Welcome aboard!
There is a musical ring to this phrase that is an anthem for many admissions professionals. Among the many hats we wear, nothing is more important than the hat of chief welcome officer. We are often the first official face families meet on campus, at a school fair, or randomly at the grocery store (a blog for another time).
Lately, I've been reflecting on my journey as an admissions professional in independent schools. Something is exhilarating about getting in the trenches with a prospective family and coaching them to see beyond our application checklists and consider how we can partner to develop their child together.
Increasing tuitions and changing demographics aside, I see a huge pivot emerging from COVID. I learn weekly that mid-career teachers and administrators are pivoting away from their pre-COVID career tracks and exploring new opportunities from former colleagues. Independent schools will see more outsiders join our ranks, bringing with them fresh new ideas and ways to do business that will rejuvenate our industry.
How will we onboard these individuals? In my short time with independent schools, I've had the honor of representing two excellent schools. Admittedly, neither school knew how to onboard a new administrator well. We provide teaching faculty with a wealth of riches, buddies, one-on-one coaching on instruction and teaching, to name a few. For admissions work, we often outsource tools. While we have well-developed tools (like AISAP), schools take a massive gamble with outsourcing professional development for these incredibly visible administrators. For individuals whose responsibility is the financial lifeline of the school, we do very little within schools to help newcomers experience their new school.
Let's think about it another way. Last school year, many of our schools were online. Our children missed meeting up with their friends, chatting about the latest YouTube clip they saw, or the experiment that went wrong in science class. Indeed, our children spoke about these vignettes of school life, but more than likely not in person. We heard our parents' resounding cry to call students back to in-person learning. Why? Culture. They chose our schools because of our culture. Even a robust virtual program can't replicate the intangible experiences that comprise a school's culture.
Many of us may aspire to be Heads of School one day. COVID will become case studies at institutes for years to come. Yet, let us remember one crucial fact: onboarding administrators requires activating our school's channels so that newcomers understand the most critical aspect of what they represent. Let's empower them, and like our newly admitted families, help them experience why your school's culture is unique. A skillful administrator knows they will have to internalize and interpret the school culture to help them craft their own, genuine narrative of the community they represent. Activities such as serving an advisor or coach are easy activities to get one's feet wet. However, given the increasing complexities of the challenges we face as enrollment professionals in independent schools, onboarding means getting into the trenches with your newcomer. Walk in their shoes. This sacred act is an opportunity to recall why you are at your school and, more importantly, why you choose to remain. We may find new perspectives and insights into our school through this rebirth of sorts that will remind us why we stay despite the challenges we face in these uncertain times.
David Lazo
Director of Admissions & Financial Aid
Woodside Priory School