Category Archives: For Parents

eMentoring Network for Alumni, Parents, & Students

For Parents, Uncategorized

Most everyone entering the job market has questions about the best course to follow here at KSC, or about an effective career path, or how to create a resume or write a cover letter, or how to prepare for an interview.

Current students need advice with the pre-employment challenges that many alums and parents have navigated. Therefore, Alumni and Parent Relations and the Academic and Career Advising Office, with support from the Alumni and Parent associations, have created an important new online mentoring program for students, alumni, and parents.

The KSC eMentoring Network is open to all students, alumni, and parents looking for advice, or to advise. The online platform allows students to hook up with a mentor who can offer support and guidance based on the student’s individual needs and interests.

Sound worthwhile? Visit the KSC eMentoring Information page to learn more.

Pumpkinfest Parking

For Parents, Mark Your Calendar, Uncategorized

Hooray! KSC is offering FREE PARKING DURING PUMPKINFEST! Boo! Spaces are limited, and you have to reserve one in advance. There’s lots going on on campus that weekend, but the wonderful folks in the Alumni & Parent Relations Office—and Campus Safety, of course!—are holding 100 coveted spaces for alumni and 100 spaces for parents—first come, first served.

You can register online from  October 1 through October 12, or until the spaces are gone, whichever comes sooner. Visit either the Alumni webpage, or the Parents webpage, to find the sign-up form. If you’re one of the lucky early birds, we’ll mail you a special parking pass to place on your dashboard when you’re on campus. Each alumnus or parent may register one vehicle. Review the form carefully before you commit. You’ve got to park before noon on October 20. More information about the Keene Pumpkin Festival can be found at its web site.

Res Life Highlights

For Parents

First, KSC students are pretty happy with their residence halls. The College recently ranked 22 out of a national survey of 274 colleges and universities in student satisfaction.

Second, students who prefer to live off campus can be reasonably assured of getting a decent apartment if they choose from the listings on KSC’s Off-Campus Housing webpage. The apartments listed there have passed the City of Keene’s  Voluntary Minimum Housing and Safety Standards Inspection program.

Class of 2016 Moves In

For Parents
This new freshman moved in, and afterwards he and his family hit the Quad to refresh themselves with some of the delicious hot dogs provided by the folks at Res Life.

The Keene State College school year has begun! We were excited to welcome the students of the Class of 2016 as they unloaded cars and unpacked boxes. The Parents Association had a table in the Student Center again this year, and we were able to meet many new parents of KSC Students. It was great to see the parents just as excited at the students about being involved here at the college! As the first year students started orientation, parents attended information sessions and visited the Parents Association table and learned about the events, volunteer opportunities and picked up great giveaways!  There are some great pictures taken that day, check them out!

Parents were really excited that the Parents Association has more ways than ever to stay in touch with the college and one another. Alumni and Parent Relations has created a Keene State College Parents Facebook and a twitter account (Twitter handle @kscparents) to have up-to-date information about campus events, volunteer opportunities, and news regarding Keene State College. While those are great ways to stay connected, the best way for parents to learn about the campus and the Parents Association is to visit the KSC Parents web site!

Younger Students, but still Big Learning

For Parents
Kids experiment with engineering principles via a marble race they constructed in the Putnam Science Center courtyard. Photo by Casey August.

If you walk across campus on a sunny summer day, you might notice a difference in the students: They’re a lot younger. For the past several summers, KSC has opened its facilities and resources to grade-school and high-school kids who want to learn new academic, life, and sports skills, or to improve the ones they’ve already been working on.

KSC has a lot to offer kids. For one, there’s the Kids on Campus program, an educational day camp for children entering grades 1–8. “Our goal is to combine fun with learning, and get children comfortable with the college environment,” said Heather Jasmin, program coordinator for the Office of Continuing Education and Extended Studies. “Each class has no more than 14 children and is hands-on. Each is designed to give children the time for experimentation and exploration of topics that interest them.”
Continue reading Younger Students, but still Big Learning →

New Social Media Connections for Parents

For Parents

The Alumni and Parent Relations Department has launched a social media campaign for the Parents Association, including both a Facebook page and a Twitter account (Twitter handle: @KSCParents). We’ve crested these accounts to make it even easier for parents to stay connected to their students and the College. Now parents have ready access to information about campus events, volunteer opportunities, and KSC news. Please take advantage of these opportunities and get connected with us! And don’t forget the KSC Parents web page!


Parents: Join Our Outreach Opportunity!

For Parents

For those parents who love their student’s KSC experience: Please consider joining a welcome party to share that enthusiasm with incoming students and their families. By making phone calls over the summer and sharing your positive experiences with other families, you’ll help them make the transition, and you’ll enhance their experience—before they even get here! For more information or to sign up, please contact Peg Richmond, Director of Admissions (800-KSC-1909 or 603-358-2276).

Swing into Spring with the Latest Issue of Keene State Today!

