Edie Halenbeck won’t be packing textbooks or a laptop, but the Los Altos mother of three is thrilled to be heading back to school on Saturday — to Parent and Family Weekend at UC Davis. The university’s first parent weekend in more than a decade will be held Nov. 7-8.

“It’s just great to be in touch and bring back memories of when we were in college and experience it again through the students,” said Halenbeck, whose son, Sean, is a junior majoring in neurobiology, physiology and behavior.

Halenbeck and her husband, Pete, will be among almost 500 parents attending the flagship event, part of a growing effort to more closely embrace parents as members of the UC Davis family.

Aggie traditions, football

The weekend’s 200 spots sold out quickly. So organizers found a bigger venue for a breakfast, bought more football tickets and reopened registration. More than 100 parents registered within 24 hours, and registration was capped at about 500.

“Parents are really excited about this weekend,” said Maria Zalesky, who was hired as director of parents programs in February to help foster connections with parents.

Zalesky said the weekend would include some Saturday morning lessons in Aggie traditions, including the campus cheer. Then parents will enjoy a pre-game festival before a 1 p.m. football game against the Cal Poly Mustangs.

On Sunday, Chancellor Linda Katehi and Vice Chancellor Fred Wood, who oversees services that support and enhance the student experience, will speak at a breakfast for parents. Afterward, parents can opt for one of 10 hour-long tours highlighting campus academics and amenities from engineering to the arboretum.

“It’s so great you’re doing this,” said Halenbeck, who, with her husband, graduated from San Diego State University in 1980.

About 1,000 parents have joined a recently established parent association, which offers discounts to events and the UC Davis Bookstore, and parent T-shirts and decals. Zalesky has already hosted campus receptions for parents at summer orientation and on move-in weekend. She plans to develop other resources and activities including regional events that take UC Davis to where parents live.

Parents: ‘vital’ to university

“Parents are a vital part of our institution.” Zalesky said. “They have a stake in what is going on here, and they are some of the best advocates for the university.”

Zalesky is building on UC Davis’ existing programs for parents, including Aggie Family Pack’s newsletter, now in its eighth year of publication; Aggie Pride Parents, a group started last fall for the parents of NCAA student-athletes; and the Parents Fund giving program.

The new parent programming initiative, overseen by the Office of Alumni Relations, is funded by a grant from the UC Office of the President.

More information: parents.ucdavis.edu