Transcript
Rick Newberry: Well, we are so glad that you are here to our very first podcast. This a collaboration between myself, Rick Newberry with Enrollment Catalyst, and Andy Lynch from Tassel. Andy, it's great to have you as part of this podcast. I know we've been looking forward to this opportunity.
Rick Newberry: you know We've done a lot of webinars and in-person events to are our Enrollment at Marketing Geeks brand.
Andy Lynch: Yeah.
Rick Newberry: And, you know, we thought a long time about moving to a podcast format. I don't know why we haven't.
Andy Lynch: Yes, we did it.
Rick Newberry: Yeah, I don't know why we haven't, but here we go. This is the very first one.
Andy Lynch: Here we are. Yep. Looking forward to this. Andy Lynch with Tassel, Rick Newberry and I have worked together for gosh, more than 20 years. It's been a long time.
Andy Lynch: done a lot of webinars, in-person events over the years, and we're excited about moving to the podcast format. And what what to expect. Let's talk about what to expect here as we ramp up with episode one. So first, you know if you've tuned into our stuff before, you know our webinars typically go 45 minutes to an hour or so. um Our target here for our podcast are probably between 25 and 35 minutes.
Andy Lynch: um And what we aim to accomplish here is ah just to have a ah conversation that's helpful for school leaders, not focused exclusively on head of schools, not just marketing directors, not just admissions directors, but school leaders connected to the enrollment effort.
Andy Lynch: um So the format, Rick and i are going to have a conversation based on what we're seeing, what we're learning, what we're hearing schools talk about in the marketplace, the questions they're asking. And we'll have some topical conversation. We may also invite some guests along the way that we think you would enjoy hearing from and learning from. As far as our release cadence, we're going to drop these on the 1st and the 15th of every month. So you know when to expect another episode, another show from the Enrollment Marketing Geeks.
Andy Lynch: And of course, you can expect some dad jokes sprinkled in here and there. So as we get started with ah with our podcast here, going to open with a five-part series focusing on roles and responsibilities for leaders and the enrollment efforts. So Rick, what what can they expect coming up in this five-part series?
Rick Newberry: Yeah, actually, we have talked about these roles during our in-person events, but... You know, we've we're never really done discussing these foundational concepts. I mean, these are so important, and that's why we feel like this is a great starting point for our first show and actually this five-part series. So we're going to talk about the roles, responsibilities, and unique contributions for the head of school, the director of marketing, the director of admissions, faculty and staff, and the board.
Rick Newberry: And so this will be a great series for you to be able to listen to in this podcast format.
Andy Lynch: Yeah.
Andy Lynch: Yep. One show focusing on each of those roles. So show one, head of school, that's that's this one. Then the director of marketing. in show two, show three, director of admissions. Number four is faculty and staff, they're all the faculty and staff. And then finally, the board of directors in show number five. So looking forward to these discussions.
Andy Lynch: and But before we get started with today's show, a couple things wanna highlight, some professional development opportunities through the enrollment marketing geeks that are just around the corner. first um We'd love to have you join us for our next GeekCon on July 22 and 23 of 2026. This will be our admissions playbook workshop. We've done this one in person several times. This is going to be a virtual presentation of that admissions playbook workshop. July 22 and 23 1130 to Eastern Time on both days.
Andy Lynch: This is a live workshop, but if you cannot attend live, no sweat. You can register and watch the recordings later. You can register at enrollmentmarketinggeeks.com. And when you register, you can either register as a single nerd for this GeekCon or a conference room full of nerds.
Andy Lynch: ah So check it out. EnrollmentMarketingGeeks.com. Register for the Admissions Playbook Workshop. That's our next virtual GeekCon on July 22 and 23. And Rick, what else do we have coming up?
Rick Newberry: Well, actually, unlike this podcast, you'll be able to see us virtually. So we'll be wearing our orange glasses and our wonderful orange plaid shirt.
Andy Lynch: Yeah.
Andy Lynch: Yeah.
Rick Newberry: So that's something you can look forward to But we also love getting together in person.
Andy Lynch: Yep.
Rick Newberry: And so we're looking forward to the AI Summit for Enrollment Management. And that's going to be held in November, November 11th and 12th, 2026 at the First Academy in Orlando.
Rick Newberry: So what better time?
Andy Lynch: Great spot.
Rick Newberry: Yeah. What better time a year to take a trip and go to Orlando and experience the warmth and the sunshine? and ah pick a hotel with a nice pool and lazy river and you can enjoy some downtime. But we're going to be focusing in on this hot topic. Really, it's changing the landscape of enrollment marketing and that's AI.
