Moriarty To Serve as Dean of Students

English Instructor and Dean of Studies and Academic Affairs Brooks Moriarty ’87 has accepted a two-year position as Dean of Students. Moriarty’s appointment will begin on July 1, and a search for the new Dean of Academic Affairs will commence immediately.

Principal William Rawson described the qualities he sought in applicants, adding that administrative positions often attract several qualified candidates, “making the decision often quite difficult.” “A baseline requirement is that each candidate must fully support the mission and values of the school, and be prepared to work well and collegially with others—students, parents, faculty, administrators, staff—as the particular job requires,” he said.

Succeeding previous Dean of Students Melissa Mischke after her seven-year term, Moriarty has been charged with the responsibility of surveying all aspects of student life. Components of his new role include constructing advising assignments, coordinating with faculty advisers and managing student housing.

Moriarty said that the Dean of Students can greatly impact students’ lives by preparing them for future challenges, an idea he drew from a New York Times article. “Too often adults, both parents and teachers are preparing the road for children instead of preparing children for the road," he said. "In other words, adults are clearing obstacles from the path of life instead of helping young people develop the skills to navigate obstacles on their own. The Dean of Students can shape conversations about how to prepare kids at Exeter for the road.”

Moriarty continued, “To do that, I plan to lean on the expertise of my colleagues and spend as much time as possible with students, listening and just getting to know as many students as possible."

Moriarty plans to remain constantly engaged with students in other capacities. “I’m hoping we can create a structure that allows deans to continue with some teaching, coaching, living and working in dorms, et cetera,” he said. “We have to stay connected to students in those spaces, I think, to serve our students well.”

Moriarty also highlighted specific campus and global issues that he will be mindful of and try to address during his tenure. “Various challenges will define [the Dean of Students’] work,” he said. “Anxiety is on the rise among high-achieving kids … As the recent college admissions scandal, Operation Varsity Blues, makes clear, there are people of wealth and privilege who have lost their moral compass.”

These dilemmas lead Moriarty to larger questions, especially about how the Academy fits into the broader picture. “What responsibilities does a school like Exeter have in such a world?” Moriarty said. “We need to think deeply about that and come up with some answers. I’m eager to play a role in that work.”

Prep Akili Tulloch is thrilled with Moriarty’s appointment and believes that Moriarty possesses the necessary qualifications. “I think Mr. Moriarty has [a] great sense of understanding [of] what his students are going through, as well as being passionate and dedicated,” he said.

Similarly, prep and advisee of Moriarty Emily Wang noted how open Moriarty is with his students. “He wants what’s best for the students, and is such a chill and easy person to talk to,” she said.

Prep Shrayes Upadhyayula, who formerly took one of Moriarty’s English classes, added that he is a deeply empathetic person. “He was always incredibly kind and thoughtful as my English teacher, and my interactions with him as a dean have always been positive,” Upadhyayula said. “I’m glad he’s taking a larger role in the administration.”

Saltman affirmed that one of Moriarty’s largest emphases will be on communicating with students and remaining involved with student activities. “He's been working in this office for a few years and very much approaches problems through the lens of the students,” Saltman said. “I think students will see a lot of him as he intends to be out with the students and in front of the students.”

During Moriarty’s tenure, Tulloch hopes that Moriarty will take a proactive approach to addressing student problems. “I hope Mr. Moriarty will help to improve whatever issues students face; he should acknowledge and confront these issues, rather than ignore them,” he said.

Wang noted that there are certain issues that many students, including herself, would like to see addressed during his tenure. “I hope he can establish more of a focus on mental health, homework load and weekend activities,” she said.

Students like lower Matthew Chen also hope Moriarty confronts their concern regarding transparency between faculty and student bodies. “I feel like when it comes to high-level personnel changes within PEA, we, as students, are entitled to be informed,” Chen said.

Chen pointed out that the new appointments were only announced to the faculty in an email; he believes that students should have been included. “The decision affected everyone on campus, so we all should be told about it,” he said. “It is definitely very worrying that the school would do something like this—it sets a very dangerous precedents for future communications.”

Prep Charles Falivena agreed with Chen, adding that relations between administration and students could be improved if students could contribute input on administrative appointments. “Given that the deans are the focal points of the administration, if students had input regarding the new deans, the student body-admin relationship probably would be improved,” he said.

However, Saltman clarified that open communication is often more complicated to execute than students believe. “Transparency is such a difficult thing,” he said. “There’s so much that is legally confidential and it's very difficult to assure students that there was a thorough process in decisions. However, we can’t tell students details of the process when they are confidential.”

Rawson described the administration's failure to alert students of these decisions as "an oversight."

Rawson continued that the administration is always looking for opportunities to aid the Exeter community. “As administrators, we are constantly thinking about ways we might better serve our school and our students,” he said. “When a transition occurs, there is a fresh opportunity to reimagine the role. I look forward to seeing what new ideas each of these administrators will bring to their new responsibilities.”

Moriarty concluded that the Dean' Office has the opportunity to inspire tangible, positive change in the Exeter community. “Working with kids in a residential school is really fun,” he said. “While students probably first think of rules and discipline, the Deans' Office is behind a lot of joy at PEA.”

In addition to Moriarty’s appointment, Rawson announced that Carol Cahalane, currently the interim Dean of Residential Life, has accepted an official five year appointment for the position. Scott Saltman has accepted an official five year appointment as Director of Studies, and Jane Caldwell has extended her appointment as Continuing Professional Development coordinator from three to five years.