Council offers a role for parents


Matthew O’Sullivan ’06 and his father Brendan O’Sullivan, current chairman of the Parent Council
 

Parents of Reed students seeking ways to become more involved in the Reed community might want to consider membership on the parent council.

Council members serve as liaisons to the entire parent community and help Reed advance its services and programs with a gift to the parent fund. The parent fund is a financial resource that enables Reed’s president to meet the costs of institutional priorities that tuition and endowment earnings alone cannot cover. Last year, 2,000 parents of students and alumni provided more than $300,000 to the parent fund.

Brendan O’Sullivan, current chair of the parent council and father of Matthew O’Sullivan ’06, says, “Having witnessed the shortfalls that exist even at the primary school level, as parents we have become used to answering the fundraising call.”

The council formally convenes once a year, during Parent & Family Weekend in the fall, and meets over lunch with Reed President Colin Diver to discuss topics of specific interest to parents. Over the course of the academic year members also serve as advocates for such college activities as career services, admission, and philanthropy. Parent council members can be as involved as they like, based upon their own availability. For further information, contact David Rubin, director of the annual fund, at 503/788-6644 or rubind@reed.edu.