An Unnecessary Risk

At the end of this coming school year, Principal Tom Hassan and Principal of Trustees Tom Hutton will retire from their positions at the Academy. In addition to these major changes to the administration, the Dean of Faculty Ron Kim will step down and instead take up the new role of vice principal, and the summer school director Ethan Shapiro, the director of studies Laura Marshall and athletic director Robert Morris will rotate out of their positions.Such extreme and sudden alterations of the most influential positions at the school leaves potential for several outcomes. The Academy could thrive under new leadership and vision and revamp the current mindset of the school; the administration could lack substantial leadership and suffer from a stall period in which the school ceases to progress itself; or, because the new leadership will in part be elected by the current one, there may be no significant change in school vision.By replacing the two most essential figures at the school during the same year, as well as rotating out many important positions in the Deans office, the Academy sets itself up for a very progressive year, or else condemns itself to a very difficult transition. In either case, the Academy is likely to undergo substantial changes after this year ends. My question is in what direction will the Academy be taken and will it be beneficial to the image of the school?Together, Hutton and Hassan lead the school. They represent its face and influence many important decisions at the Academy. Replacing both of them at once is risky. If the new principal and principal of Trustees decide on a completely new direction for Exeter, the school could undergo dramatic change. Even if the end result is beneficial, changing Exeter too quickly could damage its outside image. Before any policy of change is implemented, it needs to be seriously thought through. If the school institutes change too quickly, it will appear to Exeter’s current and potential students, donors, and staff that the administration is making important changes without considering in large detail how it affects every aspect of the school.

"Switching three of the directors the same year as two other major positions is unnecessarily risky on Exeter’s part and perhaps should be avoided in the future."

With two major positions being switched at once, this potentially rushed change could not only become a false image, but also a reality. All administrators want to have a positive impact in some way. However, as a new member of the community, these administrators will often feel rushed to make a good impression. With multiple new administrators, this pressure often multiplies as each one bears more responsibility because of the decreased amount of returning administrators they can rely on.However, switching Kim to the role of vice principal may help preserve the ideas of both Hassan and Hutton and prevent change from happening too quickly. After serving as a Dean and associate Dean for ten years, Kim has a good sense of where Exeter stands currently in terms of its outside image, current strengths and areas that need improvement. He also knows how to handle influential positions at Exeter and will be able to guide the new principal, minimizing his or her stage of adjustment. Finally, Kim will be able to keep the principal working at a reasonable pace, making sure changes don’t happen too quickly, but at the same time that important issues are addressed.While replacing both the Principal and Principal of Trustees during the same year could potentially lead to problems, replacing the summer school director, director of studies and athletic director all in the same year should not be as drastic of an issue. These three positions are changed regularly, making next year’s position turnovers far less significant. However, if the major changes in the Administration do result in serious problems, it is important for Exeter to stay strong in all of its Dean and Director positions. Switching three of the directors the same year as two other major positions is unnecessarily risky on Exeter’s part and perhaps should be avoided in the future.