Record-breaking Parents' Weekend wows Bruin moms and dads in unexpected ways

By Mike Padilla

As UCLA alumni and parents of Jonathan, a freshman, Lori and Richard Sklar-Glucksman arrived on campus for UCLA Parents' Weekend 2007 expecting to be impressed by their alma mater's renowned faculty, stellar students and incredible beauty.

After all, this visit was deja vu. But what took them by surprise was that this big campus could feel so small. "UCLA reached out to parents in a way that was warm and intimate," Lori said. "From the moment we walked onto campus with Jonathan, we felt we were a part of something special."

Parents' Weekend, which ran from October 1921, is an annual event that gives parents of undergraduate students a chance to experience campus life the way their kids do. This year's Weekend broke all previous records for attendance, with 3,200 parents and students taking part in invigorating faculty lectures, presentations by deans and the chancellor, festive parties and the Bruins' exciting win over Cal at the Rose Bowl.

According to Rhea Turteltaub, interim vice chancellor of external affairs, UCLA Parents' Weekend has become a hallmark campus event, not just for parents and students, but for other members of the UCLA family as well.

"This year," she said, "we made our greatest effort ever to reach out to staff and faculty and to include Alumni Association volunteers as hosts. Parents' Weekend 2007 demonstrated and strengthened the continuum that is the Bruin family."

It's a family that the Sklar-Glucksmans feel more a part of than ever. "It was a wonderful weekend," Lori said. "We'd certainly come back for it."