For Parents, Uncategorized

KSC prides itself on its longstanding motto, “Enter to learn, go forth to serve,” so you’ll find lots of stories in this spring’s issue of Keene State Today that reflect this commitment. There’s Will Wrobel’s (’08) inspiring story of personal transformation—a story that likely applies to many grads who have passed through the Appian Gates. And Josh Tuscher’s (’06) evolution from janitor to new media technologist for the VA. And Mark Newton’s (’87) path to become Timberland’s VP of Social Responsibility. And read how the campus’ new TDS Center will enrich our nation’s skilled workforce, or how the Cohen Center’s Civic Leadership Initiative engages civic leaders in a program that really makes a difference. There’s lots to be proud of at KSC; read some of those great stories in Keene State Today!

Join Us for the Senior Family Dinner—& Dessert!

For Parents, Mark Your Calendar, Uncategorized

Celebrate graduation, gather with friends and family, and reminisce about the great times at KSC! The Senior Family Dinner starts at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 4, in the Zorn Dining Commons. After dinner, the group will proceed down Appian Way, through the Appian Gateway, and over to the Alumni Center to celebrate the transition from student to alumni! Attendees will join members of the Alumni Association for dessert, a cash bar, and the chance to learn what it means to be a member of the KSC community for life!

Please register online before Monday, April 30.

Continue reading Join Us for the Senior Family Dinner—& Dessert! →

New This Year: Commencement Brunch

For Parents, Mark Your Calendar


Nothing says “college life” like a meal in the dining hall, so what better way to celebrate the close of a student’s KSC career than by sharing a meal in the Zorn? Keene State Dining will be serving a Commencement Brunch in the Zorn Dining Commons the morning of Commencement (Saturday, May 5, 2012) from 9 a.m. until noon. Park early, bring the whole family, and enjoy a relaxing meal as the excitement on campus builds for the Class of 2012. In addition to our typical brunch items like pancakes, sausage, home fries, and scrambled eggs, we will also offer eggs benedict, a grilled bagel bar, smoothies, a carved turkey station, biggie sandwiches, and salad and pizza options. Something for everyone! Bring your appetite: It’s $10.50 per person ($5.25 for kids under 12) for an all-you-care-to-eat bargain. (Please note: student meal plans end on Friday, May 4th).

Get the Facts on Current Legislation

For Parents, Uncategorized

There is lots of legislation in the works these days that profoundly affects KSC. The current NH House Bill 1692 would slash the budget and staff for the University System of New Hampshire. There’s lots of misinformation floating out there about why this is being considered, and how much it would save. Actually, HB1692 won’t save anything; it will make higher ed in New Hampshire more expensive. Get the facts; read “An Act making changes to the administration of the University System of New Hampshire” on the KSC Advocates site. And while you’re there, sign up for periodic updates—your alma mater needs your informed support!

Parents Association Supports New KSC Families

For Parents

For the second year, Parents Association volunteers will be on board to answer questions at the Admitted Student Day information fairs in Elliott Hall. These outreach efforts provide a warm welcome to new Keene State families and share KSC pride. Many parents of new students have said that it’s reassuring to have a network of parents willing to share their experience throughout the college journey.

Parent/Family Weekend, September 28–30

For Parents

This is one of the most beautiful times on campus, so mark your calendars now! This is the weekend that makes parents wish they could be KSC students—it has you in mind! We’ll fill the time with great activities for students and families alike. Take in the Friday night entertainment, the Saturday morning programs with campus leadership (including a chat with President Giles-Gee), the KSCPA annual meeting, afternoon athletic events and other fun, and the Saturday night party. Parent/Family Weekend really gives you a chance to immerse yourself in campus life. Many of the events sell out, so watch your mail in August and register early!

Winter’s Best at Winterfest!

For Parents, Mark Your Calendar, Uncategorized

Some of the warmest memories of KSC have got to involve snow. Come to campus for the weekend of February 3–5, for more memory-making opportunities. We’ve got lots of things planned, including:

  • snow tubing at Granite Gorge on Friday night
  • one of Warren Miller’s spectacular ski films on Friday and Saturday
  • a snow-sculpture contest
  • men’s and women’s basketball (vs USM!)
  • the ever-exciting rail jam
  • KSC ski day at Mt. Sunapee on Sunday!

And that’s just some of the fun! Check out the full schedule on the Winterfest page, and start making your plans.

KSC Film, Enter to Learn … Go Forth to Serve, Now Available on Amazon!

For Parents, Uncategorized

The remarkable film by Larry Benaquist and Lance Levesque (and a wealth of film students), Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve: The First Hundred Years of Keene State College, is now available at the KSC Bookstore, and on Amazon.com. That makes it easy for anyone to get a copy of this excellent record of the historic events that led from a normal school established in Keene in 1909 to train good teachers to the development of New Hampshire’s premier public liberal arts college. The film aired on New Hampshire Public Television several times this fall.