Exeter Board of Trustees Visits Campus, Discusses Future
The Academy’s Board of Trustees visited campus from Jan. 24 to 27 to discuss issues around inclusion and the Exeter experience with both students and administration.
Trustees arrived on Wednesday and began their stay with an informal dinner. From Thursday to Saturday, they attended meetings with members of the administration leadership, MLK Committee members, students in dorms and Robert Greene, a leadership trainer at a firm that helps organizations build greater cultural awareness on the subject of diversity. They completed their visit by attending the William Boyce Thompson Field House’s opening dedication ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 27.
According to President of the Trustees Tony Downer ’75, the goal of any trustee meeting is to “direct our focus on issues facing the Academy today as well as challenges and opportunities that we can see ahead in the community’s future.” The discussions ranged from investing in the student experience, establishing tuition strategy and issues concerning the dining halls. “We want to ensure that every student—regardless of her or his background or circumstances—is able to thrive while here,” Downer said.
This includes envisioning what college counseling should look like in the years ahead, overseeing the school’s strategic planning process and discussing “what progress are we making in regards to addressing the issue of sexual misconduct and bringing closure to our survivors,” he said.
“We share a common belief in the uncommon power and value of the Harkness system where we can have vigorous discussions about how best to achieve our goals, how best to advance our values and how to most thoughtfully create an unmatched experience for our students and our adults on campus.”
Campus diversity and inclusion were paramount topics covered by the trustees. “The expert on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with whom we met is Robert Greene, a consultant with JONES, a firm that specializes in diversity-based organizational development consulting,” Downer said. “During our session with him, we explored the topic of unconscious or implicit bias—how we may knowingly or unknowingly be guilty of it, how to recognize it and how to counteract it.”
Although the trustees may not agree with each other on every topic, all of them ultimately support each other and proceed in unity. “Not surprisingly, when you have 21 Exonians around the table, you are not going to have agreement on every element of every issue,” Downer said. “We want there to be advocates on different sides. Our discussions are true Harkness discussions—respectful speaking, respectful listening, a table around which each and every voice is heard and valued.”
Along with holding discussions amongst each other, the trustees also went to nine dorms to talk to students in person. “The conversations that the Trustees held in the nine dorms on Thursday evening touched on a remarkable array of topics,” Downer said. “These topics included issues regarding the physical conditions of their living spaces, the students’ perceptions of the strategic planning process, why the students came to Exeter and how the school has or has not lived up to its expectations, the culture of their particular dorm, the students’ assessment of the level of stress and workload they experience.” Principal Lisa MacFarlane said, “They were enthusiastic about their visits with students in the dorm and appreciated students taking the time to talk with them.”
Students, in turn, enjoyed the topics they discussed with the trustees. “I had a conversation with the president of the trustees, and I expressed my concerns about the administration’s dedication to issues of equity,” lower Tatum Schutt said. “And he said that he personally, as well as the other trustees, will be keeping that in mind during this session, which was very nice to hear.” Schutt continued to describe how she would like the trustees to focus on hiring more faculty of color and to establish competency training for current faculty members.
Upper Sophie Falerio, a co-head of Divest Exeter, spoke to the trustees about her club’s goal to stop Exeter from investing in companies that use fossil fuels. The school currently has 93 million invested in fossil fuels and fossil fuel industries and companies. “Divest Exeter is trying to introduce a divestment plan entailing how the school can divest from fossil fuel companies and why they should divest.” Falerio appreciated the trustees’ feedback and opinions on divestment after their conversation.
Students enjoyed hearing others’ views. “I found it very interesting to see people’s different takes on Exeter and the community as a whole,” lower Justin Li said. “Especially since the trustees are adults and they’ve experienced Exeter themselves, it was cool to see the culture and generational differences.”
Upper Isadora Kron thought that the trustees could have focused more on diversity and inclusion. “We definitely talked about equity and inclusion, but I wish we had focused on that a little bit more,” she said. “They made some vague statements, and I wish we had asked them more specific questions.”
Along the same lines, Schutt hopes the trustees will encourage the administration to address ALES’s requests. “ALES’s document of requests still has not been completely affirmed,” she said. “Principal MacFarlane and the Racial Literacy Task Force, they do have plans, so I think that some motivation from the trustees might go a long way toward holding everyone in J. Smith accountable for the promises made to the student body.”
At the same time, some students didn’t feel like they had any input with the trustees. “I feel like some students feel that they have no input with the administration at all, and by association, the trustees,” upper Selin Ferhangil said. “The trustees also aren’t on campus as frequently as the administration—you can’t reach out to them whenever you want.”
Ferhangil continued how she would appreciate more face-to-face interactions with the trustees.“I feel like if students did want to talk to the trustees, having more dinners and meetings would be beneficial because with face to face interactions you actually get to see the people who are making important decisions about our school,” Ferhangil said. “I appreciate it whenever a member of the administration or a trustee comes to the dorm and speaks to us, but some students might feel that they’re just coming for show.”
Senior Ifechi Ilozor felt a sense of detachment around the trustees. “I feel like I was a track kid sitting through two hours of ‘Here’s the new field house that we gave to you,’” she said. “They’re just kind of there giving money, so I don’t really know how to feel about them.”
Kron disagreed, saying that she felt like the trustees had an impact on students. In addition, she feels like the discussion that took place in her dorm had an impact on the trustees as well. “Some of the questions they asked, we provided pretty convincing arguments,” she said. “Specifically, when we were talking about vertical housing, our passionate responses might have made an impact in their conversations.”
Schutt noted the benefits of the work they do behind the scenes. “Whether or not we have personal impact with them, what we do is very much a result of everything they do on campus,” she said. “The trustees’ purpose is not to interact with students all the time. It’s still nice to meet with them once a year or so and have a reaffirmation of what they’re working on and express to them my concerns.”
Downer continued to describe the commitment each trustee has to the school. “We believe passionately in the deed of gifts youth from every quarter and its marriage of knowledge and goodness,” he said. “We share a common belief in the uncommon power and value of the Harkness system where we can have vigorous discussions about how best to achieve our goals, how best to advance our values and how to most thoughtfully create an unmatched experience for our students and our adults on campus.”