Rick Newberry: And so we're going to begin on Tuesday afternoon, November 10th with a tour of the campus. And then a full day on Wednesday and a half day on Thursday. And you're going to have an opportunity to be able to network with other school leaders.
Rick Newberry: And we have an action-packed agenda. We're going to go deep and wide on a range of topics related to AI to help your enrollment team leverage AI effectively. So,
Rick Newberry: Make sure you check those events out on our website, enrollmentmarketinggeeks.com. And we'd love to see you virtually or in person or at both coming up.
Andy Lynch: Yep, still time to take advantage of the early nerd discount for the AI Summit. So jump on that. Rick, as we transition into today's ah today's topic, let's let's do it.
Andy Lynch: Let's segue with ah a dad joke, a good dad joke, or maybe a not so good dad joke. We'll see. um so So Rick, I visited a doctor last week and he said, Andy, I'm i'm afraid you have a bad case of onomatopoeia.
Andy Lynch: I was stunned and a bit confused. So I said, doc, you're telling me I've got onomatopoeia? What is that? And he said, I'm afraid it's exactly what it sounds like.
Rick Newberry: yeah
Andy Lynch: <unk> All right. Episode overview. Get us started here, Rick.
Rick Newberry: Yeah, that's a great dad joke. I'm glad you took that one because I don't even know that I could have pronounced that word.
Andy Lynch: Oh, yeah. Yeah, onomatopoeia.
Rick Newberry: you're You're so good at that. You're so good at that.
Andy Lynch: Yep, thank you. I did minor in English, by the way.
Rick Newberry: Definitely. Oh, excellent. I can tell. So the enrollment effort doesn't really start with the marketing team or the admissions team or even the business office. It really starts with the head of school.
Rick Newberry: And that's the starting point for this podcast, because the mindset the head of school brings to the enrollment effort sets the tone for everybody else on the team.
Rick Newberry: So in this first episode of the enrollment marketing geeks podcast for school leaders, we're going to discuss those unique contributions that only the head of school can make for attracting and retaining right fit families.
Andy Lynch: Yeah, that's good. As we wade into these unique contributions by role, we like to have a one sentence job profile for each of these, each of these audiences. And for the head of school, Rick, we sum it up like this, the the head of school drives the team with vision, direction, and accountability. The head of school drives the team with vision,
Andy Lynch: direction and accountability and we're going to break down eight ways that the head of school uh carries out that that once in his job profile and you know it starts with number one having the vision and the passion to move the school forward and grow the enrollment number one the head of school has to have the vision and the passion to move the school forward
Rick Newberry: Thank
Andy Lynch: and grow the enrollment. So, you know, I think about that in the context of a school's mission, vision, and and core values. Mission, why do we exist?
Andy Lynch: Vision, where are we going? The core values, how do we behave along the way? In particular, that the the the vision um that that vision concept is a compelling inspiring and shared version of the future that's worth pursuing. It's it's work that's worth doing. And and the the head of school really has to set the set the pace for everyone else. Because if if the head of school isn't isn't bought into that envision, isn't compelled by the school's vision,
Andy Lynch: no no one else on the team is going to rise above that level of passion. They have to demonstrate that belief that the the the work that the school does in the community is so important that people just have to hear about it. They're not going to be okay with being their community's best kept secret. If they are, they are not going to invest in the enrollment effort and the marketing effort. So, you know that's when I think about having the vision, the passion move forward. That's what comes to mind for me. How how about you, Rick?
Rick Newberry: Yeah, that's great, Andy, and a wonderful way to start this discussion. you know, the way I see it is that enrollment drives everything in a school. i mean, it brings in the revenue, at least 90% of your ah overall operational budget. It also creates momentum. I mean, no one really likes to be part of a school or and organization that's declining.
Rick Newberry: And certainly as a tuition-driven school, it's critical for the head of school to be focused in on this main revenue stream. I mean, if 90% of your operational budget is funded by tu tuition dollars, which is a result of enrollment, then that has to be the focus of the head of school.
Rick Newberry: And I don't believe the head of school should be comfortable with the status quo, but should always want to move the school forward.
Andy Lynch: Yes.
Rick Newberry: And that's the vision, that's the drive, that's the initiative. In fact, I remember a long time ago, i was head of school. And that was my main focus.
Rick Newberry: You know, I was focused in on providing leadership to the school community, but also driving and enrolling more families within the school community, because I've always believed that more enrollment equals the opportunity to accomplish more mission.
