Our Assistant Director of Admissions, Jane Griffin, gives us a closer look inside PSIS, Puget Sound Independent Schools. She shares details about the committees within PSIS and what benefits it poses, especially for those working in admissions. -Ed.

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One of the things I love most about my job is the collegiality and collaboration between UCDS and other independent schools in the area. UCDS is a part of Puget Sound Independent Schools (PSIS; pugetsoundindependentschools.org), an admission consortium made up of 40 plus independent schools in the area.

In PSIS, there are 5 committees/work groups:

The PSIS Steering Committee is our governing body. The Steering Committee acts as a Board and prioritizes the work of the organization. Steering Committee members are also co-chairs of the workgroups and/or have leadership positions.

The Forms Workgroup takes charge of the common forms under the PSIS brand, sets a cycle for revision and refreshing the forms, and seeks out commonality in the PSIS schools’ processes that could be captured in future common forms.

The Marketing Workgroup strategizes about the best ways to reach target audiences to build the PSIS brand and promote our fairs. Members of the Marketing group divide the workload to book advertising.

The Events Workgroup manages our PSIS branded fairs, from booking venues and securing rentals to organizing the layout and providing food for school personnel in attendance.

The Mentorship Workgroup matches new admission professionals with experienced members of PSIS to encourage collaboration and a supportive entry into our work and our market.

PSIS has been integral in streamlining the application process for families and in the efforts in increasing student access to independent school education in this area. PSIS has also helped those who work in admission develop relationships with one another, and is a source we can all depend on to keep up with the changing student enrollment landscape.