2:00-5:30 p.m.

5:30-6:00 p.m.

6:00-7:00 p.m.

7:00-7:30 p.m.

7:30-8:30 p.m.

8:30-9:00 p.m.

7:45-8:45 a.m.

9:00-9:30 a.m.

Brainstorming
Description Coming

9:30-10:30 a.m.

Living the Life of an Admission Officer Admission Faculty
Whether you are new to admissions or taking on a new role as Director of Admission, understanding your role within the office and school is key to a successful year for you and your school. We’ll discuss what it means to work in admissions and how admission officers face different challenges today than 5, 10 or 15 years ago. We will also share advice on how to balance your responsibility within admissions and other roles on campus while trying to survive the year and enjoying the rewards of the profession. Others can chime in on this description.

Your Elevator Speech Tom Sheppard
Description coming

Admission Funnel Pete Upham
This is not your fraternity or sorority’s funnel.  The admission funnel will serve as a reference point during the Academy.  Consider this session the primer.  The process of admission, at its most basic, is guiding a relatively large group of prospective candidates through a series of steps and filters, which ultimately yields a relatively small group of enrolled students.  These steps, along with a useful glossary of admission, financial aid, and enrollment terms, will be outlined and defined.

Inquiries and Office Procedures: Maximizing the Potential of Your Inquiry Pool Tom Sheppard
Inquiries are the lifeblood of the admission process, and all admission offices depend upon them for the success of our marketing efforts. Ensuring that your office attracts and manages inquiries efficiently and effectively is an essential step in the admission process. This session discusses a variety of techniques and procedures that all admission offices should consider to ensure that each inquiry maximizes its potential.

Effective Admission Travel: The Chase is On Cindy McWilliams
It’s September, and the traditional admission travel season has begun. Optimizing your chances for success this year begins with a thorough plan laid out far in advance. This session will provide important information about admission travel with emphasis on “rookie” travel assignments such as representing your school at a boarding school fair, in addition to visiting a feeder school or educational consultant.

Campus Visits Kim Loughlin
For all our schools, the visit can and will make a difference.  This may be the most important key to establishing a strong relationship with a student and his/her family.  The presentation of one’s school can go a long way in meeting expectations of the family.  We will cover the logistics of campus visits (including good communication prior to their walking through your front door); setting the tone of the visit; and what the faculty, maintenance department and students can do to help make the best impression. 

Further discussion of tour guide programs and special events such as open houses, revisit days and overnights will be covered Thursday, July 26, from 1:45-2:45 p.m. or from 3:00-4:00 p.m. during workgroup sessions entitled Tour Guide Programs and Special Events.

Financial Aid 101 Cindy McWilliams
Financial aid is often perceived as one of the most nebulous issues in independent schools.  Just how much financial aid does your school have to award?  Who gets it and why?  Are awards need-based or merit-based?  How does the process work?  This can be a very sensitive issue for parents seeking to provide an education for their children that can be very difficult for them to afford.  So, you should simply hand such tricky issues over to your director, right?  Wrong.  There are a few key essentials that all admission officers should understand about the financial aid process.  In addition to learning the fundamentals of the process, we will also discuss the importance of the approach admission officers should take when discussing this issue with prospective families.

International Student Assessment Tom Sheppard
Accurate assessment of international applicants can be challenging for even the most seasoned admission officer. School year calendars, transcripts, test scores and recommendations vary widely from country to country.  As a result, admission officers often wonder if they have made appropriate admission decisions for these applicants.  This session discusses techniques for reviewing files of international applicants and making informed and fair admission decisions.

Marketing 202 Pete Upham
Come see a one-hour preview of the popular Marketing Academy, held each winter as part of TABS’ annual conference.  This workgroup, designed for those with at least a basic understanding of marketing terms and concepts, will take the shape of a guided conversation.  Come prepared to share your own experiences and to discuss the elements essential to the development and execution of a strategically sound (and effective) marketing plan.  This session is especially appropriate for new directors or others charged with spearheading the enrollment and/or marketing efforts at their schools.

Korean-Specific Culture in Boarding Schools
Christine Oh Chapman, Educational Consultant
Korean families are very interested in the Canadian and US boarding school experience, and, as a result, a large number of students from that nation are enrolled in our schools.  How do we best serve these Korean students, and what issues do boarding schools face once these students are admitted? Come join a lively discussion about issues pertaining to Korean students. Please come prepared with questions – and don’t be shy! We can talk about anything, from food and visas, to hygiene and hierarchical issues. We can also explore issues of the dual identity crises many of these students face and try to find ways to make them feel more comfortable in our schools.

International Multicultural Experience: Orientation and Programming (Ginger  Love)    
Making the most of the international multicultural experience on our campuses requires thoughtful design and programming.  This workgroup builds on the ideas presented in the last large group session, presenting specific orientation plans to prepare international students for the linguistic and cultural challenges of transitioning to life in our schools. We will also share best practices ideas for activities designed to promote cultural exchange on our campuses.

 The Outsiders (Doug Dickson & Carol Hotchkiss)
Boarding schools have become an attractive choice for many families who have not traditionally considered this option.  The economic, cultural, geographical, gender and family backgrounds, as well as learning styles, of our students are more diverse than ever.  Nontraditional students and their families face many adjustments that may go unnoticed in the busy life of a school.  Sensitivity to these modifications can improve retention and avoid accumulated pressures that may arise.

