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Chase
to take six-month sabbatical in 2002-03
Head of School Barbara Chase will take a six-month sabbatical next
academic year to retool, rejuvenate and prepare for a course she
plans to teach on her return.
Chase informed the faculty of the planned sabbatical at the end
of winter term. She will be on campus to start the fall 2002 term
and then be away until the end of winter term.
“While there is never a perfect time to be away, this seems
to be a relatively good one,” she said in a memo to the faculty.
“While I am gone, the community can begin the dialogue necessary
to launch a new strategic plan and can continue work on ongoing
initiatives such as facilities planning.”
Associate Head of School Rebecca Sykes, who will receive administrative
support from other members of Deans’ Council, will be responsible
for day-to-day operations in Chase’s absence.
In her memo to the faculty, Chase assured the community that she
will return to her post after her break. “I realize that sometimes
when a head announces a sabbatical, there is a suspicion that he
or she may be heading for an early exit; that is not my plan. I
love my job, and I love Andover, but, after 22 years as a school
head, it is time to take a break. My plans are not set, but they
will certainly include doing directed reading and study in order
to prepare for a senior seminar I hope to teach in the history and
social science department in the future, as well as traveling and
spending time with my extended family.”
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Six
faculty members named to instructorships
On Friday, Jan. 25, at a dinner hosted by the Board of Trustees, Head
of School Barbara Chase named six faculty members to instructorships.
Shown left to right, Instructor in Math William W. Scott was named
to the Richard J. Phelps Instructorship; Instructor in History and
Social Science Christopher L. Shaw ’78 to the Dorothy Dings Kohler
Trust Economics Teaching Instructorship; Instructor in Math Nancy
M. Lang ’83 to the Mesics Family Campaign Andover Instructorship;
Instructor in Physics Kathleen R. Pryde to the Richard J. Stern Instructorship;
and Instructor in History and Social Science Peter L. Drench to the
Frederick S. Allis Jr. Teaching Instructorship in History. Instructor
in English Kevin T. O’Connor (not pictured) was named to the
Lumpkin Family Bicentennial Instructorship. |
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IAP
holds steady in face of adversity
For
nine years, Phillips Academy faculty members have traveled to South
Asia and East Africa on sabbatical or during the summer to assist
in professional and curriculum development at schools in the Aga
Khan Educational Services (AKES) system.
Sponsored by the International Academic
Partnership (IAP) at PA, their visits have played a significant
role in developing a lasting relationship between Phillips Academy
and AKES in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Tajikistan, India, Kenya, Tanzania
and Uganda.
Refuting speculation that the IAP will discontinue such trips due
to the events of Sept. 11, IAP director Christopher Shaw ’78
said that, as of March, no trips overseas had been cancelled.
“Recent events have underscored how important the IAP is,”
said Shaw. “I believe the partnership between Phillips Academy
and AKES and alliances like it are important to keep communication
lines open.”
While he remains cautious about sending faculty to Africa and especially
Asia this summer, Shaw emphasized that the purpose of the IAP and
the nature of Phillips Academy’s relationship with AKES remain
unchanged.
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Kenyon
admission dean appointed new college counseling director.
John Anderson, dean of admission and financial aid at Kenyon College,
has been appointed the new director of college counseling at Phillips
Academy.
“John Anderson, who has done an extraordinary job building Kenyon’s
admission program, brings a student-centered focus to this important
work and the perspective of a college admissions officer,” said
Head of School Barbara Landis Chase. “Overseeing Phillips Academy’s
highly regarded college counseling office, he will help the academy
build on its currently strong reputation among the nation’s colleges.”
At Kenyon since 1987, Anderson established standards for admissions
selectivity; was responsible for strategic planning, marketing, communications
and enrollment planning; and managed a $13 million scholarship budget.
In addition, he chaired the executive committee and board of directors
of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL); chaired the
Admission Task Force of the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges’
Strategic Marketing Committee; and served on the National Merit Scholarship
Selection Committee.
Author of an article in The New Republic on the impact of the Internet
on college admissions, Anderson has been cited in dozens of articles
and books on college admission. He holds a bachelor’s degree
from Colgate University and a master of education degree from the
University of New Hampshire, Durham.
