Following regular combined meetings comprised of employees from multiple departments, Dr. Don Meyer, former President of the University of Valley Forge, a small, private Christian institution in the northeast ended these meetings by stating, “Remember, everyone in this university works for Admissions.” In reality, only a small number of employees in that room formally answered directly to the Admissions Department, but that wasn’t Dr. Meyer’s point. His point was simple: the success of the university was everyone’s responsibility.
The job of keeping the dorms and classes full did not solely rest on one department. EVERYONE—from the professors in the lecture halls, to staff in financial aid, to the cafeteria workers, to the landscaping grounds crew—was expected to positively represent the university in all that they do. When a potential student called or visited the campus, employees across all departments knew that their interactions, no matter how brief some might be, impacted the visitor’s impression. Every interaction, every conversation (including attitudes and expressions) were factors that would be considered in someone’s decision making process as they were about to make a life-changing decision.
In Adult & Teen Challenge, it could be said that “everyone works for admissions”, as well. When the phone rings, what message is being conveyed to the person on the other end of the line? The caller is making multiple judgments simultaneously about that center such as: whether hope can really be found there, whether they’ve made the right decision to seek help from this organization, whether they should hang up and attempt to conquer addiction on their own… again, etc… For some, it may have taken weeks or even months (or longer) to muster up the courage to dial that phone number. Additional courage may have been needed to stay on the call long enough for someone (like you) to answer. Our willingness to listen, our use of a friendly and compassionate tone, and even our hurriedness and abrupt or insensitive answers to someone who is calling in a moment of crisis speaks very loudly.
What message is your staff sending to potential students or concerned family members searching for answers? If we’re honest, we can probably identify a few staff members within the ranks who are great in their areas of expertise, but might not be the person we’d seek out for help in a crisis. Likewise, we’d easily identify others that we’d prefer to have answer the phones all day because they do it so well. Admissions is where it all begins—for every student. What happens during these few intense moments affects someone for life.
In Adult & Teen Challenge centers across the country, admissions/intake comes with the guarantee of a spiritual battle. Someone’s story of change begins right here. There is a spiritual war going on within that short window of time that all staff must be aware of. The incoming student has an enemy that knows he will likely lose that soul if he/she enters your doors. It’s a real fight! We must ask God to use the person on OUR end of the line in that fight. It’s the first impression that leads to an application, which leads to the interview, which leads to the bus ticket, which leads to the student entering your doors. It begins with an understanding that “everyone works for admissions” no matter what role you were hired to fulfill. Encourage all staff to remember that this moment of crisis—the crossroads of someone’s life—is just too important. This pivotal moment begins with that first impression. Remember, when someone in crisis calls you it is because they need you. Represent well their best opportunity for change—Jesus.
