What We Believe

We are passionate about parents and their students.

We believe that parents should be meaningfully engaged in the lives of their college students, especially in that all important first year. It is our experience that:

• Parents who have a high level of self-awareness are likely to be more successful in supporting their student in college.
• Parents who are knowledgeable about student developmental changes, predictable transition issues of college students, and the college culture are better equipped to assist their child as they begin their college career.
• Parents who develop and practice basic coaching skills are likely to be invited by their student to become more involved in the collegiate experience.
• Parents who adopt the role of a partner with the college are best able to leverage the resources and expertise available to assist their student.

Collegiate Parents is about up-to-date information and experience-tested knowledge that will equip you to be proactive and appropriately reactive in challenging and supporting your student as they begin their collegiate experience.

Collegiate Parents is about helping you understand how your expectations, passions, and personal style can impact your effectiveness in helping your son or daughter navigate the many challenging transitions into college life.

Collegiate Parents is about helping you as a parent manage the changes that you will experience in the relationship with your son or daughter as they continue their journey through young adulthood.

“Vastly underrated as a complicated transition for parents and children alike, the launching years rival any two years of parenting for the formidable events they contain, the challenges and questions they raise, and their sheer emotional intensity. With so little emphasis in our culture on so large a phenomenon, families traveling through this passage can be taken by surprise, particularly since parents experience the lurch of life-transition issues at the same time as their child.”

-Kastner and Wyatt
The Launching Years

Dr. Craig E. Ullom
Craig is the founder and President of Collegiate Parents, Inc. For 30 years, Craig has served in a variety of student affairs leadership positions at public and private, large and small colleges and universities including Eastern Illinois University, the University of Nebraska, Radford University (VA), the University of Georgia, the University of Miami (FL), Hendrix College (AR), and the University of Central Florida. As an associate faculty member in the Department of Educational Leadership, Craig teaches a graduate course on higher education administration. He has co-authored a chapter entitled Understanding the New Relationship, recently published in Partnering with the Parents of Today's College Students.

Craig frequently presents programs and conducts workshops on managing transitions, developing human capital, leadership, coaching, emotional intelligence, and partnership building. He holds a Doctor of Education in Adult and Continuing Education from the University of Georgia and a Master of Education in Counseling and Student Affairs from Eastern Illinois University. Additionally, Craig is accredited with the Hay Group, the Effectiveness Institute and William Bridges and Associates to conduct proprietary assessments and programs addressing various aspects of human development. Craig also is a Franklin Covey Certified Personal Coach and has completed several continuing education programs in coaching and leadership development.

Meet the Collegiate Parent
Resource Network:

• Dr. Maureen Biggers
• Reverend J. Wayne Clark
• Dr. Mary-Beth A. Cooper
• Dr. Charles J. Werring
• Michelle M. Brydon, M.S.
• Stacey Christensen, M.S.W.
• Michele Yovanovich, M.Ed.