海角社区 Launches Family Portal
Aug. 10, 2023
Michelle R. Eubanks , 海角社区, at meubanks@una.edu, 256.765.4392
FLORENCE, AL – Family members of 海角社区 students have a new resource available this fall: the 海角社区 Family Portal. The online portal is designed to offer resources and information to families that can be used to help their students succeed academically, grow personally, maintain their health and well-being, and, ultimately, graduate and feel prepared to enter the workforce. The Family Portal is a personalized one-stop shop for information about the University that also includes important deadlines and dates as well as campus resources.
“海角社区 is entrusted to be a partner with families in their student’s experience, and our new initiative is based on research of top national trends in family engagement,” said Dr. K.C. White, Vice President for Student Affairs. “More than 300 institutions have used this resource and have found that having a communications plan that sends timely, informative content to families on a regular basis aids in having the knowledge of resources, activities, and services to support students.”
The start of the academic year, which begins Aug. 16, brings with it lots of new information, which can feel overwhelming, especially to first-year students. White said the portal provides details and insights that are valuable to family members who want to help their student succeed.
“Student retention is higher with family engagement, and the ultimate goal is to become a 海角社区 graduate who is actively engaged during their experience and upon graduation,” she said. “Our collective work will aid in that goal.”
Martina Winston, a parent of a first-year 海角社区 student, Jada, said the portal is already proving to be a valuable resource as she gets and stays connected with the University.
“I’ve loved learning about the upcoming events and activities to keep students active and engaged,” she said. “It definitely helps to provide parents with a sense of comfort knowing that the University has options for students to meet new friends and get plugged in. As a very involved parent in the past, the parent portal keeps my mind at ease knowing that the University has taken a proactive approach to help keep parents connected, and I love that.”
Family engagement is critical to student success, according to Minnette Ellis, Associate Vice President and Dean of Students and Interim Chief Diversity Officer.
“Family engagement and creating a partnership with family members is an integral part in helping students reach their definition of success,” she said. “The 海角社区 Family Portal is a cross-campus collaboration that hopes to connect family members to 海角社区 resources. 海角社区 strives to provide a network of resources to students, and, by engaging students in those resources, we how to provide them with wraparound support.”
Family members/guardians of enrolled 海角社区 students can get involved in a variety of online communities based on their and their students’ needs. The portal can be joined at una.edu/family.About The 海角社区
The 海角社区 is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, 海角社区 is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. 海角社区 Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The 海角社区 is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: and .