June- that month when we celebrate the end of another academic year and tuck it into “the past,” embrace the slower summer planning time of “the present,” and look forward to shaping the futures of our schools and our students in “the future.” June- that month when many of us pay tribute to those who have served as mentors to ourselves and our students, and who have helped to shape, not just the student experience while they are on our campus but in many instances have influenced the directionality of many of our students far into their future.
The past: It was June 1983 when I began my professional journey; my career direction was on the verge of being set. It was the start of a professional journey that was founded and based on interests and volunteer passions, not on an academic major or educational track. A professional journey that was not available as a choice in any 1983 “Top Ten Professions” list or noted at any career fairs. It was a vocation that I needed to explain to family and friends as it was not known or understood. I joined the Admission Staff at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA as an Assistant Director of Admission. This hitherto unheard of job consisted of an expense account, international travel, financial aid discussions, school visits, public speaking, counseling eighteen year olds as to their next four years when I was only four years older and barely knew my next step, and the occasional requirement to be an “adult advisor” to a club or activity on campus. I knew nothing but the school, the memorized distribution requirements, the tuition and who to turn to if, at the end of it all, I was over my head. I learned to read a transcript, to interpret SAT scores, to understand the nuances of a recommendation, to survive a college fair, to conduct an interview - everything from one man: my mentor and my Director of Admission and Financial Aid, Dick Skelton. When I left Bucknell University five years later to pursue Independent School leadership, as a Director of Admission and Financial Aid for a PreK - 12th grade school, I was confident in my next step because I had been trained by one of the best in the business. In the past, Admission professionals received no formal training other than “boots on the ground” and listening and learning from the masters (and of course the occasional NACAC professional development conference).
The present: As AISAP was founded and remains committed to our mission - advancing, advocating, empowering, and educating all who are passionate about admission and enrollment management - I recognize that we (AISAP) are strong, based, in large part, on the support, recognition and commitment of those who are our current mentors and leaders. Admission and enrollment management professionals embrace their current success because of those mentors who see a need for standardized and best practice training, who believe in our profession, who know to their core the value of association (just as our Annual Institute Cornerstone Speaker, Don Yaeger, continually speaks to this important element in leadership). So Dick Skelton- believe it or not, the value of my association with you is that your words and your actions resonate and ring in my head as I embrace my present leadership and provide opportunities for fellow admission professionals, through AISAP, to remain true to ourselves and our responsibility.
The future: The profession has come a long way since the 80’s. We’ve lost some giants whose shoes will never be filled. And yet the future for Admission and Enrollment management is bright! Choosing Admission as a profession is no longer “accidental.” Choosing to remain in this vocation is a calling, as well as the stepping stone to leadership of an institution’s future. In the not too distant future, when a five year old is asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I am confident they might say, "I want to be an Admission Professional!" And that future will be possible because now, in our present, we knew that training for Admission and Enrollment Management needs to be more than mentorship. Training needed to come from, and be supported by, a resource that would be inclusion and responsive. Furthermore, training needs to be provided to demonstrate proficiency through certification, yes a certified independent school professional in admission and independent school enrollment management. (Announced by AISAP in March 2015 with a first cohort class announcement date July 2015). Additionally as noted below peer-to-peer support and training in our Consultancy Services also supports the future of Independent School Admission. Those who understand, mentor--those who lead, inspire leadership.
So this June, I celebrate my past by honoring my personal mentor, Dick Skelton. I embrace the present growth and success of AISAP in accomplishing our mission. And I look forward to shaping the future of the field I love: Independent School Admission and Enrollment Management. Won’t you take a moment and join me in celebrating your past, embracing your present, and shaping the future? See you at the Annual Institute, on the other end of the phone, in an email, or ,of course, as we travel to see you in your neighborhoods around the globe.