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Admission from the Inside Out:Creating a Whole-School Admission Perspective

PNAIS Institutional Advancement Conference 2010

Everyone’s an Expert …

Admission is like sex:

Everyone thinks they’re good at it.

Overview

I. Data-Driven Admission & Dashboard Indicators

II. Admission Today

III. The Board & Admission

IV. The Head & Admission

V. Your Colleagues & Admission

VI. Best Practices/Samples

Once upon a time ……Admission was a little something that the Head

did along with all of his/her other work.

…Inquiries were filed on index cards. No one worried about their website, Facebook, Twitter, which admission database to use, or how many ways a student could apply.

…And … the traditional admission funnel was an easy way to track progress and plan.

Inquiries & Leads

Interviews / Visits

Applicants

Accepts

The (old) Admission Funnel

Alumni

Enroll

“Without data, it’s just an opinion.”

“Schools must show evidence of using data in meaningful ways.” (Doug Lyons, CAIS)

• How important are test scores in predicting student success?

• How do you quantify the value of your school?

• What are the measurable educational outcomes?

Data-Driven Admission® “Funnel”

Private School Environment

School-Type Environment

School’s Competitive Position

Defined Student Profile

Big-Picture Environment

Calib

rate

Students Fitting Profile

Selection Process

Marketing & Recruitment

Consumer Habits

Integration & Outcomes

Today’s Admission DirectorDuties May Include:

Coach Database Expert

Tax Specialist Counselor

Marketer Educational Planner

Traveling salesman Intercultural relations

Manager Data Analyst

Teaching Dorm Duty

Envelope stuffer Coffee maker

Tour guide Event planner

Speaker Driver

Today’s Admission DirectorMust:• Understand and support enrollment goals of

school

• Provide Head & Board with a clear, unbiased view of the environment

• Ensure that there are no surprises

• Provide parents with a clear understanding of the admission process

Leo Marshall, The Webb Schools

“Dashboards”

Metric + KPI = Dashboard• Metric - Direct numerical measure

• Key Performance Indicator (KPI) - A metric that is tied to a target

Effective way of alerting user where they are in relation to objectives

Sample Dashboard:SSATB Monthly Board Report Template

• Test Volume (National & Flex)

Total, Last Year, % of Last Year

• Member Volume

Total, Inquiries, Contact

• Meetings/Presentations/Visits

List by name and location

• Headlines:

- Independent Schools of St. Louis (ISSL) vote to return to use of the SSAT

- 2010 Annual Meeting program confirms 3 keynoters.

- 8,700 applications submitted through SAO –representing nearly ten-fold increase since 2006.

Dashboard Data on MAP

Efficiency & Accountability

Strategic Enrollment Management requires that you find ways to do more with less to maximize net tuition revenue.

How can you demonstrate that?

Recruitment Metrics

• Number & characteristics of inquiries, applicants, admits, deposits, enrolled students

• Percentage of students moving from one funnel stage to next

• Number and percentage students for each identified target group (geographic areas, feeder schools, international, athletes, boarding, day, etc.)

Marketing & Communication Metrics

• Percentage increase in recruitment activity in targeted marketing areas

• Market share – percentage of potential students in target market who enroll

Retention Metrics

• Percentage of students that re-enroll

• Breakdown by target group

Financial Metrics• Tuition revenue

• Total financial aid spent

• Average award (boarding/day)

• Need not met

• Discount rate

• Net tuition revenue

I. The Board of Trustees& Admission

In what way(s) is admission a Board issue?

In what way(s) is admission NOT a Board issue?

Fiduciary Responsibilities (NAIS)

Every trustee:

• Is responsible for the financial well being of the school

• Must have a basic knowledge of school’s fiscal status

• <in conjunction with full Board> Makes all major funding decisions, such as approving the yearly operating budget and setting tuition

NAIS Board CommitteesCommittee % of Boards w/ these

committeesFinance Committee 98%Development 94%Executive 89%Governance/Nominating 88%Building & Grounds 83%Strategic Planning 49%Education 44%Admission 21%

What does the Board need to know?

