PEA Welcomes New Administrators
The 2019-2020 academic year will see several administrative turnovers, as Brooks Moriarty will begin his two-year appointment as the new Dean of Students and Math Instructor Laura Marshall will fill Moriarty’s current role as Dean of Studies and Academic Affairs.
Carol Cahalane, currently the Interim Dean of Residential Life, has accepted a five-year appointment for her current position. Jane Cadwell is extending her appointment as Continuing Professional Development coordinator for three to five years.
Principal William Rawson expressed high hopes for the new administrative team, which he appointed with input from other administrators and faculty. “As administrators, we are constantly thinking about ways we might better serve our school and our students,” he said. “I look forward to seeing what new ideas each of these administrators will bring to their new responsibilities.”
Each administrator will have “a fresh opportunity to reimagine the role,” Rawson added.
According to Director of Studies Scott Saltman, the extension of several interim positions to more permanent tenures reflects Rawson’s approval of the current administrative structure. “For a few new roles this past spring, they didn’t want to put people into long term positions knowing that there might be structural changes from the Principal,” he said. “It became clear to Rawson that keeping these positions as long term positions was the appropriate thing to do.”
Moriarty is enthusiastic to pick up where prior Dean of Students Melissa Mischke left off. One initiative Moriarty hopes to continue is Mischke’s idea of implementing grade-level deans. “I’ve been asked to continue the thinking started by Dean Mischke about the best way to organize the dean's office to best support our students,” Moriarty said. “She’s done a lot of great work on this topic, and I’m excited to move ahead with that.”
Moriarty hopes to prioritize student wellbeing and learning in his upcoming tenure. “I want our students to be happy, respectful of and open to new ideas and ways of thinking, eager to learn, resilient, humble and devoted to the common good,” he said.
Cahalane expressed her excitement to work with the new administrative team. “They’re all really good people who are good communicators and care deeply about students and look out for them in different ways,” she said. “There’s a real synergy that happens when you bring up a group of committed people together—it’s Harkness at its best.”
Cahalane elaborated on the initiatives and long-term changes she hopes to focus on. “We're all looking to see how we can improve the larger whole. We are looking at a change in the dean's office structure and ways that we can better respond or better meet the needs of students and their parents,” she said.
For Saltman, many of his duties will remain the same. “My duties revolve around curriculum, schedule and calendar,” he said. “My position is not changing due to the title change from Interim to permanent.”
In the next five years, Saltman plans to concentrate on the pace of life at Exeter and promote student growth and learning across classroom and co-curricular experiences with input from students and faculty. “I see myself as someone who takes my direction by listening and observing,” he said.
Cadwell similarly expressed excitement for her extended role as Continuing Professional Development Coordinator. “I think the best thing about it is watching your colleagues do what they do best, which is teaching their discipline, and see students do what they do best, which is be great students,” she said.
Marshall hopes to aid communication between the Dean of Students office and the student body. “I think the Dean of Students office has always tried to be a place where students feel comfortable coming to for help,” she said. “In different years, some groups of students have had different relationships with the administration. I'm hoping to help foster that relationship.”
Marshall believes her experience as the current adviser of Student Council will inform her work as Dean of Studies and Academic Affairs. “I feel like I know and work with many students across campus,” she said. “Student Council is working on many initiatives and has a strong focus on being more inclusive. I look forward to continued work with them.”
Rawson reflected on each position, adding that each administrator was chosen for specific qualities that will allow them to engage with the broader Exeter community. “A baseline requirement is that each candidate must fully support the mission and value of the school and be prepared to work well and collegially with others—students, parents, faculty, administrators and staff—as the particular job requires,” he said.