New Online Platform Enhances Parent, Family Experience at CofC

Everyone wants to see students at the College of Charleston succeed – but no one more so than parents and families.

That’s why the Office of New Student Programs has launched the CofC Parent & Family Experience, an online resource powered by CampusESP designed to give parents and families customized information to help them support their students at CofC.

And while parents of new students starting in the fall of 2022 will certainly need support as they adjust to college life, families of second, third- and fourth-year students are encouraged to sign up as well to learn about campus resources, important dates, announcements and information that promotes student success at the College.

The goal, says Mindy Miley, assistant vice president of first year and bridge student services, is to provide families with the knowledge they want and need to help their students excel in college both academically and socially.

“Parents and families are highly interested in hearing from their student’s college, as well as understanding how to navigate various aspects of their college experience,” says Miley. “As college administrators, we know that family support and encouragement are critical to student success. We also see that parental involvement can impact student persistence and retention. By providing this new communication platform, we are creating a personalized strategy to engage our parents as well as provide them with key information to support their student, encourage them to stay on track and ultimately cross the Cistern as a proud College of Charleston graduate.”

Parents and families can choose the news, information and advice they wish to receive through the CofC Parent & Family Experience platform by selecting from a variety of online communities, including Student Success, Student Life, Campus and Community Safety, Campus Housing, Health and Wellness, Financial Aid and Scholarships, the Career Center, among others. Families can join new communities at any time by selecting the “Discover Communities” button at the bottom lefthand column of the platform’s homepage.

Families can also choose the frequency with which they receive news and updates by clicking the person icon at the top right of the homepage and choosing “Edit Notification Preferences.” Additionally, the platform includes a comment feature that can be used to ask questions of CofC staff and to engage with other parents and families. And a star icon located on the right of each post allows families to save the post within their personal folder so they can flag important information and revisit it at their convenience.

To access the CofC Parent & Family Experience, please visit cofc.campusesp.com/signup and enter your email address to sign up. Answer a few questions, and a wealth of information will be available at your fingertips. Be on the lookout for a welcome email confirming you’ve signed up.

This communication platform will not be used to disseminate Cougar Alerts for campus emergencies. Parents, visitors, potential students and community members who wish to be notified of campus emergencies, can text the word “cougaralert” to 333111 to automatically receive emergency notifications via text message.

For more information about the CofC Parent & Family Experience platform, contact the Office of New Student Programs at 843.953.2017 or email parents@cofc.edu.