Rick Newberry: you can impact the lives of families, the lives of students. So the head of school sets that tone and the priorities to move the school forward and grow the enrollment. you know Andy, you and I have worked with lots of leaders along the way. And i remember working with Tom Dykhaus at Eastern Christian great leader.
Andy Lynch: Yeah, strong leader.
Rick Newberry: And yeah, one of the things that really impressed me about his leadership style is that this is something that drove him. i mean, he had the the vision, he had the passion to want to move the school forward.
Rick Newberry: And so he was actively involved in the enrollment and marketing effort within his school community. And it led to their success and growth over time. so Very important starting point as we think about the unique contributions of the head of school.
Rick Newberry: Let's move on to number two, Andy. And so as we think about number two, it's, you know, the head of school hires strong marketing and admissions team members and hold them holds them accountable.
Rick Newberry: So start us off.
Andy Lynch: Yeah, there there's an assumption here um that they're going to staff the function adequately to support the marketing and admissions effort. And i don't want to just gloss over that assumption.
Andy Lynch: if they're hiring strong marketing admissions team members and holding them accountable. So starting with the understanding that this needs to be a responsibility that someone owns or a team owns, it can't just be sort of a jump ball, like who's got time to do a social media post, who who's who's available to give this to, or there has to be structure to it. And some of you are scratching your heads like, is that is that really a thing? Rick and I have both been in schools with several hundred students.
Andy Lynch: with very squishy roles and responsibilities around marketing and admissions. And that's some of the foundational work that we see that needs to be done is you're gonna have to staff this function adequately to drive the revenue. When you think about the function of marketing, marketing generates interest in the school, admissions is the sales function, it closes the sale.
Andy Lynch: um And the head of school has to bring in people who get it, want it and have the capacity to do it. They have to get it. They have to understand their specific role. They have to want it. They they they want to do the work, not version of the job they have in their head, but the actual job. That's the one they have to want. And they have to have the capacity, the headspace and the the time to do the work well.
Andy Lynch: um So there in number two here, there are some assumptions that the head of school understands the importance of staffing these with dedicated people. and that they're going to ah bring in the people who get it, one and get want it, and have capacity to do it.
Andy Lynch: They may also reach the conclusion, Rick, you and I have both seen this, where they find we actually don't have the right people in the seat. And that's where the accountability piece comes in um and setting clear expectations in terms of either either you need to get there or the mission's too important for us just to pretend like we don't have an issue here.
Andy Lynch: So what what are your thoughts on this one, the hiring strong marketing admissions leaders and holding them accountable?
Rick Newberry: Yeah, that's exact
Andy Lynch: What do you think?
Rick Newberry: that's exactly right, Andy. it's you know the The leader, the head of school has to hire the right people. If the right people aren't in those seats, then decisions have to be made to either provide more training or to move them out to bring in the right people.
Rick Newberry: I've always said that the right people implementing the right processes and strategies generate the right results. And so that's a key focus of the head of school is to ensure that um the right people have been hired and accountability is there in those in marketing and admission seats.
Rick Newberry: So critical. And I think, you know, this leads us to the next key contribution for the head of school, And that's where the head of school engages and meets with the enrollment and marketing team on a weekly basis.
Rick Newberry: What have you seen there, Andy?
Andy Lynch: Frankly, not enough consistency.
Rick Newberry: me
Andy Lynch: um i am, as you are, I'm i'm big on meeting cadences for for teams, for teams to be effective.
Andy Lynch: They can meet too much, they can have the wrong meetings, they can have poorly formed agendas, um but there has to be a strong and consistent meeting cadence.
Andy Lynch: And the head of school needs to be involved with that that enrollment meeting on a weekly basis. So once they once they have a plan in place, ah once they have some some structure um around what they're trying to pursue,
Rick Newberry: Thank
Andy Lynch: meeting on a regular basis to stay in touch with the numbers, the enrollment goals, the seasonal priorities is is critical for the head of school. And not just for the head of school, it's so important for the marketing and admissions team too. and We've had those conversations where um we we hear from ah marketing and admissions team members, well, we're waiting on a decision from the head of school for this, or I've got this in front of them.
Andy Lynch: i just can't, I don't know when I'm going to hear back, but if if you build in those those meeting cadences where there's a structured agenda, you know it doesn't have to be two hours. i mean you You just have to have clarity around who's bringing what meeting, what you're focusing on, and how you're going to move that agenda.