“College counseling is about helping students understand who
they are, finding schools that are good matches for them and helping
them get there,” said Anderson. “Phillips Academy is recognized
as one of the nation’s outstanding secondary schools. Coming
here provides me a wonderful opportunity to move to the other side
of the college admission desk and to work with younger students at
a significant moment in their academic lives.” |
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R.S.
Peabody Museum under evaluation
A planning and assessment committee appointed by Head of School Barbara
Chase was poised to make recommendations to the Board of Trustees
in April (after Andover Bulletin deadline) regarding the future of
the R.S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology. The committee has been meeting
this year to assess the museum’s collection in relation to its
teaching mission and to begin consideration of alternative futures
for the collections.
Information about the committee’s work and news from its report
to the board can be found [ HERE
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Council’s
Executive Committee meets
The Executive Committee of the Alumni Council under President Tom
French ’77 met on Jan. 24 at Andover to discuss the election
of two alumni trustees. Nominating committee members Al Blum ’62 and Paul McHugh ’48 presented a slate of candidates
to the Executive Committee, which selected four from a list of 18.
Those agreeing to stand for election include Martin Begien ’46,
Gary Lee ’74, Susan Urie Donahue ’73 and Peter Grant ’49.
Alumni Trustees serve a term of four years and act as the primary
liaisons between the Board of Trustees and the alumni body. Ballots
for the general election will be mailed to alumni in May, and the
two new council members chosen will begin their terms in the fall.
The committee selected “connecting students with the outside
world” and “how external events impact the academy”
as topics of study at the spring meeting of the Alumni Council, scheduled
for May 10-11 on campus. “Connecting alumni to the academy and
to one another” was the proposed discussion topic for Leaders’
Weekend in the fall. Ideas for the May Alumni Council meeting included
integrated discussion sessions with council members, students and
faculty and forums for faculty to discuss how they connect students
to global events. |
Rev.
Peter Gomes gives sermon at interfaith service
On
Sunday, Jan. 13, the PA community welcomed the Rev. Professor Peter
J. Gomes to an interfaith service at Cochran Chapel. The service,
planned and sponsored by the Office of Alumni Affairs, incorporated
aspects of the diverse religious traditions at Andover —a Muslim
call to prayer, a Hindu bhajan and readings from both the Hebrew
Bible and the New Testament. Student musicians of the String Orchestra,
Gospel Choir and Fidelio Society provided music.
Gomes, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at Harvard, has served
as pastor of Memorial Church at Harvard University since 1970 and
as Pusey Minister since 1974. He addressed a crowd of almost 700
students, alumni, faculty and staff, who turned out despite a snowy
and blustery morning. His sermon centered on themes of acceptance,
tolerance and social responsibility. Referencing language in PA’s
constitution about preparing students for “the great and real
business of living,” he reminded students that with a privileged
education comes enormous social responsibility, and he urged them
to be “humble, competent and passionate” as they draw
on their Andover experience to better the world around them and
to initiate social change.
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It’s
getting closer to that time ...
Reunions
2002 will take place on June 7, 8 and 9. Our reunion chairs have
a wonderful celebration planned, and we hope you, of the classes
ending in 2 and 7, will join us for what will surely be a memorable
weekend. Click Here for
reservation information.
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Michael
Ain ’80 speaks at Senior/Faculty Forum
Seniors
and faculty gathered at Commons on Sunday, March 3, for an elegant
candlelight dinner marking the final 100 days until commencement.
Upper left dining hall was filled to capacity as seniors and faculty
listened to Michael Ain ’80, the evening’s keynote speaker.
Ain, an orthopedic surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital, spoke of how
he overcame the obstacles of achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism,
and the criticism of skeptics to gain admittance to medical school.
A profile of Ain appears on page 69.
The event, sponsored by the Office of Alumni Affairs, is the second
in a series of Senior/Faculty Forums whose aim is to facilitate
interaction between seniors and faculty and present distinguished
alumni speakers. The office also sponsored a visit of puppeteer
Brian Henson ’82 to an All-School Meeting and a day of activities
at Andover Jan. 30. (See page 20).
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| Information
for this section is prepared by Catherine
Lizotte of the Office of Academy Resources. |
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