Trustees Elect Rawson to Permanent Post

After several months of deliberation, the Board of Trustees has appointed Principal William "Bill" Rawson as the 16th Academy Principal—a decision that President of the Trustees John “Tony” Downer announced in an assembly address on Friday, Jan. 25.

According to Downer, the Trustees had planned to begin a nationwide search for the next principal this month but ultimately decided to heed “unsolicited” input from many Exonians “to consider extending Principal Rawson’s service by naming him the Academy’s next principal,” he said.

“Mr. Rawson was appointed without a full national search process after serving as interim for only six months,” [Wagner] said.

Downer said that The Trustees undertook “extensive research” by consulting department heads, staff members and dorm heads, speaking with the Deans’ Council and contacting alumni through the General Alumni Association (GAA). “Those engagement efforts conveyed to us a chorus of pronounced support for selecting Bill Rawson,” Downer said.

The Trustees deemed Rawson the optimal choice for the Academy's next principal based on his leadership for interim principal. “Principal Rawson has immersed himself completely in the Exeter community with an abundance of interactions with students, faculty, staff, parents and alums,” Downer said. “[He] has established a solid foundation of trust and goodwill with each of those groups.”

Rawson affirmed his personal commitment to sharing his positive Exeter experience with students. “I come with a deep appreciation for how attending Exeter was a transformative experience for me, a deep respect for the profession of education generally and a deep appreciation for what all the adults on campus do to support the mission of the school,” Rawson said in an interview with The Exonian. “I think that respect and appreciation, as much as anything, informs how I try to serve as principal.”

Downer recognized Rawson’s multiple ties to the Academy as indications of his projected success. “As a former student, Bill has the deepest gratitude for and appreciation of his years at the Academy,” he said. “As an alum, for decades, Bill has been intensively involved as a class officer, at the regional level, as a GAA Director and officer, and as a long-serving Trustee.”

History Instructor Michael Golay noted that Rawson’s 40-year “hiatus” from Exeter will help him examine the school from a fresh perspective without being entrenched in old approaches to tackling issues. “Exeter is a hard place to live, work, teach and study and we tend to lose sight of the bigger picture because we get wrapped up in the day to day,” Golay said. “Rawson, as both an insider and outsider, will be a very good thing for the Academy.”

Downer noted that while the roles of interim principal and principal are quite similar, Rawson will now have a more solid platform from which to shape Exeter’s future. “As Principal, he has an open-ended time frame enabling him to undertake longer term planning as well as giving him more time to effect the implementation of those plans,” Downer said. 

Rawson is enthusiastic to oversee the completion of more long-term initiatives. “With my appointment as principal, I now will be able to see many more projects to completion, which is exciting, and the community does not have to worry about a near-term change in direction that might hinder long-term thinking and planning,” he said.

One such initiative is advancing the Academy’s agenda on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. “Meaningful progress on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, acting on the vision statement adopted by the trustees last year, is a critical priority for this year, and is essential going forward to sustaining and strengthening our commitment to excellence in all aspects of Academy life,” Rawson said.

History Department Chair William Jordan hopes that Rawson’s permanent appointment will provide stability after the relatively short tenures of the two previous principals. “We need the continuity, and we need a person we can trust,” Jordan said. He added that due to Exeter’s wide spectrum of opinions, it was rare for faculty to agree on one person. “As much as any group this diverse can trust one person, I think he’s it,” he said.

Department heads, dorm heads and several other faculty and staff members were asked to offer input on Rawson’s tenure and the possibility of a more permanent position over phone a month ago.

The Deans’ Council, a group composed of various student leaders on campus, gave input on Rawson in a closed meeting on Jan. 8 with the Trustees. “We met in person with the Dean’s Council and had a fulsome discussion with them on the topic,” Downer said, adding that the group offered “a chorus of pronounced support for selecting Bill Rawson.”

According to Student Council Vice President and Deans’ Council Chair Michaela Phan, the Council’s vote on appointing Rawson as principal was unanimous.

Science Department Chair Alison Hobbie expressed her support for Rawson’s appointment, citing his active outreach in the community. Hobbie recounted one instance when Rawson was conversing with staff members. “One day, I saw him sitting at lunch with a group of male custodians, getting information on what their job is like,” Hobbie said. “He is reaching out and being present for the adults and students on campus.”

English Instructor Courtney Marshall particularly appreciates Rawson’s proactive efforts to engage with faculty. “I think he has been very diplomatic and fair with faculty,” she said.  “More importantly for me, he’s been warm and welcoming to students. I loved his address at opening of school and his ‘I’m new here too’ shirt that he wore at move-in.”

Senior Chandler Jean-Jacques noted that Rawson also displays extraordinary willingness to communicate with students. “I see him a lot on campus, whether that is at sports games, in the dining hall or just around,” she said. “Also, he has sent emails regarding certain incidences and they seem genuine, showing that he cares about what happens on campus.”

Student Council Co-Secretary Ayush Noori believed that “it's the small things that matter.” Noori said. “I think that's what really distinguishes Principal Rawson. He’s invested in us as a school and he's invested in us as individuals.”

However, some expressed concerns that Rawson’s appointment did not adequately factor in sentiments of the entire community.

Valerie Wagner ’83 does not think the Trustees gave all alumni a legitimate opportunity to voice their opinions. While she acknowledged that the GAA directors contacted alumni in December, she also noted that “there was a short turnaround for the input” and many did not have time over the holidays to submit their thoughts.

Wagner called attention to the irregularity of Rawson’s appointment procedure. “Mr. Rawson was appointed without a full national search process after serving as interim for only six months,” she said.

David Knopf ’79 voiced similar concerns.“When Principal MacFarlane left, I understood that the Academy would have an interim principal who could address issues head-on without considering his or her long-term prospects there, and that there would be a nationwide search for the best candidate to serve as the next principal,” Knopf said. “I regret that the Trustees chose not to conduct that search.”

Wagner questioned Rawson’s qualifications for the position. “When you compare his qualifications to those of John Palfrey at Andover, an experienced and published educator with a national profile, one has to wonder whether Mr. Rawson would have fared well in a truly competitive search process given that his primary professional background appears to have been as a lawyer representing chemical, oil and pesticide companies.” She further expressed disappointment that Rawson has not yet responded to the petition signed by over 400 alumni in 2018 regarding Exeter’s response to sexual abuse allegations.

Current Exonians echoed the alumni’s opinion. Upper John Doe* said, “During my conversation with the trustees, they made it seem as though they were actively looking for a principal with racial literacy experience. It was disappointing to find that the decision had already been made.” 

Lower JaQ Lai, meanwhile, expressed concerns that only a handful of students were given a chance to weigh in before the decision. “I’m seeing a trend of Deans’ Council and the Student Council Executive Board being seen as a full representative of the student body. While that’s their role and purpose, at least right now those groups aren’t as representative of our interests and the greater community,” he said. “Those groups don’t include all the voices that need to be heard in conversations like these.”

Asterisks denote name change to preserve anonymity.