District’s Office for Mission and Ministry holds two day conference
4/10-11/13 – Lincroft, NJ – 20 admissions and enrollment personnel representing 14 of our District’s High School and 2 Universities were in Lincroft, New Jersey, to “talk shop.” Conducted by the District’s Office for Mission and Ministry and hosted by Christian Brothers Academy and the Brothers’ District Office Community, DENA’s enrollment professionals shared best and next admissions practices and strategies, while engaging in a little bit of networking and camaraderie.
Wednesday afternoon started with a brief review of the District Vision statements and the Action Plan for Mission, before diving into an Admissions panel headed by Shawn McKay (St. Raphael Academy), Kevin Dougherty (La Salle College HS), and Peter Kennedy (St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute ). Each panelist discussed current challenges faced in admissions/enrollment, not just in general, but at their specific ministries, and different solutions their teams have developed.
La Salle University’s Execute Director of Admission, James Plunkett, discussed trends in recruiting during his presentation to participants. The current landscape of private, Catholic high school admissions and recruiting is now very comparable to that of college and university enrollment, and Mr. Plunkett shared insights, information, and strategies to aid participants in the daily work at their ministries. Plunkett would join the secondary school professionals in their round table discussions that followed, sharing practices and techniques. The jam-informational afternoon was followed by a social, hosted by the Brothers’ Provincialate Community, giving the Lasallian staff members to informally meet and trade contact information and personal experience.
Thursday morning, following a Lasallian Education Branding presentation, and a deeper discussion on Latino outreach as part of the Action Plan for Mission, Dana Rose, Director of Admission for Manhattan College had the floor. Ms. Rose focused on technology and social media, and how they can be integrated into an admissions and recruiting plan. Rose would then join the table discussions revolving around Lasallian mission that followed.