>From [email-masked]  Tue Nov 19 14:48:23 1996
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 1996 14:48:28 -0500
To: [email-masked]
From: [email-masked] (Cathryn T. Goree)
Subject: parent survey

I have received responses from 33 parents so far, about 30% of our parent
address list.  Obviously this is not a large sample, but the responses are
internally consistent and also consistent with the information I got last
summer when parents of incoming students misunderstood my question about
expectations for orientation and instead answered about expectations for
college.  I'll bring the up-to-date responses to the meeting on Thursday.

Here are the responses I've received so far about the parents' hopes or
goals for their students' overall experience at Tech.  These are grouped in
large categories of responses, with weighted scoring to reflect the order
in which the goals were listed (1st = 5 points, 2nd = 4 points, etc.).

Top goals and hopes of parents for their students at Virginia Tech
(weighted summary):

1.      Receive an appropriate education for employment or graduate school
(including co-op experiences as prep for employment).

81 points

2.      Develop through new personal experiences, meeting new people,
dealing with good and bad roommates, expanding horizons generally.

65 points

3.      A well-rounded, solid academic experience.

63 points

4.      Find friends, have fun, enjoy college, develop social skills,
develop networks, have an overall positive experience.

55 points

5.      Transition to self-reliance, independent living.

30 points

6.      Develop critical thinking and writing skills, learn to think for
oneself, be intellectually challenged.

27 points

##############################################################################

Cathryn T. Goree                        Phone:  540-231-3787

Dean of Students                        FAX:    540-231-4035
Virginia Tech                           TDD:    540-231-8718
107 Brodie Hall
Blacksburg, VA  24061-0255