- You are an Admission Professional

Up-to-date about trends & best practices

- Admission Successes

Ex. Transitioned to online application saw an increase in applications and family satisfaction

- Admission Challenges

Ex. Precipitous decline in Korean market

- Basic Funnel Numbers

5-year enrollment history

- YTD comparisons

- Competitive Market Position

- Who is the competition (has it changed)

- How are you different

Suggested Seasonal Board Reports

• Early Fall: Analysis of previous year and strategies for upcoming admission season

• Mid Year: Brief update on activities and numbers

• End-of-Year: Share admission successes and challenges

Leo Marshall, The Webb Schools

Report Advice

• Less is more

• Use graphs/charts to illustrate key trends

• Support opinions and planning with data

II. Head of School &Admission

NAIS PoGP for Heads:• (#1) Works with trustees to establish and refine mission; supports mission

in working with all constituencies

• (#6) Responsible for financial management

• (#9) Ensures that the PoGP of all school operations especially those of admission, marketing, etc. demonstrate integrity at all levels of the school

What’s Your <Head’s> Style?

I meet with/speak with my head:

a. Multiple times a day

b. Once a day

c. Once a week

d. Infrequently

e. On the golf course

Educate Your Head

• Do provide relevant school-specific, visually-appealing data

• Don’t inundate her with superfluous statistics

• Do communicate about the complexities of the J-O-B and the need for training

• Don’t complain about it

Opening the lines of communication

1. What do you wish the other person understood about your work?

2. What is the assistance that helps?

3. What is the assistance that impedes or confuses?

Heads Agree…

Admission directors need to tell me what I don’t know, communicate

needs, and manage up.

SSATB 2008 Senior Symposium

Heads & Admission Directors Agree…

Admission “owns the process” of

admission…

BUT

Admission Directors, Heads, and other

school leaders are responsible for

enrollment management.

SSATB Senior Symposium 2008

I Wish the Admission Director Would…

• Understand when I as Head need to make a decision

• Offer solutions, not problems

• Be proactive, not reactive

• Demonstrate good data analysis

• Provide mission-consistent nudging

• Manage the anxiety of admission

What heads want!

I Wish My Head Would…• Ensure that admission is part of administrative

meetings

• Recognize admission’s value in having a finger on the pulse of the external community

• Remember that the entire year is busy, not just the admission “season”

• Provide access to the Board and act as buffer with the Board

• Remind the whole school that enrollment is a community effort

So, what does your Head need to know?

• Financially-speaking• Enrollment picture vis-á-vis enrollment &

financial aid targets

• School Climate• Number of “at risk” students

• What is the market like for mission-appropriate students

• Future• Who is the competition. Changing?

• What is your plan? Next year? Long term?

Be Proactive

Whether or not they ask for it, consider a weekly “dashboard indicator” for your head of school.

III. Colleagues & Admission

• Senior Administration

• Faculty

• Staff• Administrative Support Staff

• Building & Grounds

• Housekeeping

The Admin “Team”• Establish yourself as informed professional

• Communication is key

• Provide brief (dashboard) report at all admin meetings

• Transparent admission process

• Agreed-upon student profile

• Clearly articulated criteria

• Realistic goals and targets

• Mutually satisfactory trade-offs

Faculty• Compel them to help you

• “Teachers are what make the school.”

• Educate them• Who are today’s families

• What are their expectations

• School’s key messages• Common vocabulary

• Reinforce value-added

Why does a boy select Salisbury?

1. 49% Academic Program/Curriculum

2. 45% Friendly/Welcoming Environment

3. 37% Athletic Program/Opportunities

4. 33% Campus/Facilities

Needs – Millennial Expectations

• Frequent, personalized communication

• Individualized program

• Excellent teaching

• Significant adult/student relationships

• Supervision and safety (a clean beautiful campus)

Source: David Erdmann, 2007 TABS Conference

Conduct in-service trainingsSuggested topics:

• International students

• Defined student profile

• Student outcomes

• Parent surveys

• Admission criteria (transparency)

Speak with One VoiceProvide key communicators with “Points of Emphasis” • Common language/vocabulary

• Emphasize agreed-upon strengths

Solidifies message internally and externally.

