Empowering New Students to ‘Stumble and Grow’

In a commentary piece published earlier this month in The Seattle Times, “Parents, Let Your New College Student Stumble and Grow,” President Robin Holmes Sullivan, a clinical psychologist, addresses parents and caregivers of first-year college students.

She acknowledges the magnitude of this transition for students as well as their families, looking back on her own college experience and how it transformed her. She also recalls what it was like as a parent seeing her own children off to college, writing: “Now that I am older and a parent myself, I know that parents of first-year college students are also scared. I know how challenging it is to let your child go.”

President Holmes-Sullivan's op-ed in the Seattle Times.

Holmes-Sullivan recognizes that it’s not always easy for parents and caregivers to find that balance between supporting their student and giving them the independence needed for them to grow. “It may get even more challenging when your child encounters various obstacles along their journey, which I assure you, they will. We all do,” she writes. “But, they will learn from navigating these challenges and will be better prepared as a result, especially if they are given the opportunity to solve the problems themselves.”

In the piece, Holmes-Sullivan encourages parents to remember what a major transition it is for themselves too, recalling the transition her own household went through: “My home life definitely changed when my child went away to college and started on his journey to adulthood. There were joys. But also challenges. I would encourage you to think about and talk with others in your household about the ways that life will be different. I would also suggest coordinating with each other on how you will support your student in their developmental journey.”

Finally, Holmes-Sullivan speaks from her experience as a college president, as well as her three-decade career as a student life leader:

As president of Lewis & Clark College, I also know that there is an entire workforce of administrators, staff, and faculty looking forward to getting to know your student at their college. These are individuals who will do everything possible to ensure your student’s experience is outstanding and transformative.

“This journey is a partnership, one that is among the school, you, and your student. And that partnership is most likely to be the most productive if everyone is working together to support your student’s autonomy and growth.”

Office of the President