Phillips Academy’s partnership with Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of a small Shi’a Muslim sect, is part of an effort to reach out to the global community. The Academy is still in the process of determining how best to take advantage of its connections acrosss the globe.

The contact with Aga Khan began when his son graduated from Andover in 1989. The Aga Khan Educational Network funds the International Academic Partnership, which provides participating schools with information, such...