Abstract:

The involvement of parents in the education of their children is traditionally seen as a problem of school education. Parents of students are seldom studied as stakeholders of higher education. Meanwhile, parents directly and latently influence the higher education, expressing their opinion about universities, funding the education of their children, helping them with professional choices, make charitable contributions. Parents' trust the universities and parents' involvement in higher education are interrelated variables. Russian universities should consider students' parents not as outside observers, but as trustees and agents of influence on students' educational strategies.
The aim of the article is to study the parents of Russian students as a specific group of university stakeholders.

Research tasks:
1. To identify the opinion of parents about the value of higher education for their children and awareness among parents about higher education.
2. To reveal the involvement of parents in the educational practices of their children.
3. To assess parents' willingness to participate in social practices of university development.
The empirical base of the study is the results of a mass survey of students' parents (2018, n=452, purposive sample). Parents living in the Ural Federal district, in 50 settlements of various types (villages, small, medium, large cities and megalopolis) were questioned. Their children learn in 13 universities of the Ural Federal district.

Research results:
1. Parents of Russian students declare great interest in getting their children higher education. Sometimes their desire to provide children a higher education is even greater than the students' own wish to pursue higher education. Parents guide their children's educational choices based on the children's interests and labor market conditions. Due to financial difficulties, parents recommend their children to enter universities located in the nearest cities and regions. Parents are well informed about these universities. They are insufficiently informed about the universities of remote regions and capitals of Russia.
2. Most parents are adherents of the authoritative model of interaction with their children (students of universities). They combine control with consideration of opinion of children, respond to their problems and certainly support the student's desire to be independent. One in five parents are aware of all the problems their children have in higher education, almost half of parents are aware of most of the problems. Parents do not just declare a joint solution to problems in education, but also implement it in practice. Therefore, the satisfaction of parents and students with various aspects of the University education coincide.
3. Parents are not well informed about the possibilities of participation in the university management. However, they declare their willingness to influence the situation in university and higher education, if it is in the interests of their children. Parents preferred such forms of involvement as work in the Council of parents, charitable contributions, participation in public organizations acting in defense of students and teachers. At the same time, it is obvious that the activity of parents as stakeholders is limited by the interests of students. Parents are less inclusive of the interests of other educational communities and universities in general.

Keywords:

Higher education, universities, parents, students, stakeholders, trust.