involved and improve college life for their children and other students?
At UVA, the Parents Program is a way for families to plug into what’s happening on Grounds. The group connects families to meaningful engagement and philanthropic opportunities that advance the mission of the University.
“Our goal is to involve the parents in the UVA experience so, at the end of their child’s time here, the parents feel the same passion and excitement for UVA as if they went here,” said Courtney Bibb, managing director of the UVA Parents Program. Involvement comes in many forms, whether it’s connecting families with opportunities to share career advice or professional connections, providing information about issues on Grounds, or offering resources to help their students choose schools, majors, and programs.
Parents Council co-chairs Stacey Henske, Tom Henske (Col ’94), and Andrea Wassmer.
“The selling point for me was that we'd have a reason to be down at UVA and see our son a couple of extra times. But I was surprised about how rewarding being on the committee has been, from the relationships we've made with the different parents to seeing the extraordinary impact the grants and funding have on the recipients.” –Stacey Henske
“I feel connected to this place that Owen loves so much and that I’m growing to love as well.” –Andrea Wassmer
Parental Perspectives
Within the Parents Program, the Parents Council organizes and leads a community of families who believe in the mission of the Parents Program. Its Parents Leadership Council selects students to receive two annual scholarships, reviews Parents Program grant applications and awards funds, makes decisions on large investments that support students, and provides feedback and guidance on a range of University priorities.
This year’s Leadership Council co-chairs are Andrea Wassmer and Stacey and Tom (Col ’94) Henske. Each brings unique perspectives to their role. Tom Henske played soccer while earning his bachelor’s degree in foreign affairs at UVA; Stacey, a Lehigh University undergrad and an MBA from NYU, Stern School of Business, now shares the passion Tom and their son Spencer, a fourth-year student, have for the University. “Now I understand why UVA is so amazing,” she said.
Earning her undergraduate degree as an out-of-state student at William & Mary, Wassmer knew little about the UVA experience. “I didn’t have an appreciation for what a special place it is,” she said. Her son Owen is now a third-year.
For Wassmer, serving on the Parents Council aligns with her long-time involvement in education-related causes. She is active in several educational organizations in Richmond and manages a nonprofit that provides scholarships in memory of her late husband. “We both saw the power of education to change lives,” she said. “That’s where we liked to focus our philanthropy.”
For all three co-chairs, keeping up with happenings at UVA and gaining insight into the larger issues facing the institution are advantages of serving on the Parents Council. As Wassmer puts it, the group has “made a big university much smaller and has really made me feel connected to it.”
The gulf between home and school is not always easy for parents to navigate. “The Parents Council gives us a seat at the table where we can learn about, and get involved with, what’s going on at UVA,” said Tom Henske.
Parental Perspectives
Within the Parents Program, the Parents Council organizes and leads a community of families who believe in the mission of the Parents Program. Its Parents Leadership Council selects students to receive two annual scholarships, reviews Parents Program grant applications and awards funds, makes decisions on large investments that support students, and provides feedback and guidance on a range of University priorities.
This year’s Leadership Council co-chairs are Andrea Wassmer and Stacey and Tom (Col ’94) Henske. Each brings unique perspectives to their role. Tom Henske played soccer while earning his bachelor’s degree in foreign affairs at UVA; Stacey, a Lehigh University undergrad and an MBA from NYU, Stern School of Business, now shares the passion Tom and their son Spencer, a fourth-year student, have for the University. “Now I understand why UVA is so amazing,” she said.
Earning her undergraduate degree as an out-of-state student at William & Mary, Wassmer knew little about the UVA experience. “I didn’t have an appreciation for what a special place it is,” she said. Her son Owen is now a third-year.
For Wassmer, serving on the Parents Council aligns with her long-time involvement in education-related causes. She is active in several educational organizations in Richmond and manages a nonprofit that provides scholarships in memory of her late husband. “We both saw the power of education to change lives,” she said. “That’s where we liked to focus our philanthropy.”
For all three co-chairs, keeping up with happenings at UVA and gaining insight into the larger issues facing the institution are advantages of serving on the Parents Council. As Wassmer puts it, the group has “made a big university much smaller and has really made me feel connected to it.”
The gulf between home and school is not always easy for parents to navigate. “The Parents Council gives us a seat at the table where we can learn about, and get involved with, what’s going on at UVA,” said Tom Henske.
“The selling point for me was that we'd have a reason to be down at UVA and see our son a couple of extra times. But I was surprised about how rewarding being on the committee has been, from the relationships we've made with the different parents to seeing the extraordinary impact the grants and funding have on the recipients.”
–Stacy Henske
“I feel connected to this place that Owen loves so much and that I’m growing to love as well.”
–Andrea Wassmer
Investing in Students
Approximately 90% of what is raised by the Parents Program through the Parents Fund is given back to the University the following year to support students. About a third is designated for grants to student organizations or departments. This year approximately $500,000 was awarded to 135 organizations.
A second funding category is what Bibb calls “our big investments,” typically more than $100,000 distributed over several years to presidential and university priorities. The Tomorrow’s Teachers Fund, which reduces the cost of becoming a teacher, received $500,000 last year. The Parents Program also gave $125,000 to the Cavalier Marching Band for new uniforms.
The other third of what the group raises is designated for use by Kenyon R. Bonner, vice president for student affairs & chief student affairs officer.
“The Parents Council has been one of our most important and long-standing partners,” Bonner said. “From funding the newly created Basic Needs Endowment to their ongoing support of the Community Food Pantry and the University Career Center, the Parents Council has invested in our students’ wellbeing and helped ensure that every UVA scholar has access to a robust and engaging student experience.” Once fully funded, the Basic Needs Endowment will create a network of resources for students who need support with housing, food, clothing, transportation, and medical expenses.
These under-the-radar needs resonate with this year’s co-chairs. “My heart is really with the students that don’t have as much as their peers,” Wassmer said. “The Parents Council beat us to the punch in bringing up some of these issues,” Tom Henske said. “These are things an outsider would have never imagined were a concern. Not only do we know about these issues, but we also have a front-row seat at the table to do something about them.”
Members also get to hear directly from the students who benefit from funding. “It’s incredible to listen to the firsthand stories of how these grants have impacted so many lives at UVA,” Stacey Henske said.
These are things an outsider would have never imagined were a concern. Not only do we know about these issues, but we also have a front-row seat at the table to do something about them.
–Tom Henske
Family Ties
Relationships are at the heart of the Parents Program. Connections are made with the University community, but also among the families of the Parents Program and other parents and their students.
The impact of their Parents Council service is evident in the Henske and Wassmer homes. “It makes the conversations at dinner a heck of a lot more fun,” Tom Henske said. “We can say to Spencer, ‘We heard [provost] Ian Baucom speak on this, or [Batten School dean] Ian Solomon, or Kenyon Bonner. What’s your point of view on this?’”
Wassmer said her involvement helps shrink the distance between Richmond and Charlottesville. “Your kid goes to college, and they are supposed to soar on their own,” she said. “This is just the nicest way to stay involved like a lot of us did when our kids were home with us.”