It’s the beginning of the new school year, and with that comes new faces in the Development Office. Welcome! Whether you’re new to the office in general or simply new to the school, we’re sure you have some first-month jitters to work out. With that in mind, we have a few words of wisdom to share from our consultants to help you make the most of your first year in your new position.

“Major” fundraising events can often overwhelm the attention of even the most experienced Development Office. Autumn auctions and spring galas can become the office’s main attractions. However, by focusing on these development-focused events, Development Directors might lose sight of prime stewardship opportunities that happen all the time on campus.

Welcome to the Admission Office, Dear Reader! Whether you’re new to the office in general or simply new to the school, we’re sure you have some first-month jitters to work out. WIth that in mind, we have a few words of wisdom to share from our consultants and your fellow Admission Officers.

Rolling admission is the process of judging each prospective student as his or her application is completed without imposing deadlines by which materials must be submitted and interviews accomplished. While many schools, both K-12 and higher, implement such a program as their main form of admission, there are some distinct disadvantages to such a system. As such, here are some tidbits worth considering if you have (or are thinking about instituting) rolling admission at your school.

Banned Book Awareness Week is from September 27 through October 3, encouraging people to celebrate their right to read controversial ideas and formerly condemned texts. In honor of that noble cause, we’ve collected a list of eight books that were banned from American schools for reasons that are occasionally incomprehensible and often hilarious.

Q: Can you share any tips for an effective financial aid appeal process?

The Christ School, a K-8 interdenominational Christian School, delivers its mission of “scholarship, service, and leadership” not only to its students, but also to the poorest and neediest of its community. Hoping to bring awareness of their unique community service efforts in downtown Orlando, Head of School Dr. Jason Powell contacted our chief editor via Twitter for the opportunity to be featured as our school spotlight. We're thrilled to share how The Christ School delivers its mission of service in the heart of the city.

Q: Our broker keeps mentioning Cyber Insurance. We’re not a technology-focused school, although we do offer some advanced computer-based courses, and so I’m struggling to understand how we would benefit from this extra protection. For the cost associated with this coverage, I need some solid reasoning to bring to my School Head as to why we should consider purchasing it. Is this coverage worth carrying for schools not immersed in computer science?

If you’re a fan of Fast Company, then you might have stumbled across a recent article, "The Three People Who Matter Most In Your Network." Josh Mait nailed it when he said the three most important people you can connect with are The Hub (someone with many connections), The Mentor (someone with many connections, but who is more selective in his/her networking), and The Rising Star (a smart, driven, up-and-coming elite who wants your mentorship).

In Vol. 5. No. 8, we published Part I of this series on sexual misconduct. We started the series with an overview of common terms and external resources, laying the foundation to help schools create policies and protocols. In this second part, we’re going to focus on combating sexual violence with comprehensive background checks. Primary image credit to Vanguard Dahlonega