Data Sharing: A Two-Way Street

Faculty Needs:Realistic view of admission landscape

Understand admission criteria/requirements

Have input in creating Defined Student Profile

Work with admission to outline agreed-upon tradeoffs

Admission Needs:

Performance Data

- SAT scores

-AP scores

-GPA

-Career transition

-College Transition

What do staff need to know?• Focus on customer service

• Signage/parking

• Telephone etiquette

• Greeter

• Admission calendar

• Open houses

• Orientation (rooms ready/clean)

• Admission tours

• Million dollar walk

• Plant manager drive golf cart on tour route every day

Show Me the Data!

“Real life” examples of colleagues using data to communicate with

board, head, colleagues.

Why does a boy select Salisbury?

1. 49% Academic Program/Curriculum

2. 45% Friendly/Welcoming Environment

3. 37% Athletic Program/Opportunities

4. 33% Campus/Facilities

Just as Important, Why Not?

Refused our offer. Don’t move on, ask WHY?

Most common reasons for declining offer:– 34% Coed School

– 18% Staying Home

– 18% Perceived Academic Reputation too challenging or not challenging enough

– 10% Choose a boarding school closer to home

Coed schools and staying home, or closer to home = biggest competition!

Salisbury’s Self-AuditYield Ratio by Crossover School, Comparative Statistics

Crossover admits (4+ shared applicants)– Over 66% yield success – Approx. 50/50 – Less than 33% success

Objective Statistics: How do we “rank” vs. other schools?

– Endowment– Faculty with advanced degrees– Test scores

Does Size Really Matter?Relationship between endowment and yield:

– 6 of top 10 crossover schools endowments in

$25-60 million range

– 2 below

– 2 above

Efficiency: Know What Works & What to Improve

05

10152025303540

Consultant Legacy FeederSchool

Website

Enrolled

Denied

Allocating Resources

Denied Candidates Two Year Averages

38%

4%4%14%

15%

13%

12% Website /Guidebook

Legacy / Friend /Relative

Feeder School

Feeder Program

Fair

Consultant /Counsellor

Other

Track Funnel by GradeFifth Form (11th grade)

– Most who interview apply• No need to have top interviewer

• Focus on other areas where ratio not as high

– High ratio of accept to enroll

Strength of (Primary) Market

Nearly 50% of Salisbury’s Score Reporters are within a 100 mile radius of the school. Good news – an additional 9,910 SSAT Test-Takers are in that same 100 mile radius!

Benefits – Show ROI

VVS New Students from Hong Kong

& Taiwan:

• Total tuition revenue - $401,200

• Total direct recruitment cost - $12,051

• Number of students - 12

• Financial status - 11 full pay, 1 f-aid

• Net tuition per student - $33,433 (highest of all groups)

• Retention rate - 90%

• Qualities - class pres., musicians (3), top academic (2)

• ESL & International Student Fees - $30,000

• Percent of Boarders – 10%; 14% boarding net tuition

• Highest ROI of any group

International Students, Trinity-Pawling School

18% of the student body; from 20 countries

– 45% on Headmaster’s List

– 50% in AP classes

– Represent 75% of T-P’s Ivy League placements

– Helped raise ave. SAT by 150 points

– Less than 1% on academic probation

– 41% give to Annual Fund

– Account for 53% of the Capital Fund

Ideas from the Field• Give a “pop quiz” about admission

at a faculty meeting

• Give an award for “admission colleague of the month”

• Report at every staff/faculty meeting on admission

• Publicly thank/acknowledge people

• Share successes

• Others?

Credits & ResourcesColleagues:

• Peter Gilbert, Salisbury School

• Leo Marshall, The Webb Schools

• Don Smith, VVS (now

• MacGregor Robinson, Trinity-Pawling School

• Kathy Hanson, Marts & Lundy

Resources:

• Bontrager, Bob, Strategic Enrollment Management: An Introduction to Core Concepts and Strategies

• Gonzalex, Tom, Key Performance Indicators & Metrics: Choosing the right data to display

• SSATB, Teaching and Learning: At the Heart of Enrollment Management

• SSATB, Data-Driven Admission ™: A New Look at the Admission Funnel

THE END

Thank you!!!

Aimee Gruber

Director of Outreach, SSATB

250.733.2685 (PT)

agruber@ssat.org