family celebrates student in homecoming court in front of Old Main building

Parents & Families

We're dedicated to the personal success of every student and ensuring they feel welcomed and supported every step of the way. We invite you, our Widener families, to familiarize yourselves with our vast network of support.

Welcome to the Widener Family

As the parent of a Widener student, you are part of the Pride family! We invite our parents and families to see themselves as our partners in supporting your child's educational experience. The Widener University Parents’ Network provides families with detailed information about all aspects of the university, with particular emphases placed on financial aid, campus safety, academic support services, involvement on campus, and service activities that support our civic mission.

Through the Parents’ Network, families also have the opportunity to raise questions or concerns to fellow parents as well as to members of the university administration. Every parent is invited and encouraged to join the Widener University Parents’ Network.

For more information, please contact us at parents@widener.edu.

There is no cost to join the Parents' Network, and you can attend an optional hour-long meeting once a year. Families can also freely access up-to-date information and FAQs on the university’s website and social media outlets.

We believe that when you have access to university news and the opportunity to have your questions answered, you will feel more informed and comfortable about your child’s initial transition into college and effectively support your child’s educational experience throughout their time here.

For more information, please contact the Dean of Student's Office at 610-499-4385 or email studentaffairs@widener.edu.

Follow the Parents' Network on Facebook

We send e-newsletters to parents to provide parent-related news and upcoming Parents’ Network events. To sign up to receive this email, please contact the Parents’ Network at parents@widener.edu.

The transition to college is challenging for both students and their parents. Going from high school to college is a major milestone, one that marks the student’s eventual transition into independence. However, neither student nor parent needs to handle the transition alone. Affordable Colleges Online created this online guide to help ease the transition process by addressing the common first-year challenges for parents and their children.

The guide helps parents prepare for the high school-to-college transition; explores the financial aid process; discusses concerns about housing and student independence; identifies on-campus resources for students; and offers resources for parents of high school students, college freshmen, college students, and graduate school students.

Access the Supportive Parents, Successful Students guidebook

Resources for Accepted & Incoming Students

Widener parents at homecoming

We've created digital spaces to support your student through their journey from first opening their acceptance letter to the final steps before the start of classes. We invite you to become a partner with the university in supporting your student from the beginning of their college journey and beyond by exploring these digital spaces and familiarizing yourself the resources and opportunities available to your student.

  • Admitted Student Hub: Personally connect with Widener, get informed, and be engaged as your student makes the important decision on what college fits them best.
  • New & Incoming Student Hub: Access required steps to prepare for the start of classes, including important information about Summer Registration and Orientation, as well as a multitude of resources and ways to engage with classmates and C.R.E.W. Leaders over the summer.
  • Snapshot of Resources: We've compiled key resources and a series of FAQs that cover a variety of questions about living on campus, how students can get involved, academic support and enrollment services, and much more! You can also download a printable snapshot overview of available resources.

Upcoming Events for Parents & Families of Incoming Students

True Life: Getting Involved at Widener!

13
Jul
-
Online via Zoom

Join C.R.E.W. Leaders to learn about some of the biggest organizations on campus including Pride Activities Council, Alternative Spring Break, Black Student Union, Student Goverment Association, Sexuality and Gender Alliance and more! You'll learn about these organizations and more, the advantages to getting involved and the lasting connections you make. Pre-registration is required!

Financial Aid Info

Widener University, Old Main building

A Sound Investment

A Widener education is one of the smartest investments your family can make—because the long-term value (in terms of career preparation, job placement, and opportunities for professional advancement and earning potential) far exceeds the costs.

Discover Widener

Students in Dorm Room

Living & Learning Here

We want campus to feel like your child's second home. We've built a supportive, friendly, caring community for them to grow and flourish. In our residence halls and dining spaces, your child will forge lasting friendships. And through our many ways to get involved on campus, they will build memories that will stay with them for years to come. 

Diversity Workplace Student

Student Success & Support

Our network of support services will help your child find personal and professional fulfillment. Academic mentors and advisors will help them navigate courses and choose experiences that lead to career success.

Our team of dedicated professionals will keep an eye on your child's academic progress. Our early assessment and retention alert programs help identify struggling students so we can step in and help as soon as possible.

group exercise class

Health, Wellness & Safety

At Widener, we care about your child's academic and physical well-being. Learn more about safety on campus, recreational opportunities, and counseling and student health services. You can also get answers to questions about insurance, forms, and much more.

