On Friday and Saturday, Suffolk will welcome students and families to explore the Suffolk campus and give back to the school during Family Weekend.

From bidding in silent auctions to learning about graduate programs, the schedule offers families and friends many opportunities to get engage with students, faculty and administration.

While the weekend is mostly geared toward lighthearted fun, it is also an ideal opportunity for President Margaret McKenna.

In a recent interview with the Journal, McKenna emphasized her desire to be integrated with students as much as possible to learn, support and ultimately help them succeed. Her personal involvement this weekend amongst students and efforts to immerse herself into the community cannot be stressed enough as she approaches the six-month mark of her reign.

However, this weekend is also a rare chance for her to personally introduce herself to an important group of Suffolk’s stakeholders, students’ parents.

McKenna should pay particular attention to parents’ hopes and concerns, and take note of what’s on their minds. They are heavily invested in their child’s education, and no doubt want a closer relationship with the community they are visiting. Traditionally, parents foot the tuition bill and students take on paying back debts after graduation, so if McKenna can capitalize on both parties she is one step closer to decreasing stress on tuition revenue and increasing benefactor and alumni donations, a goal she has previously shared.

By the same token, students with attending parents should make the most of the two days and show them what Suffolk has to offer.