On Campus
Spring 2000

Winter Thaw

Just when mind and body energy was beginning to falter, along came Winter Thaw 2000 to dispel the cold weather blues. For students the long weekend of February 12-14 was free of homework, and while the temperatures were cold, that set up ideal conditions for the annual winter festival snow carving competition. For those who preferred to take the "thaw" literally, there were movies, flamenco and improv comedy in Fisher Theater, an Odetta concert in Phillips Church, and the ever-popular Grill Bingo conducted by Mrs. Jan Trueman. Mrs. Trueman, who helped put together the weekend with Davis Student Center colleagues and a committee of students, believes that the cotton candy made by Lufi Paris '00 and Edgar Valdez '01 and distributed free to townschildren was "a sweet and fluffy delight."

New Science Center Begins to Take Shape

The construction of the Phelps Science Center began immediately after groundbreaking in October. Working in warmer than average temperatures, construction crews began excavating for foundation and footings.

A milestone was reached on December 1 when the first concrete was poured. By the first week in January, a third of the back wall was in place and the building foundation and walls were beginning to take shape. Two weeks later, the footprint of the building emerged.

Utilities crisscross Tan Lane and crews needed to reconfigure an amazing assortment of steam, water, and electrical lines to prepare them for eventual entry into the new building. The repositioning of water and steam connections to Lamont Hall and Health Services was also necessary and done swiftly, while the access road to these buildings was permanently moved to its new location.

New Hampshire construction workers are a hardy lot who worked through frigid January weather to insure the project stayed on schedule. With a little bit of good luck, they will have already weathered the worst of winter.

The Academy and its alumni/ae, faculty, students, and staff appear in the press on a regular basis. From local papers to national television, mainstream magazines, and even digital publications, Exeter maintains a very high profile in the mass media. Listed here are some of the most prominent press notices from the fall and winter.

On Sunday, February 6, the Boston Globe ran a lengthy feature article, "Putting it on the table," on Harkness teaching at Phillips Exeter Academy. Writer Beth Daley attended classes led by Barbara Eggers and Betsy Farnham, and interviewed Jack Herney, dean of faculty, Marcia Carlisle, instructor in history, and several students. The piece talks broadly about Harkness teaching and also puts in a good word for the Exeter Humanities Institute taking place this coming June.

The Christian Science Monitor ran a feature article, "Student apathy? Not in this race," this past February 1 examining how educators in New Hampshire use the presidential primary as a way of getting students involved in the democratic process. Among those interviewed for the piece were Barbara James, director of student activities and adviser to the Exeter Political Union, and current student Grace Lin '02.

Speaking of the New Hampshire primary, the world was certainly watching this winter when presidential candidates Bill Bradley, John McCain, and Gary Bauer each visited the Academy on separate occasions. Sponsored by the Exeter Political Union, these primary events drew large and attentive a chance to hear first-hand what the candidates had to say. Press from across the U.S. and abroad, sometimes numbering in the hundreds, were out in hordes for these events, including representatives from CNN, C-SPAN, ABC News, Fox News, USA Today, The New York Times, London Daily Telegraph, BBC, Time, and Newsweek to name just a few. Most were kind enough to mention Phillips Exeter Academy in their coverage.

The boys varsity water polo team, which took its 18th championship title, and third consecutive, against Loomis Chaffee this past winter was featured on ESPN's Scholastic Sports show this past December 6. In other water sport news, PEA divers Enrique Roy, a senior from Exeter, NH and Brian Pietravalle, a senior from Nashua, NH, along with their coach Roger Nekton, were the subject of an article in the Boston Globe, New Hampshire Weekly on February 6. Roy, who won the New England diving championship last year and recently broke the PEA diving record for a six-dive list with 318 points, was also the subject of a profile in the Exeter News-Letter this January.

William Frazier, a senior from Cleveland, Ohio, was featured in the Cleveland Plain Dealer this past February 8 in an article on how eligible minority students in the Northeast Ohio public school system are often overlooked for gifted and talented programs.

As mentioned in the editor's column, the PEA chapter of Students for a Free Tibet, chaired by Caroline Cardarople '00, Maribel Hernandez '00, and Hayden Odell '00, conducted a very ambitious (and officially sanctioned) three-week relay fast in March. Students took turns fasting for 24-hour periods, culminating in a communal fast of over 100 people in celebration of National Uprising Day. The local press took note, with articles in the Boston Globe, Foster's Daily Democrat, the Exeter News-Letter, and the Union Leader. Julia Tobias, a current senior, also made headlines as the recipient of a national Prudential Spirit of Community Award for her work as founder of Youth Across Borders, a non-profit organization established to help youth in Bosnia. Tobias was profiled in the Exeter News-Letter and Foster's Daily Democrat.

Nearly 1.2 million students in over 20,000 U.S. high schools entered the year 2000 merit program as juniors by taking the 1998 preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Fewer than one percent of the nation's high school seniors were designated semifinalists on a state representational basis. To become finalists, semifinalists must have an outstanding high school academic record, be endorsed and recommended by their school principal, and submit SAT scores that confirm their earlier qualifying test performance. The following Exeter seniors have qualified as finalists in the National Merit and National Achievement Scholarship competitions.

Merit Scholars
Fatima Ahmad
Lawrence D. Cabusora
Lauren M. Davis
Leminh Ho
Nathan E. Keeney
Elizabeth A. Kelly
David V. Muehlke
Mary E. O’Donnell Moore
Patricia T. Pei
Nicholas C. Saint
William T. Schleyer
John L. Scholer
Ujala Sehgal
Julia E. Tobias
Theadora Tolkin

Achievement Scholars
Jean Paul Christophe
Jasmine Mahmoud
Olufemi Paris

Barbara E. Eggers

Tyler C. Tingley has announced the appointment of Barbara E. Eggers as the new dean of faculty. Eggers will begin her five-year administrative appointment on July 1. "Barbara brings the perspectives of a seasoned teacher, dorm head, and department chair to this critical position. At a time in which the school is engaged in a comprehensive look at its curriculum, her wisdom about students and faculty will be invaluable. I'm looking forward to working with her in this key role," said Principal Tingley.

