“We are the only industry that repeatedly requires our customers to make a decision about whether to continue using our services.” – Pat Bassett, former head of NAIS
Your cell phone company, your cable company, even your gym all operate on the premise that you will continue to pay for their services until you specifically request to terminate your contract. Why do we operate our schools any differently? Perpetual enrollment contracts assume that your families are going to stay. Why are you spending hours, days, even weeks, chasing down re-enrollment contracts from families who intend to return?
In this session, we’ll discuss what perpetual enrollment is, sample language for contracts and communications, timelines for implementation, pitfalls to avoid, and lessons we have learned from years 1-4 of Westminster Academy’s journey!
Elizabeth Perkins
Elizabeth Perkins is in her 7th year as the Director of Admission and Marketing for Westminster Academy in Memphis, TN. Prior to joining Westminster, she served as adjunct faculty in the Fogelman College of Business and Economics at the University of Memphis; teaching courses in organizational strategy, communications, and management. In her spare time, Elizabeth serves as the Director for the Memphis Ostrander awards (Memphis' theatre awards for collegiate, community, and professional theatre) and as a judge for high school theatre. Additionally, she serves on the board of directors at Theatre Memphis. Recently, Elizabeth was named by the Memphis Business Journal as one of the top “40 Under 40” in the Memphis area. In her "previous life" (AKA, before children!), Elizabeth was the Internal Communications Leader for the Capital Aviation Services division of General Electric. She holds a BA in political science from the University of Memphis, an MBA from Union University, and completed the Certification for Admission and Enrollment Professions in 2018. Elizabeth has presented several times on admission topics at previous conferences for SCL, ACCS, ERB, and the Association of Independent School Admission Professionals.