“Two-Head System”

For the past 25 years, Principal Thomas Hassan has helped guide Phillips Exeter Academy to the successful institution it is today. Many students know Principal Hassan as the well dressed, brightly smiling man who never forgets to greet each student on the campus pathways; others know him as the principal who sets up the Ice Cream Socials each year, in order to bring students and faculty together. But no matter how well Exonians know Principal Hassan, many students believe that he has been too distant from the Exeter community during his tenure as principal. One cause of this perception may stem from the burden of both social and work-related aspects of his position, the latter of which Hassan is often forced to focus on.In order to avoid this conundrum, many colleges and universities have enlisted the help of both a principal, who is in charge of fundraising and planning the future of their respective academies, and a provost, who is reliable for the majority of the academic, financial and interactive sides of campus. Exeter has yet to employ this method; yet because of the current search for the Academy’s fifteenth principal, this year provides a chance for change. The addition of a provost could help relieve many responsibilities of the next principal, which in turn would grant students assurance that an administrative member of equal authority is always looking out for them.Furthermore, the Academy is expecting the fifteenth principal to travel extensively in a new, worldwide fundraising campaign. A provost could handle the principal's on-campus tasks while he is away, allowing the principal to divert his or her full attention to whatever matters are at hand during his international tour.On the other hand, certain advantages have arisen for the hiring of only a principal. First, most students on campus are not familiar with what a "provost" is. Additionally, even if the Academy attempts to explain this position to the students, the "provost" would most likely remain confusing for the student body. For example, many students are still not aware about the implementation of uPrint, even after the Academy sent out numerous emails and documents in hopes of a smooth transitioning into this new technology. This may be the same case for implementing a new position, a "provost".Some may believe that this possible alteration is not the most urgent at the moment. Since there have very few principals, however, if the structural reworking is not applied, no one knows how long we will have to wait for another such opportunity. It could easily be 2040 before the Academy must seek a sixteenth principal. Consequently, the Principal Search Committee should heavily consider this idea before a principal is chosen, because implementing the provost at the same time as a new principal begins his or her position would ease the transition process for both.Since the principal search committee is encouraging students to partake in the search process, students should be aware of the possibility for this "two-head system." This method has successfully been utilized by several institutions such as Harvard College and the University of Pennsylvania. Even if we do not transition to this structure, the sentiment and reasons behind it are worth considering as we continue to follow the current hunt for a principal. Despite prep school’s avoidance of this two-head approach, Exeter should be a pioneer, and possibly, the trend might catch on.