The University of California, Davis, is more closely embracing part of its family with the launch this week of a pilot project to strengthen communication and ties with the parents of freshman students.

The Aggie Family Pack includes a monthly newsletter distributed by e-mail, a supporting Web site (http://aggiefamilypack.ucdavis.edu) with additional information and resources, and a new parents section in the UC Davis Magazine. To date, the families of 898 students or 19 percent of the anticipated freshman class had joined the Aggie Family Pack.

The program reflects a trend of parents' increasing interest and involvement in their students' college lives.

"Parents play a critical role in their children's education," says Yvonne Marsh, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs. "We find that parents have become very involved in their student's decision-making around college, and we know from past experience that parents have an interest in supporting their sons and daughters in having a successful college experience."

Maril Stratton, assistant vice chancellor for public communications, says the more than 4,700 families sending a first-time college-going child to UC Davis this fall may have just a cursory knowledge of the rich experience awaiting their students. "We would really like them and their children to make the most of their experience at UC Davis," she says. "We're hopeful the Aggie Family Pack will offer families the opportunity to connect in a way that hasn't happened before."

The project team includes representatives from several campus units, ranging from Student Housing and Advising Services to the Department of Athletics and the Mondavi Center.

The project is among proposals from five campuses to receive funds from the UC Office of the President in an effort to improve communication with key constituencies, including parents. The UC Davis project, supported by $12,500 from UC's systemwide office and $15,000 from the campus will test the effectiveness of e-mail and the Web in communicating with parents.

A feature article in this fall's UC Davis Magazine explores the growing trend of parents' keen involvement in their students' college life and how universities and parents are now partners working toward student success.

Bringing her warmth and personal insights to the communications is writer Marion Franck of Davis, the mother of a college junior and a high-school senior. Currently a local newspaper columnist, Franck has worked closely with UC Davis students as a staff member and lecturer.

Newsletters will address timely topics of interest to parents -- from educational opportunities such as undergraduate research and the selection of a major to alcohol use among students and the housing search for the sophomore year. The Web site brings together resources of special interest to parents including pages about visiting campus, safety and security, and health and counseling services.

The project will be evaluated to determine if the 2002 freshman parents develop a stronger connection to campus than had parents of students entering in 2001.