Strategic Plans Discussed

Since late spring, a faculty committee has worked on the beginning stages of a strategic plan for Exeter, which would analyze and revamp facets of the institution. To start, they organized four days of discussion, which took place on two Wednesdays in the fall, a Friday morning in Jan., and one last week. Classes were cancelled during meeting days and faculty members discussed topics ranging from learning differences and creativity to specialization and time management.

However, some teachers say that the hours spent in small groups to debate the issues have yet to result in any meaningful conclusion or the formulation of concrete decisions. In the meetings, one member from each group wrote down major themes and they were all passed in at the end of the meetings. But the conversational nature was perceived by some to be at times inefficient. “[We’re] unpacking a lot of things, and not concluding anything, really, so it’s challenging,” Dean of Students Melissa Mischke said.

“Every good educational institution has to think, plan and act strategically, creatively and collectively.”

Strategic Planning Committee member and history instructor Giorgio Secondi said that the time spent in discussion is, in fact, an investment. “We’re not wasting time—we’re investing time in ensuring that our students will continue to receive an outstanding education for decades to come,” he said.

There was a general consensus among administration and faculty that a strategic plan is necessary for the growth of the Academy. Principal Tom Hassan explained that, as an institution, “we should always be asking ourselves if we can improve.”

Mischke agreed, noting that the timing of Hassan’s replacement was in some ways convenient for the meetings. “Principal Hassan is ready to retire,” she said, and “these conversations are setting the stage for the future without planning the exact details.”

Incoming Principal Lisa MacFarlane was also glad that the strategic planning process is underway. “Every good educational institution has to think, plan and act strategically, creatively and collectively,” she said.

MacFarlane also explained that she has been immersing herself in the work that has already been done so that she will be up to date by next school year. She said that what she has seen so far indicates that “Exeter isn’t afraid to ask important questions,” and she was eager to be a part of future conversations and strategic planning.

While few disagree with the necessity of strategic planning, the reactions to the meetings themselves have been mixed. So far, no concrete plans have emerged, and there is no schedule for them to do so this year. Thus they have only served as times for discussion, with little product—a cause for frustration among some faculty members.

Mischke also noted some frustration among the faculty that little had seemingly been accomplished. She believed it was important the teachers not rely on the expectation of a completed strategic plan in the near future, for which there is currently “no timeline.”

But as a starting place, Secondi said that discussions were the most reasonable means of beginning. “Any strategic planning process that isn’t entirely top down must start from conversations and informational sessions,” he said. 

An instructor who requested to remain anonymous described the meetings as incredibly annoying and cumbersome due to “the lack of consensus.”

“We just talked. I have no idea if there’s going to be any changes,” the instructor said.

The teacher also thought that the meetings had been mislabeled as strategic planning, if that’s what they were meant to accomplish. “We’re not planning anything,” the instructor added. “I’d much rather be teaching on a Wednesday. That’s a better use of my time.”

Since strategic planning, in nature, involves a specific plan, the instructor said it was misleading that the conversations were referred to in that way, and that the meetings should not have taken place at all, or concrete planning ought to have occurred. “I don’t see the point of these meetings, since we haven’t [actually planned anything].”

History instructor Michael Golay also saw flaws in the current setup. Since Hassan will be retiring at the end of the school year, he assumed that all the discussions will have to occur again once MacFarlane officially joins the Academy as principal Sept. 1. Those second set of discussions, which will likely occur in coming years, “will yield a sort of blueprint for the future.”

Golay said that those that took place this past year were “interesting,” but he would have preferred that the conversations were tabled until MacFarlane had been here for a year or so because of their time-consuming nature. “At this point, it seems to be an abstract exercise,” he said.

English instructor Claire Abisalih, however, saw the discussions as productive, despite their inconclusive ends. She thought that all voices were heard, and she enjoyed hearing different perspectives from various faculty members. “Any time we take the opportunity to step back and reflect on what we do, why we do it and how we can do it differently or better, it's time well-spent,” she said.

Secondi also said that many faculty approached him and other members of the committee to express their enjoyment of the conversations, saying that they were “informative and productive.”

Despite discouragement over the indeterminate meetings, important trends have arisen and been noted by administrators and the planning committee. “The discussions we’re having right now are a nice foundation,” Mischke said, “and will help us have some common ground as a faculty, which isn’t easy. With new leadership coming into the school, it will help us get ready for a true strategic plan.”