AISAP52

This is NOT optional - essential next steps:

STOP. PAUSE. BREATHE. REFLECT and think about YOU. When was the last time you did just that? The simple act of taking time to think about yourself is something we hear is essential, and we know it is essential, and yet - when have we done it?- Especially in the context of our essential work as Admission and Enrollment Professionals. 

In a year when COVID-related issues manifested themselves in salary freezes or reductions in independent schools, it’s no surprise career concerns are top of mind for many admission and enrollment professionals. That’s one reason the release of our annual Pathways survey findings and professional guidelines and guidance seems particularly timely this year. 

Each year, we conduct this in-depth survey to take an in-depth look at job responsibilities, salaries, staffing, and operational challenges of admission and enrollment professionals. This year, we had our highest number of survey respondents ever, an 6% increase from last year. That alone speaks to the myriad concerns of our colleagues during these difficult times. 

This year’s survey carries over the previous two years’ redesign and focuses on the professional’s experience. And for the first time, we’re releasing the findings as a full-scale research paper. You’ll find peer comparisons including salary, job roles, and office environment broken out by school type and job title. We cover salaries and benefits, and how to align staffing with demand and workload. We’ve identified the challenges of rising costs and increasing competition, and how to combat them with innovation and a renewed focus on your school’s value proposition as well. And, of course, we detail how COVID-19 has impacted the industry.

In addition to data gathering, we also provided respondents the ability to answer open-ended questions that provide additional factors, including match percentage limits, experience-based tier limits, and vesting levels per years of employment. Responses to these questions revealed how professionals at independent schools are adapting to challenges regarding diminished resources, diversity in recruitment and retention, and the logistical problems presented by COVID.

We invite you to dive into the survey’s findings and trends here. It’s our hope it will not only inform you and your office but will spark debate about our profession and your professional journey.