Trustees Discuss Equity and Inclusion in Annual Meeting

Academy trustees arrived on campus for their annual fall term meetings last week. Their  discussions focused on diversity, equity and inclusion within the community, examining the school’s past and planning for the future.

During the visit, trustees received an update on Principal Lisa MacFarlane’s strategic planning. At the start of the school year, Tony Downer ‘75, President of the trustees, created a trustee committee with the mission of bringing a more focused set of guiding principles to the trustees for their endorsement. Over the last six weeks, the committee has reread all the documents that students have presented to the administration over the last two years, and synthesized the work into fundamental themes. “We affirmed two foundational principles that will infuse everything we do,” MacFarlane stated. The intrinsic ideas are equity and inclusion—“every individual at Exeter should be respected, affirmed and supported in the fullness of who they are,” MacFarlane said. She added that the school would use research and data to “bring emerging knowledge about learning… or need for improvement into everything we do.”

“every individual at Exeter should be respected, affirmed and supported in the fullness of who they are,”

The trustees have already held several sessions to discuss the Academy’s strategic plan, a work in process. Downer expressed his excitement and hopes for what the plan could mean for the school upon its implementation, stating that the plan will “build upon our strengths… and will address those areas where we can stand to improve to make the Exeter experience a unique and compelling experience of excellence for our future students.” By utilizing the NEASC (New England Association of Schools Colleges) self-study as a foundation for collecting and analyzing information about current practices and successes, the trustees hope to implement visible and efficient developments. The trustees will also continue the first-horizon initiatives that began last year: “the Academy Life Task Force and the piloting of ‘Sandbox’ courses are two areas where current work provides focus and experience for considering the themes,” MacFarlane said. “The Kalix Study on tuition sensitivity and the Mercer study on workload and compensation will give us important information.”

The trustees’ focus on reforming areas that need improvement arises from their realization that bringing diversity to the community does not necessarily guarantee inclusion. “We believe that Exeter has… an uncommon opportunity to bring to its campus a diverse set of young people and adults, and by bringing such diversity to campus, the nature of the on campus experience can be extraordinary,” Downer said. “But we have seen and we have learned that simply bringing a diverse set of people on to our campus does not, by itself, ensure that each individual will feel the respect and have the support that she or he needs to thrive on campus.” The trustees are committed to taking those steps necessary to make the opportunity to thrive available to everyone in the Exeter community regardless of ethnicity, nationality, faith, sexual orientation and financial circumstances.

In addition to discussing ways to improve the Exeter experience, the trustees also devoted time to address the ongoing investigation of past incidents of sexual misconduct. The trustees are hopeful that the investigation will conclude in the near future, at which point they hope to convey the lessons they have learned, and report to the community the corrective actions they have taken to ensure student safety.

The trustees were also updated on several ongoing campus projects, such as the new performing arts building set to be opened in the spring. They also examined the Exeter’s physical plant, dorms, dining, and the Academy building.

Through their many meetings, the trustees not only learned about the Academy’s strategic plan, but also found time to take part in Exeter life themselves. The trustees met with members of the Dean’s Council, representatives of the OMSA proctors, and a group of dorm heads during breakfasts and lunches to discuss community life and inclusion. Senior and member of the Dean’s Council Chi-Chi Izpeaku felt that despite not coming out of the meeting with many concrete ideas, the members of the Council communicated their ideas with the correct people, and that the trustees took their responses to heart. “I loved seeing the diversity in faces and hearing the diversity when they described where they were from, how they went to Exeter and what they were doing with their lives. Additionally, they were great listeners, which allowed us on the Council to be more open and willing to say what was on our mind,” Izpeaku said. She added that her meeting with the trustees gave her a boost in confidence, which allowed her to bring her own ideas on ways to make Exeter a more equitable experience to her committee, and eventually the Student Council.

As part of her visit, Trustee Kerry Landreth Reed ‘91 shared a meditation with the Exeter community on Thursday. Zach Iscol’s ‘97 John Phillips Award assembly, which also took place during the visit, was yet another affirmation of the depth and history of the Exeter community off campus. In his speech, Iscol’s experience as a Marine Corps officer in charge of both American Marines and Iraqi soldiers was especially powerful and moving. MacFarlane commented that it was “moving to be reminded of the many people whom Exeter has touched, and humbling to hear their stories.” She added that it was exhilarating to spend time together thinking about Exeter’s future in ways that are “concrete, intentional and doable.”

The trustee meetings, as MacFarlane described, were “thoughtful and authentic,” and served as a vigorous self-assessment. The annual visit allowed the trustees to recognize the areas that need improvement, and define their objectives and steps to bring their aspirations of equity and inclusion to realization. “We are not where we must be on the diversity, equity and inclusion front,” Downer said. “We need to make progress on the whole child front so that every element of our students’ experience matches the heights which take place day in and day out around the Harkness classroom table.”