Pride Perspectives

Our students take the inside track to rewarding first jobs, careers, and futures. Experience their stories.

Jenna Muir in front of brick wall

The Boys & Girls Club of Chester’s story is worth sharing. I am glad I was able to use my senior year at Widener to help tell it.

Jenna Muir

Jenna's Story
Watch Video Michael Dixon working with students at a laptop

It’s very rewarding when you can see the impact you’re having on either the community, or individuals, or even yourself.

Michael Dixon

Michael's Story
Students buy doughnuts at Phatso's Bakery

As I embark on a career as a human rights lawyer, these experiences have taught me everyone has a story, and you need to ask people about theirs to really begin to know and understand them.

Rebecca Westrom

Rebecca's Story
Cajua Robinson works with a client at iCore Fitness

For me, the opportunities at Widener to start this, join that, do this, allowed me to grow tremendously as a person. That’s what turned me into who I am.

Cajua Robinson

Cajua's Story
Markevis Gideon and business partners in front of Widener sign

Widener has exposed me to opportunities that forever shaped my life. Now, as a well-traveled entrepreneur with a young but growing business, I am excited to see how Widener University is still preparing graduates toward a path of excellence.

Markevis Gideon

Markevis's Story
Taylor Kohnow at her robotics co-op

I love all aspects of robotics and I’m learning a lot about what I want to do in my career from this experience.

Taylor Kohnow

Taylor's Story
All Pride Perspectives

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The FERPA Act: What Rights Do I Have to Information?

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 (Buckley Amendment) was enacted to assure parents of students and the students’ themselves if they are over age eighteen, or attending a post-secondary educational institution, access to student records and to protect rights to privacy by limiting the sharing and disclosure of their records without their consent.

FERPA FAQs

The quickest, easiest way for parents to receive information about their child’s grades, financial statement, or other student information is for the student to provide it. Students can look up information online, print it off, and give or email a copy to their parents.

FERPA regulations allow, but do not require, higher education institutions to provide notice to parents when a student violates federal, state, or local laws related to alcohol or drugs.

The U.S. Department of Education is responsible for overseeing FERPA. Visit their website for additional information.

Learn more about FERPA

Download Widener's FERPA policy

Talking to Your Child About Alcohol & Drugs

Going to college signifies a time of new beginnings, but it can also be a challenging time with added peer pressure when it comes to making choices related to drugs and alcohol use. Although peers have a strong influence on student behavior, parents set the foundation for factors such as peer pressure to have less influence on student alcohol use. Students' relationships with their parents continue to play a major protective role in promoting their development and success throughout college. 

The most important thing parents can do to help ensure their student makes healthy, informed decisions while in college is to stay involved in their lives by talking and listening to them about all aspects of their lives. Remain engaged through phone calls, texts, and emails, especially during the first few weeks and months of college life when students are most vulnerable and are at greatest risk of making high risk decisions. Research has shown that the more involved parents are, the higher the likelihood students will make safe choices about alcohol and drug use.

  • Talk with your student about the freedoms and responsibilities that come with being at college.
  • Encourage open dialogue that introduces the topic of drinking in terms of what you've read in the newspaper or seen on TV, allowing for less personal discussion of the topic.
  • Talk in general terms about the legal, financial, health, and safety concerns related to drinking. Students do not always know the scope of the problems that can arise.
  • Ask your student what there is to do on campus that doesn't involve drinking. This encourages your student to think about the alternatives.
  • Share with your student if there is a family history of alcohol or drug problems.
  • Talk about date-rape drugs and the importance of never leaving a beverage unattended or accepting a drink without seeing it poured. This is a way to talk about partying without giving the impression that you assume your student is drinking.
  • Assure your student that you will respect your student's privacy related to health care and that you would rather be safe than decline medical attention. 
  • If you discover that your student has been drinking, try to discuss the situation calmly without accusations or expressions of anger. Ultimately, the most crucial factor is that students act responsibly in the future.

Widener University is one of hundreds of institutions nationwide requiring every member of their first-year class to complete an online alcohol education module. Whether or not your student drinks, this educational tool will empower your student to make well-informed decisions and provide simple strategies to help keep them safe.

Information about this module will be shared directly to students via email.

Get in Touch