Admission Work Takes a Village—Engage Your School’s Faculty and Staff
By Lisa Lau Aquino, Director of Admission for The Hamlin School
The school year is in full swing and by now, you have undoubtedly initiated the process of introducing a new crop of prospective students and parents to your school. Although I’m neither new to admission nor to my school—this is my 17th admission season and 33rd year at Hamlin—every fall feels fresh and exciting.
One of the truths about our vocations as admission professionals is that admission is the work of everyone at our schools. Each constituency in our school communities can and should be ambassadors for our schools. Although every community member plays a role in admission, let’s focus specifically on those involved in the daily life of our schools—the faculty and staff. We honestly cannot do our work without them. Here are some ideas that can help involve and engage these important stakeholders in your admission process.
Get to know your co-workers
As you know, much of what we do in admission and enrollment involves relationship building. Working with your school’s faculty and staff is no different. Take the time to become acquainted with all the adults on your campus. Walk the floors to visit classrooms and offices. Engage your co-workers during lunch, in faculty/staff meetings and at after-school activities. Foster a collective pride in your school where all members are partners working toward the common goal of attracting and retaining mission-appropriate children and families.
Invite faculty and staff participation
Quite often, faculty and staff members are unfamiliar with all our jobs entail. Encourage your colleagues to come by your office to learn more about the admission and enrollment process. After major admission events involving the faculty, send out brief feedback surveys to solicit their perspectives and experiences. If there were aspects of an event that were particularly challenging, consider, if appropriate, inviting teachers to participate in an advisory committee to help brainstorm ways to reimagine or revise the event, while providing the goals, time constraints and cost limitations.
Create brand awareness
Additionally, it’s critical that your colleagues clearly understand the key, consistent messages about your school that they must convey to current and prospective families. They are an integral part of your school’s brand and are, in a sense, part of your “marketing team.” Make the effort to keep faculty and staff apprised with presentations throughout the admission cycle, including an end-of-year report on the admission season.
Share administrative information
Several years ago at Hamlin, it was clear to our administrative team that we needed to educate the faculty and staff on certain non-curricular aspects of our school. We had every employee participate in “Hamlin University.” We offered a rotation of three 20-minute sessions: Demystifying Leadership Teams, Advancement 101 and Finance 101. Our faculty and staff appreciated the opportunity to learn more about the important work that happens at Hamlin outside of their classrooms and offices.
Acknowledge their efforts
Finally, it’s important to find ways to continually acknowledge and express gratitude toward the faculty and staff for their participation in admission throughout the school year. Prospective parents often share poignant reflections that stem from their interactions with and observations of our extraordinary faculty and staff at Hamlin, and we make it a point to pass on those affirmations, along with our thanks for making our school stand out.