September 10, 2026

By Lauren Ferguson

Starting college is a big transition – not just for students, but for their parents and guardians as well.

That is why Ramapo College of New Jersey hosted a panel of parent “experts” to offer tips to and answer questions from the parents of some of the 1,110 first-year students and 337 transfer students entering Ramapo this Fall.

To welcome the parents of Ramapo’s newest students into the College’s tight-knit community, members of the President’s Parents Council (PPC) took to the stage of the Sharp Theater on Ramapo’s picturesque Mahwah, NJ campus, during the College’s annual check-in day in August. During the eventful, emotional day, some new students moved into Ramapo’s top-ranked residence halls, others checked in to learn about services and programs for those commuting to campus, and the PPC offered insights to fellow parents.

The PPC is made up of engaged Ramapo College parents and families who want to make a meaningful impact, help strengthen the student experience, support Ramapo’s mission, and build connections with fellow Roadrunner families.

“They are a mixture of parents of students who have been residents or commuters or transfers. They are the experts … they are the ones that you want to hear from,” said Rick Brown, PhD, director of Ramapo’s Center for Student Involvement, before introducing the members of the PPC to the crowd.

Just last year, some of the parents on stage – like Deborah Calderon of Wyckoff, NJ – were moving their own students onto campus for the first time.

“Ask your student questions, encourage them to go to the club and organization fair, meet people, smile, say hello,” Calderon, whose daughter Rebecca Calderon ’29 is studying elementary education, advised the parents of incoming Roadrunners. “You never know, that person you meet might become your friend for life.”

Andy Carroll of Morris Plains, NJ echoed the advice.

“Honestly, take advantage of everything that’s going on campus. There are so many activities. Encourage your children to get out there. I felt that Maddy took advantage of a lot, and she has just met a lot of great people,” he said of his daughter Madeline Carroll ’28, a cybersecurity major.

Carroll, Calderon, and their fellow PPC members, used their own experiences as Roadrunner parents to answer questions ranging from how students secure on-campus employment and extra academic support, to how easy it is to find parking on campus to whether students should rent or buy their books.

“After being through the whole four years, everyone writes the book about what to do when your kids are five, and what to do when they go to elementary school, and nobody talks about what’s going to happen to you as a parent, and what’s going to happen to your kid, when they leave and go to college,” said Jen Kennedy, of Matawan, NJ.

Her son William Kennedy ’26 graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Data Science in May, and is now pursuing his Master of Science in Data Science at Ramapo. “I just felt if there was anything I could share about his amazing experience here at Ramapo … how we navigated it with him and navigated it on our own, if I could share that and help someone, that would be great,” she said.

During the annual check-in day, parents and families also watched and cheered their students on as they participated in the Ramapo’s time-honored tradition of Arching, marking the beginning of their college journeys.

For more information on the PPC, visit the President’s Parents Council website.