Phillips Academy provides development funds to allow theatre faculty to see productions of their choosing, for language teachers to practice their language in a country where it is spoken, and for any faculty member to recieve a grant for a project of their own design. Currently at Phillips Academy, the number and variety of faculty development opportunities appear to satisfy the faculty’s needs. The admnistration is seeking to “Expect and support faculty members’ participation in development opportunities.” as stated in the Strategic Plan. “In the last three years the trustees have approved and awarded the highest percentage of sabbaticals to those who applied.,” said Maqubela. All department chairs interviewed agreed with Department Chair of Theater and Dance Bruce Bacon, that “[Phillips Academy] provides ample opportunities [for faculty development].” Bacon also said, “The big problem is to find the time to take advantage of [the developmental opportunities]. It is never a question of money.” Pryde echoed this idea. Marc Koolen, Department Head of Biology, agreed, “The administration can’t always fund everyone, even partially…but they do their very best to try and spread the funds out so that all ‘good ideas’ have a chance to fly. The Dean of Studies Office and the Dean of Faculty Office are both extremely supportive of Faculty development.” “The funding for professional development in the [World Languages] department has doubled over the last three years,” said Peter Merrill, Department Head of World Languages. The department heads interviewed all acknowledged that it is always the faculty members themselves who propose and initiate their faculty development projects. Koolen describes the faculty as “very self-motivated,” saying that the faculty “keep themselves up-to-date.” He said, “Every summer, someone is doing something with grants.” Faculty development projects differ from department to department. A common example is the large individual projects during the summer. For many departments, this is convenient because it is difficult to find a substitute when a faculty member wants to attend a seminar or conference during the year. However, there are many who do. Raj Mundra, Instructor in Biology and Associate Dean of the Office of Community and Multicultural Development said, “There is always a give and take between what faculty want to do and what the institution wants to do. In the World Languages Department, Merrill said that “every three or four years [in the summer], faculty members may refresh their language skills in the language’s native countries.” For the Theatre Department, faculty developmental projects are somewhat different from those of other departments. Bacon said that “Each show we put on is a faculty development project.” There is also a certain amount of the department budget that is set aside to let faculty members attend shows to keep them up-to-date on theatre. Bacon said it is “easy to get isolated in the Andover Bubble.” He continued, “If a [department] faculty member wishes to see a show, we can usually pay for it from departmental development funds.” The Art Department is similarly flexible. Department Chair Shirley Veenema said her role is to “to be supportive, to encourage, but not necessarily lead [the faculty in their development].” “For art, it’s not a ‘one size fits all’ [situation],” she continued. “There is a huge range of activities, from classroom [settings] to more formal [settings]. I support faculty in their diverse ways to go and support them when they find external resources.” Mundra said, “The school recognizes that faculty are people. We’re in a learning community. Learning can be specific to one’s discipline or personal interests.” After the tsunami two years ago, Mundra recieved a grant from Phillips Academy to help with relief efforts in Southern India and Indonesia. Mundra said,”[Helping with tsunami relief] didn’t really help me with coaching football, being a house counselor or teaching Biology, but it was personally fulfilling.” Ellen Glover, Instructor in Mathematics, took last year off for “rest, reflection, and study.” She also worked on her Statistics curriculum and taught two classes: mathematical games and soccer, for elementary students in an after school program.
