A Critical Partnership: The Board, Head, and Director of Admission

A Critical Partnership: The Board, Head, and Director of

Admission

Susan Nelson – Head of SchoolLeo Marshall – Director of Admission and Financial

AidThe Webb Schools, CA

A View from the Porch

2CAIS: Heads/Trustees Conference

1.There are vastly different and more serious challenges than ever;

2.The Admission Office is the single largest revenue stream;

3.Students define the school;

4.The roles of Head, Board, and DOA are changing as a result;

5.“Lemming marketing” still prevails among boarding and day schools;

Lemming Marketing

A persistent and disastrous need to do what everyone else is doing even though they are heading over the precipice wasting time, money, and energy with little result. 4CAIS: Heads/Trustees Conference

6.We are facing an increasingly a confused and misguided population of millennial parents which has been exacerbated by economic conditions;

7.We need to rethink and redirect the energies of the admission office;

8. We need to engage the full possibilities of the “new” media;

9.The old way of using financial aid dollars as an enrollment management tool has to change;

10.The international population is not going away and will grow. We must adjust to their needs and cultural imperatives

9 QUESTIONS THAT NEED

ANSWERS FROM THE

HEAD/BOARD/DOACAIS: Heads/Trustees Conference 6

1.Statistically, what type of student do we attract and serve well?

2.Is this population increasing or decreasing? If it is decreasing, are we responding appropriately?

3.What other student groups might we consider serving? Are they a good fit for our mission, or are we merely looking to increase enrollment?

4.Are we prepared to invest the necessary resources not only to recruit but also to retain students?

5.Do we know why attending our school costs so much?

6.What steps have we taken to reduce the rate of student attrition?

7.Have we conducted a tuition-pricing study to determine how projected tuition increases affected student-preferences( for independent schools we can substitute “family choices” for “student preferences”.

8.Do we have solid data to help us determine whether we are in danger of pricing ourselves out of the marketplace?

9.Have we built a valued brand in the marketplace ahead of planned tuition increases?

Source: NAIS - Accountability and Demand: Financial Sustainability for Independent Schools

Implicationsfor the Head, Board, and

Director of Admission

Trends are the future that’s already

happened- Peter Drucker

The challenges have forced many boards to change

their composition and their operational style for the

better

1.are more strategic;2.must make data-driven decisions;3.must be agile and creative;4. must be policy partners;5.are judged on their performance and the school’s performance, not on their individual power or prestige in the community

6.Their Committee on Trustees is less interested in personal connections and more interested in attracting the talent and treasure they need to meet strategic goals

7.Have greater team work with the Head of School and the senior staff and more respect for the professionalism the senior leaders bring to the school

BOARDS OF TRUSTEES

And The Board Must….1. Expect clear, comprehensive reports on

“what’s important”;2. Establish and support the mission;3. Know the facts about the school and the

admission process;4. Work with Head, admin, and faculty to define

general student body composition and profile goals;

5. Help the head inform the “tricky” situations, e.g. sibs, legacies, high profile candidates;

6. And…..stay out of the Admission Office!

Heads of School are challenged to focus more energy outside school than in.

1.Is more CEO than Master Teacher.

2.Must lead not manage.3.Hires, mentors, & utilize

outstanding senior administrators.

4.Articulates institutional mission & strategic goals frequently and in a compelling manner.Provides & fosters autonomy and accountability.5.Be a collaborative, creative partner

THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

The Head Must….1.Provide guidance on what kind of students to select.2.Have clear enrollment goals – establish a hierarchy of “tradeoffs”.

3.Clarify publicly to other administrators and faculty the expectation of cooperation with the Admission Dept.

4.Provide opportunities for the DOA to speak and make presentations at faculty meetings.

5.Encourage the Board to invite the DOA to present at least once or twice per year at board meetings.

6.Include DOA in setting tuition and financial aid budget.7.Include DOA in critical communications with constituents.

8.Keep DOA informed about school operations and issues…no surprises.

The challenges call for a different kind of

Director of Admission

1.Is not a gatekeeper.

2.Is an educator first, marketer last.

3.Must watch the waves not the beach.

4.Strategizes first, markets later.

5.Has razor sharp focus.

The Director of Admission

The Director Must…..1. Understand and support enrollment goals

of school.2. Collaborate with Head and Board to

develop admission and marketing strategies.

3. Provide Head and Board with clear, unbiased view of the environment.

4. Assure there are no surprises.5. Provide parents with a clear understanding

of how the process of admission works.6. Be a critical voice in pricing deliberations.

General Guidelines1. Report to the Head Bi-Monthly2. Head and Director must agree on what Board

needs to know3. Written Report to the Board 3x per year

1. Early Fall – Analysis of Previous Year; Strategies for upcoming season

2. Mid-Year – Brief update on activities and numbers 3. End of Year – Share the successes and challenges

4. Keep reports brief and to the point5. Know the data!6. Anticipate questions!

Shared Visions

Shared Vision #1Strategy Development

1.Strategy focuses on value creation Students, parents, faculty, the community

2.Strategy starts with collective ambition and collective capability

3.Admission/marketing Strategy begins with agreements: Who to recruit and Why Where to recruit and why Who do deploy and why

Shared Vision # 2Student Body Composition Goals

1. Agreed upon standards and relative weight of admission criteria

Grades, sending school, program, testing, recs, interviews, other

2. Agreed upon student profileTreatment of siblings and legacies4. Special need candidates5. Special talent candidates

Shared Vision #3Communicating the Message

1.Create a well-designed and disciplined approach to communication with current parents

2.Internal cooperation is essential to a strong marketing orientation for the whole school

3.Develop and adequately fund a professional admission and marketing staff

4.Great schools market on their differences not similarities. Know what yours are! 23CAIS: Heads/Trustees Conference

SHARED VISION #4Financing and Financial Aid

1.The DOA and CFO/Business Manager- a critical relationship.

2.The DOA is a member of the Finance Committee.

3.Financial Aid is an enrollment management tool

4.The Board develops FA policy and establishes discount rates with the input of the Head and DOA.

24CAIS: Heads/Trustees

Conference

THANK YOU!Susan Nelson – snelson@webb.orgLeo Marshall – lmarshall@webb.org

Essential ReadingsBennis, W. & Biederman, P.W. (1997). Organizing Genius: The Secrets of Creative Collaboration. Reading, MA. Perseus Books.Collins, J. (2001). Good to Great. New York. Harper-Collins.Drucker, P.F.(2002), The Effective Executive. New York. Harper CollinsKotter, J. (1996). Leading Change. Harvard Business School Press. Boston.Kouses, J.M. & Posner, B.Z. (1997). The Leadership Challenge. San Francisco. Jossey-Bass.Lipman-Bluman, J.& Leavitt, H.J. (1999). Hot Groups: Seeding Them, Feeding Them, & Using Them to Ignite Your Organization. New York. Oxford University Press.

A Critical Partnership: The Board, Head, and Director of Admission

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