Andy Lynch: and who owns it. And it's we don't want the head of school to be caught off guard. Oh, I didn't realize we were here or we're not here or we've got this soft spot or this thing wasn't moving forward that I thought was going to be moving.
Andy Lynch: um so So that cadence is just huge.
Rick Newberry: Yeah, I'll give you an example here, Andy. As I've worked with well over 500 schools and providing that coaching, I always find a difference in the schools that I work with where the head of school is directly involved.
Andy Lynch: Thank you.
Rick Newberry: If the head of school is actively involved in my coaching meetings, I'm that will help to move the team faster towards the desired result.
Rick Newberry: Because the head of school is engaging with the team and the conversation understands the challenges, the situation, and can help drive additional resources that are needed to be able to implement the initiatives that we're talking about. So the head of school has to be actively involved in one main way that she or he demonstrates that is through that weekly meeting cadence.
Rick Newberry: And I do believe in a weekly meeting format.
Andy Lynch: Yeah.
Rick Newberry: I mean, that's so critical.
Andy Lynch: Yeah. And, you know, every now and then we'll get pushback on that. Like, are you serious? You want me to do this every week? Like, wow, this is this represents 90 percent plus of your school's revenue, your operating budget. Yeah. You need to be in touch with that and understand how it's going on a regular basis.
Andy Lynch: the Number four. um Unique contribution number four works with the CFO and business manager, marketing and admissions to set realistic enrollment goals. So works with a CFO or business manager, marketing and admissions to set realistic enrollment goals. and When I think about number four here, mean this is about collaboration.
Andy Lynch: This isn't about just assigning the enrollment goal to the the the the CFO or the business manager saying, what's it going to take? Okay, marketing emissions, here's what we need.
Andy Lynch: um Because we've we've seen those situations where a number comes out of the CFO's office or even the head of school's office and marketing and admissions were in no way involved in that conversation. For example, if you want to grow enrollment by 10%, there's going to be some investment required to to move the needle on inquiries.
Andy Lynch: What does it take? What level of investment does it take to actually generate the top line number of inquiries you're going to need to get the bottom line that you want? And I know,
Andy Lynch: We've heard this before where we've talked with the marketing and admissions team and they're like, we've got this number and this is, we don't think that this is possible. What have you talked to them about that? No, we're not involved in those discussions.
Andy Lynch: So the head of school is instrumental in convening the right people to have realistic conversations around enrollment goals. well What's your take on this, Rick?
Rick Newberry: Yeah, sometimes I find that numbers look really good in a spreadsheet, but they're not rooted in reality. And so certainly the CFO can create these spreadsheets and balance budgets and ah you know put the effort in place as to what she or he thinks should be possible, but it's not rooted in reality. And that's where the team has to have that ownership in the process.
Rick Newberry: to be able to set the goals. I just had a school leader reach out to me with an email and he wanted to get my take on their situation. i'm not going to read the email, but essentially he said the business officers, the CFO wanted to put a ah budget in place that would drive enrollment at a 30% increase from one year to the next.
Andy Lynch: That's impressive.
Rick Newberry: and He wanted to know, is this doable? And it's a smaller school, so certainly 30% is not going to be as significant as you would find in a larger school. But I never would recommend to a school that they project a goal of double-digit increase, unless it's significantly rooted in reality. And that's the important thing. You know you need the marketing director, you need the admissions director, you leading the way with the head of school and the business manager as to what that enrollment goal should be.
Rick Newberry: And it even could be and should be different um than what the CFO is setting for the overall operations. In fact, that should be more conservative rather than the goal that's put in place that you're striving towards.
Rick Newberry: Again, this could be a whole podcast just on this topic right here, but it's important to be able to think about setting realistic enrollment goals.
Andy Lynch: Great conversation. Let's pick it up with number five here. Unique contribution from the head of school, number five. Drives the team to develop and implement the enrollment and marketing plan.
Andy Lynch: Drives the team to develop and implement the enrollment and marketing plan. ah First, the assumption here is that she or he recognizes the need for a plan. Realize that um if if the marketing team, if the admissions team are just left to their own devices, i mean they're going to do ah what they believe is best um with what they have to work with. But the expectation should be from the head of school that we're pursuing a strategy, not just a series of activities.
Andy Lynch: So there's first the the recognition for a plan. Second, you need to agree on what that plan should, what should be in that plan. What are the components of it? um I know I've seen um plans that are you know over a hundred pages and it was clear that that the goal of the project was to produce a plan, not necessarily to execute on the plan. Like the goal was to get the plan done.
