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

1. A Critical Partnership: The Board, Head, and Director of Admission Susan Nelson – Head of School Leo Marshall – Director of Admission and Financial Aid The Webb Schools, CA

2. A View from the Porch CAIS: Heads/Trustees Conference

3. There are vastly different and more serious challenges than ever; • The Admission Office is the single largest revenue stream; • Students define the school; • The roles of Head, Board, and DOA are changing as a result; • “Lemming marketing” still prevails among boarding and day schools; CAIS: Heads/Trustees Conference

4. 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. CAIS: Heads/Trustees Conference

5. We are facing an increasingly a confused and misguided population of millennial parents which has been exacerbated by economic conditions; • We need to rethink and redirect the energies of the admission office; • We need to engage the full possibilities of the “new” media; • The old way of using financial aid dollars as an enrollment management tool has to change; • The international population is not going away and will grow. We must adjust to their needs and cultural imperatives CAIS: Heads/Trustees Conference

6. 9 QUESTIONS THAT NEED ANSWERS FROM THE HEAD/BOARD/DOA CAIS: Heads/Trustees Conference

7. Statistically, what type of student do we attract and serve well? • Is this population increasing or decreasing? If it is decreasing, are we responding appropriately? • What other student groups might we consider serving? Are they a good fit for our mission, or are we merely looking to increase enrollment? • Are we prepared to invest the necessary resources not only to recruit but also to retain students? • Do we know why attending our school costs so much? CAIS: Heads/Trustees Conference

8. What steps have we taken to reduce the rate of student attrition? • 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”. • Do we have solid data to help us determine whether we are in danger of pricing ourselves out of the marketplace? • Have we built a valued brand in the marketplace ahead of planned tuition increases? Source: NAIS - Accountability and Demand: Financial Sustainability for Independent Schools CAIS: Heads/Trustees Conference

9. Implicationsfor the Head, Board, and Director of Admission Trends are the future that’s already happened - Peter Drucker

10. The challenges have forced many boards to change their composition and their operational style for the better

11. BOARDS OF TRUSTEES • are more strategic; • must make data-driven decisions; • must be agile and creative; • must be policy partners; • are judged on their performance and the school’s performance, not on their individual power or prestige in the community • 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 • 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 CAIS: Heads/Trustees Conference

12. And The Board Must…. • Expect clear, comprehensive reports on “what’s important”; • Establish and support the mission; • Know the facts about the school and the admission process; • Work with Head, admin, and faculty to define general student body composition and profile goals; • Help the head inform the “tricky” situations, e.g. sibs, legacies, high profile candidates; • And…..stay out of the Admission Office! CAIS: Heads/Trustees Conference

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

14. THE HEAD OF SCHOOL • Is more CEO than Master Teacher. • Must lead not manage. • Hires, mentors, & utilize outstanding senior administrators. • Articulates institutional mission & strategic goals frequently and in a compelling manner. Provides & fosters autonomy and accountability. • Be a collaborative, creative partner CAIS: Heads/Trustees Conference

15. The Head Must…. • Provide guidance on what kind of students to select. • Have clear enrollment goals – establish a hierarchy of “tradeoffs”. • Clarify publicly to other administrators and faculty the expectation of cooperation with the Admission Dept. • Provide opportunities for the DOA to speak and make presentations at faculty meetings. • Encourage the Board to invite the DOA to present at least once or twice per year at board meetings. • Include DOA in setting tuition and financial aid budget. • Include DOA in critical communications with constituents. • Keep DOA informed about school operations and issues…no surprises. CAIS: Heads/Trustees Conference

16. The challenges call for a different kind of Director of Admission

17. The Director of Admission • Is not a gatekeeper. • Is an educator first, marketer last. • Must watch the waves not the beach. • Strategizes first, markets later. • Has razor sharp focus. CAIS: Heads/Trustees Conference

18. The Director Must….. • Understand and support enrollment goals of school. • Collaborate with Head and Board to develop admission and marketing strategies. • Provide Head and Board with clear, unbiased view of the environment. • Assure there are no surprises. • Provide parents with a clear understanding of how the process of admission works. • Be a critical voice in pricing deliberations. CAIS: Heads/Trustees Conference

19. General Guidelines • Report to the Head Bi-Monthly • Head and Director must agree on what Board needs to know • Written Report to the Board 3x per year • Early Fall – Analysis of Previous Year; Strategies for upcoming season • Mid-Year – Brief update on activities and numbers • End of Year – Share the successes and challenges • Keep reports brief and to the point • Know the data! • Anticipate questions! CAIS: Heads/Trustees Conference

20. Shared Visions CAIS: Heads/Trustees Conference

21. Shared Vision #1Strategy Development • Strategy focuses on value creation • Students, parents, faculty, the community • Strategy starts with collective ambition and collective capability • Admission/marketing Strategy begins with agreements: • Who to recruit and Why • Where to recruit and why • Who do deploy and why CAIS: Heads/Trustees Conference

22. Shared Vision # 2Student Body Composition Goals • Agreed upon standards and relative weight of admission criteria • Grades, sending school, program, testing, recs, interviews, other • Agreed upon student profile Treatment of siblings and legacies • Special need candidates • Special talent candidates CAIS: Heads/Trustees Conference

23. Shared Vision #3Communicating the Message • Create a well-designed and disciplined approach to communication with current parents • Internal cooperation is essential to a strong marketing orientation for the whole school • Develop and adequately fund a professional admission and marketing staff • Great schools market on their differences not similarities. Know what yours are! CAIS: Heads/Trustees Conference

24. SHARED VISION #4Financing and Financial Aid • The DOA and CFO/Business Manager- a critical relationship. • The DOA is a member of the Finance Committee. • Financial Aid is an enrollment management tool • The Board develops FA policy and establishes discount rates with the input of the Head and DOA. CAIS: Heads/Trustees Conference

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

26. Essential Readings • Bennis, 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 Collins • Kotter, 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. CAIS: Heads/Trustees Conference