News and Events
Donald Slater named National Geographic Explorer
To find out more about Donny and his work as an explorer for National Geographic visit: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/explorers/bios/donald-slater/
Strategic Plan for the Peabody Museum
In May 2008, the Phillips Academy Board of Trustees unanimously approved a new strategic plan for the Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology. It was developed by the Peabody Advisory Committee in collaboration with the Museum’s staff; academy instructors in Art, Biology, Mathematics, History and Spanish; and members of the school’s administration.
Our new strategic plan envisions the Peabody as a teaching museum and catalyst for collaboration among different academic disciplines. It aligns the historic mission of the Museum with that of the Academy, with particular pertinence to Andover’s current strategic goals. And it affirms the Museum’s value to the Academy in specific terms:
At its core are two fundamental resources that are not replicated elsewhere:
- A unique and valuable research collection that is an ideal instrument for teaching about the diversity of the human experience, and
- Connections with extraordinary outside resources that are ready to be tapped for the benefit of our faculty and students.
In summary, “By enhancing Andover’s program in unique ways, the Peabody serves as a competitive differentiator.”
The plan concentrates the Peabody’s growth into seven tactical areas over the course of the next five years:
- enriching the cross-cultural and interdisciplinary education offered to Andover students through access to the unique, pertinent collection and staff expertise of the Peabody;
- capitalizing on the Museum’s resources for implementing the Academy's commitment to diversity and global citizenship;
- including Native American communities in the preservation and appreciation of their culture and serving as an educational resource for those Native American communities, as well as scholars, museum professionals and the public;
- practicing and promoting the highest professional standards in the documentation, conservation and interpretation of the Museum’s collections;
- developing a communications plan for the Museum, highlighting its resources and programs for the school community and beyond;
- building a stable financial base for operations; and
- conducting a study of long-term facilities needs.
The Peabody Museum’s new strategic plan and progress report is available HERE.
Significant program progress and enhancement at the Peabody since 2004 served as the basis for development of our strategic plan. Our Report of Progress, FY2004-2008 is summarized below:
- All thirteen recommendations of the Peabody Planning Committee that have objectives within the Museum’s direct area of responsibility were addressed and the goals set forth surpassed.
- With the support of faculty colleagues, the Museum became more fully integrated within the academic program at Phillips Academy: To date, we have developed more than sixty curriculum units that support the academic program in History, Biology, Math, Art, English, and Residential Life, many of which are in use each term.
- The Peabody contributed to the success of Andover’s strategic plan through innovative programs expanding the Academy’s commitment to diversity and cross-cultural, global experiences for faculty and students. Of particular note are four expeditionary learning projects with interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, and in two cases, global components; and two interdisciplinary courses, with a third in development. We also have used our relationships within the Native American community to assist the Admission Office with its goal to recruit Native American students.
- The Museum, with quite limited resources, effectively managed its important collections.
- Within the context of the current legislation, the Museum will complete its NAGPRA compliance within the 2008 calendar year. (We expect that eventual determinations concerning Culturally Unidentifiable Human Remains will initiate entirely new NAGPRA compliance initiatives, with which we will continue to comply.)
- Through the efforts of the Phillips Academy Development Office and certain key donors, the Peabody now enjoys a vastly improved financial outlook, including balanced annual operations and an enhanced endowment of more than $4 million.
Finally, thanks to the generosity of two major donors, we have recently received a $2 million challenge to undergird our strategic plan and to augment the endowment as part of the Academy’s current comprehensive campaign.