Academy Bids Farewell, Wishes Hassan the Best

In the past 26 years, Principal Tom Hassan has served in seven different roles at the Academy, involving himself and his family in the PEA community. An adviser, instructor and leader, he will be sorely missed by students and faculty as he passes the principalship to current UNH Provost Lisa MacFarlane this fall.

Hassan started his career at Exeter as a math instructor in 1989. Since then, in his 26 years at the Academy, he has served as a college counselor, the director of college counseling, director of admissions, dean of admissions, assistant principal, principal and principal instructor.

During his six-year principalship, Hassan has prioritized many changes that have supported the well-being of the student body. Two significant changes stand out; the reduction of the number of Saturday classes and the revamping of the daily schedule.

A fact unknown to many students: Hassan assumed the principalship during the greatest downturn in the global economy since the Great Depression. Nonetheless, he made the best of what he could, given the circumstances.

Dean of Faculty Ron Kim commented on Hassan’s “remarkable” achievements. “During that [economic] crisis, the extent to which he supported the people on campus and protected the priorities that the Academy holds most dear were significant moments of leadership,” Kim said. “He has since stabilized the Academy and placed it on a footing to continue to do great things.”

“It has been an honor to be part of such a special place for the last 26 years, and Tom, our family and I are deeply grateful for the love and support that the Exeter community has shown us over the years.”

Through all of the roles he has served, Hassan has strived to preserve Exeter’s academic excellence. During his time he has overseen many academic advancements such as Exeter’s partnerships with The Noble Academy in Chicago and Stanford University.

These partnerships have helped create a wide variety of classes and off-campus opportunities. In fact, Exeter now offers a new course in its Upper School summer program that collaborates with Stanford in an examination of the process of creativity. Hassan has also worked on many similar developments for the summer session.

In addition to Exeter’s strong academic culture, Hassan has also strengthened its “internal” culture by ensuring stronger connections among the adults on campus as well as the celebration of the community’s incredible diversity that he has helped grow over the past years.

“I have made sure that we are not just bringing ‘youth from every quarter’ but ensuring that both students and teachers are ‘in’ and ‘for' every quarter through greatly enhanced global outreach efforts,” Hassan said.

To further cultivate the Academy’s diversity, Hassan helped make Exeter more accessible to middle and low income families through adjustments to the financial aid program. He launched an initiative that now allows families earning $75,000 or less to send their children to Exeter for free.

Despite all of his time-consuming work, Hassan still managed to remain connected with both the faculty, staff and student body. Kim, who has worked very closely with Hassan for the past four years, commented on the various ways Hassan has helped inspire and lead the faculty during his everyday work. “He has given me tremendous opportunities to learn and to grow, and for that, I am grateful,” Kim said.

“When you work for a leader, you want to know that he or she is working really hard and that he or she is someone whose values are clear and unassailable and who lives those values,” Kim continued. “We have all been very fortunate to study, live and work in a place with a principal who embodies those critical characteristics.”

Hosting events like study breaks at his house, ice cream socials and “Pancakes with the Principal,” Hassan has seen his relationship with the student body as an important part of his job and has tried to stay close with many students since his arrival at the Academy.

“I have always been a math teacher and adviser—two roles that have given me strong connections with students which I so enjoy,” Hassan said.

Many students feel Hassan has done a great job finding time for students in his busy schedule. According to lower Niels Schrage, Hassan always initiates conversation with him when they run into each other at Exeter and even San Francisco.

“He is a super friendly guy,” Schrage said. “When I see him on the path, he will always stop and ask how my day is going in a very genuine manner. In my experience, he does a good job reaching out to students as the principal of the school.”

Hassan’s care for students extends to the classroom as well. Principals at Exeter traditionally teach one class a year; during his principalship, Hassan has taught Math 130 every spring term. Hassan took great pride in this job and was always attentive to his students’ needs.

“Mr. Hassan’s greatest strength is his patience and genuine interest in helping some of our more modest math students,” Chair of the Math Department Eric Bergofsky said. “Our program can be somewhat intimidating to these students, and Mr. Hassan has the soft touch and right personality to put these students at ease and help them achieve their best.”

According to lower Olivia Liponis, Hassan created a unique “Top Tens” system in which he assigned a ten problem hand-in a week before a test to help his students learn the material and prepare for tests. He gave individual feedback to each student’s hand-in, and as a result made studying for tests significantly easier—a difficult feat when it comes to math assessments.

At the same time, Hassan added a touch of liveliness to the classroom. “Principal Hassan was a great teacher—his class was fun and interesting,” Liponis said. “He always asked us how our day was going and what we thought of assembly and things like that.”

Hassan’s upbeat and friendly personality will be immensely missed next year. Hassan announced his retirement through an all-school email on July 1. He attached a letter he had written to president of trustees Tom Hutton as well as Hutton’s response. He hopes his retirement will let him focus on his family needs more. His wife, Maggie Hassan, now serves as governor of New Hampshire.

“But, as you all know, Maggie and I balance two large jobs with significant and unique family commitments,” Hassan wrote in his email. “I find myself drawn to a new chapter in increasing my support of Maggie’s work as New Hampshire governor. In addition, our son, Ben, will require our support and attention in new ways in the coming years.” The Hassans’ daughter, Meg, graduated from the Academy in 2010.

Throughout next year, Hassan also plans to focus on his role as First Gentleman of New Hampshire and push his “Help Out New Hampshire” Initiative.

The initiative was launched last year; according to a press release by Gov. Hassan, it will “promote the spirit of volunteerism throughout the state.” Mr. Hassan has already visited and talked to volunteer groups across New Hampshire’s ten counties.

Gov. Hassan commented on her husband’s work at Exeter, of which both her and her husband have been very “proud.” As he begins to focus more on the initiative and his role as First Gentleman, she believes the people of New Hampshire “will benefit greatly from his service.”

Both Gov. Hassan and Principal Hassan will miss Exeter dearly and are grateful for all the wonderful opportunities the school has brought them.

“It has been an honor to be part of such a special place for the last 26 years, and Tom, our family and I are deeply grateful for the love and support that the Exeter community has shown us over the years,” she said. “Exeter is a great place to learn, work and live, and we look forward to maintaining our friendship with the Exeter family.

Likewise, Hassan will be greatly missed by the Exeter community but will always be remembered through the happy memories he created and great achievements he accomplished.

“Personally, I will really miss his ability to change a day from being bad to good,” Schrage said. “He just always knew how you were feeling and how to lift up your spirits. He has shown such love and dedication to the school for such a long time. His departure will affect everyone in one way or another.”