Ms. Eggers came to the Academy in 1982 as a part-time instructor in history with a B.A. and M.A. from the University of New Hampshire. In 1984, she was appointed a full-time member of the faculty, and during her 18 years as a member of the Academy community she has served with dedication and distinction in all areas of Academy life. As dormitory head in Langdell Hall and on special assignments, including associate dean of students, resident director of the Washington Intern Program, yearbook adviser, and head of the discipline committee, her leadership has been significant.

Eggers has been chair of the history department since 1995. Her combination of support and intellectual challenge in the classroom and her deep commitment to teaching history were honored in 1995 by the Brown Family Faculty Fund Award, which recognizes superior teaching. In 1997, she was named to the Bicentennial Instructorship, which is given to a teacher whose excellence in various aspects of boarding school life has won the respect of colleagues and students.

The dean of faculty job is multifaceted and includes such duties as speaking for the institution and chairing faculty meetings in the principal's absence; advising the principal on academic and curricular matters; administering Academy policy, especially related to faculty and faculty governance; and numerous other tasks.

Eggers succeeds Jack Herney, dean of faculty since 1995. She is the first woman in the Academy's 219-year history to hold this position.

Richard D. Schubart

Longtime Academy instructor Richard D. Schubart will succeed Barbara Eggers as chair of the history department as of July 1. "I am excited about carrying on the good work of my predecessors while preparing to take a fresh look at how we can best extend the principles and values of the Harkness table to the teaching and learning of history in context of the new Academy master plan and forthcoming curriculum review," said Schubart.

Schubart received his B.A. in history and literature from Kenyon College and earned his M.A. and Ph.D. from SUNY Binghamton. He was appointed to the history faculty in 1973 and from 1988-94 was the Academy's director of admissions and financial aid, during which time he worked to promote and strengthen educational partnerships between various city school systems and the Academy. With his wife, Caren, Rick served 15 years in the dormitory, the last eight as head of Dunbar and Amen Halls successively, and coached varsity, boys tennis and girls basketball while raising their three children, Darcy '96, Lindsey '00 and Nelson. Schubart is an honorary member of the class of 1979 and has been the featured speaker at recent regional alumni/ae association dinners in Chicago, Seattle, Vero Beach, and Orlando. A scholar of American history, Schubart has led alums in the Baltimore and Washington areas on tours of the Gettysburg battlefield, and conducted "Harkness Table on the Road" discussions on Lincoln and the Civil War in Boston, Dallas, and New York.

Jamie L. Hamilton

Jamie L. Hamilton will chair the religion department as of July 1 following the completion of Russell Weatherspoon's five-year tenure in that post. Hamilton earned her B.A. from Central Washington University and her M.Div. from Union Theological Seminary. "I am very fortunate to be working with my accomplished colleagues in the religion department as we engage in our continued mission of exploring and teaching different religious traditions, different philosophical issues of value, meaning and purpose, and different understandings of what makes something religious," said Hamilton. "Our commitment is not only to understanding and teaching the differences, but to helping students revel in the diversity of our pluralistic society. It's great work!"

In 1991, Hamilton was ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church and serves as priest-in-charge of Emmanuel Church in Dublin, New Hampshire, during the summer. Hamilton was appointed to the religion faculty in 1995 and is currently dorm head in Dunbar Hall. In 1998, she received the Dormitory Adviser Award, which honors extraordinary effort in the dormitory and recognizes faculty who students trust and regard as concerned for the kind of human beings they are and can become.

The Academy is considering a writing project focused on the lives of faculty families and their description of life at the school over the years. How has the role of the faculty wife changed? Did those changes precipitate other changes in the larger Academy community? When faculty 'wife' was replaced by faculty 'spouse,' what did that mean to the school? How has the role of spouse developed for the men? What happened when the wives went to work in the '80s and '90s? All of these experiences are woven into the fabric of the school, and these threads add color and texture to the cloth. It is these experiences and more we seek to add to the history of the school. The strength of the Academy comes from all of its parts, including the families. If you are interested in adding to the history and in sharing your viewpoint, your story, or your memory, send a note to Constance Brown, 64 Allard Hill Rd., Conway, NH 03818.

As part of upcoming renovations in Phillips Church, Exeter is currently seeking a new design for the building's Tan Lane window, which is presently clear glass. To attract a dynamic pool of artists, the Phillips Church program committee turned to the power of the Web. Exeter's home page became the site of a national online contest, which attracted a number of window designers from around the country. The contest closed in February, and the committee is now in the process of evaluating proposals. Results will be announced this summer.

Phillips Church was the first house of worship designed by Ralph Adams Cram, foremost U.S. architect of the neo-Gothic period, who went on to design Princeton Chapel and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. Since its construction a century ago, Phillips Church has enjoyed only routine maintenance, and a complete renovation is now necessary to preserve the facility for its next 100 years of service to PEA.

In addition to restoring Phillips Church to its original beauty and functionality, the renovation project will also reconfigure certain spaces within the building to foster a more congenial climate of worship for the many different religious groups who use the Church. The project will also focus on improving acoustics and other features in the nave, which serves as the primary performance space for Exeter's music department.

Fund raising is underway to support this restoration and anyone interested in learning more about the project should contact Will Davison in the alumni/ae affairs and development office at (603) 777-3681, or email wdavison@exeter.edu.