Job Summary

Detroit Country Day School (also known as DCD, DCDS, or Country Day), a top-tier, nationally ranked PreK3-grade 12 school, seeks a Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid who can build on the School’s outstanding reputation in the Detroit market and introduce and direct an enrollment management practice, while strengthening admissions and enrollment processes. Founded in 1914, Detroit Country Day School is a co-educational, college preparatory, independent school located on three campuses in Oakland County, north of Detroit. Inspired by the Country Day School movement, the school's motto is Mens Sana in Corpore Sano, a Latin phrase meaning "Sound Mind in a Sound Body."

Reporting to the Head of School, the Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid will be central in creating an enrollment management infrastructure at Detroit Country Day and will work closely with the Senior Administrative Team and the Board of Trustees in developing a collaborative approach to enrollment. The Director will create a new Admission Office structure and manage the Admission Office staff, will be responsible for the oversight of student recruitment and enrollment efforts of all 3 divisions, and will need to integrate the financial aid function into the Admission Office operation. As part of the School’s recruitment and enrollment of students, the Director will oversee the administration of the admission and financial aid budgets; all admission processes and records; all admission events, travel, and constituent volunteer efforts etc.; and all recruitment, enrollment and matriculation efforts, up to welcoming new families to school in August.

Job Responsibilities

1. Sets annual admission goals, in accordance with Detroit Country Day School’s mission to promote academic quality and economic, racial, and ethnic diversity in the student body, based on enrollment goals set by the Board of Trustees.

2. Provides leadership in creating an enrollment management model.

a. Formulates annual Admission and Enrollment Management Action Plans with goals and objectives.

b. Participates as an active member of the Head of School’s Senior Administrative Team. Presents statistical and trend information to the Senior Administrative Team and Board of Trustees, and faculty.

c. Organizes and administers the School’s financial aid program and sets tuition revenue goals and budget in conjunction with the Chief Financial Officer.

d. Works closely with the Marketing and Communications staff developing and implementing strategic marketing ideas, managing admission publications and admission process communications, which includes work on the production of the school print pieces, a digital marketing strategy and the admission office’s part of the School’s website.

e. Works closely with the Advancement office developing and implementing strategic external networking and communication plans providing for synergy between the admissions and advancement work. 

f. Manages new student enrollment and assists with the re-enrollment of current students in close connection with the Division Heads, the Business Office and the Head of School.

g. Understands and informs the community about research, demographics, admission and enrollmen trends, ensuring that changes and challenges are anticipated, understood, and addressed.

h. Works closely with the Division Directors on issues relating to admissions, student life and retention.

i. Attends Board of Trustee meetings when appropriate and is involved in strategic planning and keeping the Board fully apprised of the School’s admission, financial aid, and marketing endeavors as related to admissions and enrollment.

3. Is responsible for creating and managing a centralized Admission Office, and oversight of student recruitment, admission processes and enrollment efforts for each of the three divisions, manages the Admission Office staff and the following additional responsibilities:

a. Maintains statistical and trend data related to admission and enrollment.

b. Oversees the volunteer network of Admission representatives.

c. Oversees all on-campus visitation programs-including interviews and accepted student programs.

d. Oversees the entire application review process, and with the assistance of the Admission staff, assigns reading and committee assignments to associates in the office, faculty, and staff.

e. Represents the Admission Office and School at public events, on and off campus.

f. Directs annual recruitment plan by assigning outreach responsibilities to staff.

g. Maintains and encourages relationships with sending schools, counselors, consultants and other sources for prospective mission aligned students.

h. Provides training and professional development opportunities for staff.

4. Maintains and enhances the School’s good standing in relevant professional organizations.

5. Is an integral leader for the school community and participates fully in daily community life.

Mission

Detroit Country Day School develops citizens and leaders of the world in a culturally diverse environment of academic rigor, competitive athletics, and artistic expression, built on a foundation of service and character.

About Detroit Country Day School

The Detroit Country Day Upper School offers a strong and varied program that provides numerous opportunities for students to demonstrate their individual strengths and develop their potential. The rigorous college-preparatory program, which includes Honors and Advanced Placement courses in each discipline in addition to a diverse selection of electives, prepares students for college and beyond. In addition to a series of honors and Advanced Placement courses, students at Detroit Country Day Upper School may pursue an International Baccalaureate Diploma. In 2020, the student community of 1460 includes 300 students in the Lower School in grades PreK3-grade 3; 500 students in the Middle School in grades 4-8 and 660 students in the Upper School in grades 9-12. The School has an extremely diverse student population, of which approximately 40% identify as students of color. In all three divisions, Detroit Country Day School is known for its strong academics and the opportunities available to students in outstanding offerings in athletics, dance, instrumental and vocal music, drama, and the visual arts. Students achieve regional, state, and national recognition for their accomplishments in academics, the arts, and athletics, as well as their participation in community service. The School has approximately 270 employees. Sixty-nine percent of faculty members have earned advanced degrees. 

Detroit Country Day School’s facilities are situated in two locations approximately three miles apart and less than one half hour from the center of Detroit. The Upper School (9-12) and Middle School (4-8) share adjoining campuses in Beverly Hills, where the administrative offices, facility services, safety and security services, and the main arts and athletics facilities are located. The Lower School (PreK-3) is located nearby in neighboring Bloomfield Hills. Both Beverly Hills and Bloomfield Hills are in Oakland County, which has the highest per capita income of any county in the state of Michigan and is one of the most affluent counties in the United States. 

Detroit Country Day boasts some of the finest academic, art, and athletic facilities in PK3-12 schools. All campuses have had a comprehensive program of expansion and upgrading over the past two decades. This includes the expansion and redesign of the Middle School campus two years ago and the new construction and expansion of the Lower School campus last year. A visitor cannot help but be impressed by the quality, function, and detail of the facilities on all campus locations. Among the most notable of these are expansive start-of-the-art classrooms, STEM centers, a 700-seat performing arts center, a black box theater, multiple art studios, collaborative workspaces, a design studio, an 88,000-square foot field house containing an indoor turf field, three gymnasiums, and turf athletic fields for all outdoor field sports. 

Detroit Country Day School has a very healthy financial operation model. As of June 30, 2020, the total operational revenue was $50.7M, of which 84% came from tuition revenue, and the market value of the endowment was $44.5M. The School provided $4.0M in financial assistance.  

About the Head of School

In his first year at Detroit Country Day School, Mr. Richard Dempsey has 24 years of experience as an administrator and teacher in both independent day and boarding schools. Previously, Mr. Dempsey spent seven years as the Associate Head of School at Pomfret School in Pomfret, Connecticut and six years at Rocky Hill School in East Greenwich, Rhode Island where he held the position of Head of Upper School. Mr. Dempsey began his career in education at St. George's School in Middletown, Rhode Island where he is also an alumnus. During his 11 years at St. George's, he taught math and science and held administrative positions including Director of Summer Session and Associate Dean of Students. His educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bowdoin College and a Master of Education degree from Boston University. He has also completed a National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Fellowship for Aspiring School Heads.