LUNCH & LEARN – Supporting Student Parents
Event Details
You are invited to join SOCHE for a virtual lunch and learn entitled “Supporting Student Parents,” on Thursday, Sept. 18, beginning at 12 p.m. ET. The session will be presented by Dana Bisignani, Director of Student Parent Support at the University of Cincinnati.
Nationally, one-in-five undergraduate students and one-in-three graduate students are also parents. Still, student parents remain largely invisible on college and university campuses. Barriers such as financial insecurity, access to affordable childcare, and feelings of isolation often lead to higher stop-out rates. Yet student parents possess high social capital and critical skills. They juggle multiple responsibilities and navigate complex systems, often earning higher GPAs then their non-parenting peers.
This presentation will explore current research on student parents as a demographic, the systems that reinforce their invisibility, and ways that faculty, staff, and administrators can support their belonging and success.
Attendees of this presentation will:
- Gain knowledge of student parents as a growing and often invisible demographic on campus
- Understand the complex and intersecting barriers student parents often face in higher education and discover their unique strengths
- Explore key best practices for instituting better visibility and supports for students with dependents, plus UC’s groundwork to create care infrastructure
- Learn about emerging research, resources, and organizations building a growing student parent support movement
Join us to gain practical strategies and fresh insights to help improve awareness, support, and success for student parents on your campus. Register now to better understand the needs of student parents and how your institution can strengthen services for this important population.
Registration for this event will close on Sunday, Sept. 14.
[If you are unable to attend live, a recording link will be sent to all registrants]
When: Thursday, Sept. 18, from 12-1 p.m. ET [if you are unable to attend live, a recording link will be sent to all registrants]
Where: SOCHE Zoom platform [link sent at least 24 hours prior to event]
Cost:
- Personnel from SOCHE member schools: $5
- Personnel from NON-member schools/organizations: $10
- Students: FREE
Questions? Contact Mindy Claggett at SOCHE
Student Registration Fee Policy
Registration Cancellation Policy
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT WILL CLOSE ON SUNDAY, SEPT. 14.
About the Presenter
Dana Bisignani
Director of Student Parent Support
University of Cincinnati
Dana Bisignani (she/her) is the newly-appointed Director of Student Parent Support in the Dean of Students Office at the University of Cincinnati. Previously, Dana was Director of UC’s Women’s Center, creating and co-chairing UC’s Care Infrastructure Committee. She is also adjunct faculty in the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Before coming to UC, Dana served as Coordinator of Gender and Sexuality at Minnesota State University Moorhead. Her work and research currently focus on student parents, reproductive justice, and care economy. Outside her work in higher ed, she is a returning member of the Hamilton County Commission on Women and Girls and loves hiking.