Andy Lynch: and it's a beautiful plan. um But it it just sits on the shelf or in the inbox or in the drive and it's it's not actionable because there's just too much. um The third assumption here is that they communicate expectations regarding a timeline for the plan.
Andy Lynch: So one, the need, two, what's in it, and third, ah the work is going going to expand to fill the time allotted. So we've got to have some deadlines in place, like when's this going to be done and we we're going to set it in motion.
Andy Lynch: Uh, and then you gotta have clarity on what, what the enrollment goals are, what those seasonal priorities are, what the meeting rhythms are. You know, I like how you, how you think about, the planning process, Rick, it's actually pretty straightforward. Tell me how you, how you approach this topic of developing a plan.
Rick Newberry: Yeah, and we've actually spent time on this in our family journey workshop. And so as you think about the plan, it's not a 100-page document. It simply could be a table or a chart that helps you identify what do you plan to do, when do you plan to implement it, who owns it And how are you going to pay for it if those resources are needed?
Rick Newberry: So it's a living and breathing document. It's something that you don't just work on and put up on a shelf and you have or you have it in a file folder on your computer.
Rick Newberry: It's something that's always changing. It's in motion, but it's giving you the direction that you need so that you know where you're headed. That's essentially what this plan does for you.
Andy Lynch: And we talk about these concepts of enrollment goals and seasonal priorities, just a point of clarification there. And we talk about enrollment goals. ah That is a blend of your recruitment and retention targets.
Andy Lynch: And then your seasonal priorities, these are not necessarily winter, spring, summer, fall seasons, but in this season, what does our school need from marketing and admissions?
Andy Lynch: um Those seasonal priorities, they're not just a series of, you projects but they're they're prioritized uh initiatives uh supported by projects so it could be know we need to refresh our tired brand or our website needs an overhaul or we need to get serious about integrating ai into into our workflows or ah focusing on middle school enrollment and then how are we going to support that in our plan but the the head of school needs to set the expectation that we will put together a plan and work from that plan and and modify that plan as needed to focus on our enrollment goals and seasonal priorities okay rick take us into number six here
Rick Newberry: Yeah, number six, knows the numbers and operates within that reality. So the head of school knows the numbers, the enrollment numbers, and all the detail behind it and operates within that reality. i believe that one of the key things that's needed is an enrollment dashboard report that's going to showcase for you, the school team, exactly what's happening in the re-enrollment or continuous enrollment effort And then also each level of the admissions funnel.
Rick Newberry: It relates to understanding the total enrollment that has been secured for the next year. And then also comparison. And comparison is very important. In fact, I'm always surprised when I'm sitting in a coaching meeting with a school and i ask for information.
Rick Newberry: numbers in comparison to where we were this time last year. And most of them don't have it readily available. But if I'm head of school, I want to know how are we doing?
Rick Newberry: How are we doing in light of where we were at this point in time last year? What do you think, Andy?
Andy Lynch: Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes I'm just dumbfounded by the lack of connectivity to the numbers that matter. I can think of a ah coaching call. I was on a school with multiple campuses and I just asked total enrollment and the, none of the three ladies on the call, one of whom was the head of school knew the number and they were sort of casting about trying to figure that out on the fly. And like, you mean how big is your flock here?
Andy Lynch: So if if we don't know where we are today, how do we know where we've been?
Rick Newberry: Thank
Andy Lynch: And if if we're you know up, down or flat or or where to focus now, um you know I probably caught them in a moment where they were not anticipating that question. And I'm sure with some prep time, they could have gathered those numbers.
Andy Lynch: It's not that they were completely out of touch. Just I would expect that to be top of mind. um And and you know I think there's also just a lack of good hygiene, a lack of good good practice ah around how we capture information um and your concept of a dashboard here. It's one thing to be able to put a dashboard together. It's another thing to know who owns those numbers and can we trust them.
Andy Lynch: So, know, I think you can take this too far where you are measuring everything ad nauseam and then people get bogged down in numbers that don't matter.
Rick Newberry: Thank
Andy Lynch: um but you know, the head of school needs to understand what are the metrics that that matter? What are the numbers that that they should be paying attention to and requiring their team to to track and and to keep current? All right. ah Number seven here.
Andy Lynch: Provide strategic decisions and resources needed to implement the enrollment plan. Provide strategic decisions and resources needed to implement the enrollment plan.
Andy Lynch: um you You can have a great plan. You can have the best intention, but you need the funding and the authority at the team level to make decisions.