Supporting Students of Color  (Michael Gary)
What is it like to be a student of color in today’s boarding schools?  Using a series of case studies based on real-student experiences, this session will explore and discuss the challenges, benefits, disappointments and rewards of students of color.  Come prepared to share your perspectives of the readiness of your school to expand its diversity, i.e. what support systems are in place for international and domestic students? Who are the adult advocates for diversity, and what is their support system like in your school?

Supporting Gay and Lesbian Students and Faculty in Our Schools Julie Johnstone
Teenagers at boarding schools are in a constant process of learning  about who they are as young people, especially as they negotiate the difficulties of integrating their sexual orientation into the whole of their  lives.  It can be especially hard for gay and lesbian students to learn to love themselves, find their place in the school community and feel affirmed by friends, faculty and family.   How do we support our gay and lesbian students and faculty?  Does your school have a policy that supports an open and affirming environment for this segment of your population?  What type of organizations have schools established to support these members of your community?

The Art of Interviewing Kim Loughlin
Interviewing involves the student and parent/guardian and often involves more than just getting answers to your questions.  We will discuss the purpose of interviewing; who is – or should be – involved in interviewing candidates; some do’s and dont’s; techniques; active listening; what you may learn from what is not said; and what follow-up is needed after an interview.  We will discuss some of the challenges of interviewing, including how to get an interview underway and what questions should be asked.

 

Coffee Break

Educational Consultant/School Placement
Wonder why some schools enroll up to half of their students through consultant referrals; why some seem to have close, positive relationships that result in ideal applicants; and why your school has neither?  Explore the most effective ways of collaborating with educational consultants and educational planners to help you reach admission goals.

Testing and Assessment Tom Sheppard
For admission officers with little or no experience, one of the most daunting aspects of the admission process can be testing and assessment.  Each school uses testing in its own way, but some common principles do exist.  This session examines some of the most common admission tests such as the SSAT, SLEP, TOEFL, ISEE and WISC and gives participants the essential tools for understanding and interpreting test results.

Role Plays: After the Letters Are Sent Cindy McWilliams
“Hello, I was calling to find out why my son was not admitted to your school?”  “What does the wait list really mean?”  We will demonstrate some ways in which you should and should not handle these sensitive and difficult questions through role-plays.  The work of an admission office does not end after the letters are sent.  Often, this is when your professional and personal skills will be most needed.  Your ability to represent your school well, while handling an upset family, will be tested during these times, and we hope to prepare you to manage them as well as possible.  

Effective Uses of your Website Tom Sheppard
The Internet continues to dramatically change the ways in which schools market to prospective applicants.  As websites become primary sources of information for students, families and referral sources, it is important that schools develop effective and creative ways to use their websites to reach this audience. This session reviews a variety of school web sites and highlights new and interesting techniques to connect with prospective applicants.

Financial Aid 202 Pete Upham
An ideal session for those with specific financial aid responsibility (or those who are incorrigibly curious), in this workgroup we’ll tackle the School and Student Service for Financial Aid (SSS) methodology.  We’ll outline the steps involved in assessing family need, noting standard practices as well as variations.  Time permitting, we will also have a brief discussion of financial aid in light of the industry’s principles of good practice; individual school policies; and competitive and demographic developments.  The focus, however, will be on providing a practical introduction to needs analysis.

Tour Guide Programs and Special Events
Kim Loughlin and Cindy McWilliams
This workgroup will be of interest to those responsible for managing the Tour Guide Program and those with responsibility for planning special events.  Whether you are looking to start a program from scratch or looking for new ideas to rejuvenate an existing program, we will be discussing using student and faculty volunteers; training tour guides; hosting open houses; revisiting days and overnights; and thanking your volunteers. 

Effective Uses of your Website Tom Sheppard
The Internet continues to dramatically change the ways in which schools market to prospective applicants.  As websites become primary sources of information for students, families and referral sources, it is important that schools develop effective and creative ways to use their websites to reach this audience. This session reviews a variety of school web sites and highlights new and interesting techniques to connect with prospective applicants.

Financial Aid 202 Pete Upham
An ideal session for those with specific financial aid responsibility (or those who are incorrigibly curious), in this workgroup we’ll tackle the School and Student Service for Financial Aid (SSS) methodology.  We’ll outline the steps involved in assessing family need, noting standard practices as well as variations.  Time permitting, we will also have a brief discussion of financial aid in light of the industry’s principles of good practice; individual school policies; and competitive and demographic developments.  The focus, however, will be on providing a practical introduction to needs analysis.

Tour Guide Programs and Special Events Kim Loughlin, Cindy McWilliams
This workgroup will be of interest to those responsible for managing the Tour Guide Program and those with responsibility for planning special events.  Whether you are looking to start a program from scratch or looking for new ideas to rejuvenate an existing program, we will be discussing using student and faculty volunteers; training tour guides; hosting open houses; revisiting days and overnights; and thanking your volunteers. 

Retention: A Bird in Hand is Better Than Two in the Bush Cindy McWilliams
Of all the things we can do to improve our enrollment picture, one of the most effective is a coordinated plan for student retention.  This session identifies ways that the admission office can play an active role in promoting and coordinating student retention with faculty and other administrative offices.  In addition, the session will explore ways to uncover the real causes of attrition. Formulas for understanding retention will be introduced and discussed.

Keys for Survival and Success Admission Faculty
TABS Admission Academy faculty has identified key behaviors evident in the most successful admission professionals. This final session brings together all of the issues and strategies examined during the week and helps lead you to develop your strategy for success, including:
 
Going beyond what’s required
Personal balance/Outlet
Mentorship
Networking
Developing a thick skin
Exercising a high degree of professionalism
Mission Driven = motivated on some level that you’re doing something good for kids
Success Driven = part of survival