Andy Lynch: It's not uncommon for marketing and admissions team members to have to go knock on the head of school's door to get everything approved that's going to require an expenditure. And that is incredibly frustrating and slows things down.
Andy Lynch: ah so So the head of school needs to set up a structure to where they have an empowered enrollment team that is able to make decisions. They have the authority, the resources, and the bandwidth they need to implement the plan that's been agreed upon. With that said, there are times when that team is going to need the the head of school to speak into a decision or provide direction.
Andy Lynch: And that's really important um so so long as that doesn't ah bleed over into micromanaging or meddling. So if the head of school has hired well and provided ah appropriate training, resources, then it's ah they they need to trust those people to do the jobs which they've been hired to do.
Andy Lynch: um And the the weekly meeting cadence is another reason why that's so important. So the head of school can stay in touch with how those things are moving and be available at regular cycles to tie break, to provide input, direction, decision making, et cetera.
Andy Lynch: But again, trusting people to do what they've been hired to do. what What do you think? Strategic decisions, resources need to implement the plan. What do you got here, Rick?
Rick Newberry: You have said it so well that I don't know that I can add anything except the head of school can find a way to make things happen, certainly to make strategic decisions, to take risks, and is working with the team.
Andy Lynch: Well, thank you. Thank you.
Rick Newberry: And it all goes back to that weekly cadence of meetings. So let's look at the the eighth unique contribution of the head of school, encouraging the board to value marketing.
Rick Newberry: And that's where I believe there has to be regular communication about the results, sharing of the numbers, how do we compare with previous years, and also the progress toward implementing the plan.
Rick Newberry: And I would involve the admissions and marketing directors in that communication with the board. It doesn't have to only be one way from the head of school to the board, but perhaps during a board meeting, the head of school could bring that admissions director or marketing director in for that update time. And so there's interaction and that can be a positive benefit of getting the broader team involved in participating in a board meeting what do you think andy
Andy Lynch: Yeah, ah Rudy Gesh, our fractional director of marketing here at Tassel, also at Sheboygan Christian School, um director of marketing and admissions there.
Andy Lynch: We did a a webinar on this topic of how marketing and admissions can prepare a report for the board, and we'll drop a link to that in our show notes here. um But it's just incredibly important. And yeah I think the the head of school's belief in the importance of the enrollment function, like there's a direct correlation between the the success of that team and the level of belief that that the head of school brings to that conversation. And one reason why i think that that's so important is the board needs to value the enrollment function.
Andy Lynch: And the head of school needs to, again, set the pace, set the tone and the expectation for the board that marketing and admissions are worth investing in because the work that we do is too important for to just rely exclusively on word of mouth, as powerful as word of mouth is.
Rick Newberry: you
Andy Lynch: um And that should be baked into our plan, by the way, as you recently wrote about Rick. But we we have to ah see the head of school demonstrating to the board that the enrollment effort is worth investment. It's worth focus. It's worth attention.
Andy Lynch: And again, setting that pace for everyone top down. And that comes from the from the head of school, not just a board directive. um Well, Rick, people may not know that we do this in front of ah a live studio audience. So let's let's get a round of applause for our audience here.
Andy Lynch: We did it. Episode one. Good job. Actually, folks, that we don't do this in front of a live studio audience. That's just a little sound effect there, as is this one. Okay. Quickly recap our eight unique contributions from the head of school. The one sentence job profile, the head of school drives the team with vision, direction, accountability. Number one, has the vision and passion to move the school forward and grow the enrollment. Number two, hire strong marketing and admissions team members and holds them accountable. Number three, engages and meets with the enrollment and marketing team on a weekly basis. Number four,
Andy Lynch: works with a CFO or business manager, marketing and admissions teams to set realistic enrollment goals. Number five, drives the team to develop and implement the enrollment marketing plan.
Andy Lynch: Number six, knows the numbers and operates within that reality. Number seven, provides strategic decisions and resources needed to implement the plan. And number eight, encourages the board to value market marketing. That is a an impressive list, Rick, and I'm impressed that we got it done in 35 minutes. So take us out with a dad joke here.
Rick Newberry: You know, I was looking back through our dad jokes that we've used on the show, and I realized that we've never done any jokes about library books.
Andy Lynch: Huh.
Rick Newberry: Long overdue.
Andy Lynch: Ooh.
Andy Lynch: Well, that's a wrap on a great first episode, Rick. Thanks. It's great to be with you.
Rick Newberry: Thanks, Andy.
