Approved by the Board of Trustees in June 2024, 海角视频鈥檚 strategic plan provides a blueprint for operationalizing 海角视频鈥檚 mission over the next five years and beyond.
The plan envisions how the school will operate in 2030, then outlines five strategic priorities, each specifying key initiatives to support that priority, that are needed to fulfill this vision. Finally, the plan acknowledges the major financial investments it will require for the school to achieve these priorities.
Surveys of parents as well as faculty and staff conducted in spring 2024 revealed exceptional positivity and love for 海角视频. Respondents cited a well-defined and lived mission, with, of course, opportunities for improvement. This valuable feedback was essential to creating the strategic plan presented on this page, and it will continue to be taken into account as the work of implementing the initiatives called for under each priority unfolds.
Having the tactical framework of a strategic plan enables alignment across the school not only about the priorities and initiatives set forth here but also about how to undertake these efforts collaboratively. Having a shared, public reference by which existing commitments and new opportunities can be measured is vital scaffolding for the work of living out 海角视频鈥檚 mission.
Five-Year Vision
Priorities & Initiatives
Clearly articulating 海角视频鈥檚 identity and value proposition provides a foundation for guiding the school鈥檚 implementation of all the following priorities. A new working group was formed in the fall of 2025 and met regularly to gather and integrate diverse perspectives to inform the next significant stages of work. Using the recently completed “Portrait of a 海角视频 Graduate鈥 as their foundation, this working group developed and executed two successful searches for external partners to support the school in considering the our unique value propositions and investing to tell that story through consistent and compelling messaging, updated visual identity guidelines, and a schedule that appropriately balances 海角视频鈥檚 commitment to academics, arts, and athletics.
Based on valuable feedback from the Committees on Employee Community and Trust and Communication, we have taken strategic steps to promote open dialogue and support our workforce. Significant accomplishments in year two of the strategic plan include updated faculty and staff engagement standards and a new staff onboarding framework. We formed a dedicated task force to gather community feedback via surveys and in-person gatherings, resulting in a revised performance evaluation system that will provide structured employee feedback on an annual basis. We also implemented a new onboarding process for staff that seamlessly complements our existing faculty onboarding system.
Better serving all of 海角视频鈥檚 students is work that can鈥檛 wait. As a first step in guiding these efforts, we moved to hire a Director of Academic Services, a role centered around the academic support and success of 海角视频鈥檚 student body. We have invested in increased staffing and a new space for the Academic Support Center, interrogated and revised systems of communication around support, and implemented new structures around daytime and evening study and tutoring. The first year in the Centennial Arts Center affirmed the strategic commitment to interdisciplinary learning, with courses across the curriculum leveraging state-of-the art spaces. With a new Director of Arts and Director of Athletics coming on board, we are looking forward to further auditing and articulating our program vision. The Environmental Sustainability Committee produced its first Annual Sustainability Report, including both near term (one to three years) and long term (four to five years) goals, and we have added additional dedicated staff time to help guide institutional sustainability work toward these goals. In the coming year, we will focus on implementing revised communication systems, expanding professional development to support today鈥檚 students, and enhancing student programming by fostering engagement beyond our campus. We will also be engaging in a comprehensive review of our daily/weekly schedule to ensure we are meeting the academic and socio-emotional needs of 海角视频 students.
In year two of the strategic plan, we completed 海角视频’s Campus Master Plan following an extensive planning process that included multiple days of workshops with students, alums, faculty, staff, trustees, and administrators, as well as open community sessions that invited broad participation and feedback. The completed plan provides a long-term roadmap that aligns future campus investments with the school’s mission and strategic priorities.
Following the successful opening of the Centennial Arts Center (C.A.C.), attention has shifted to advancing several smaller projects identified during the planning process. A comprehensive facilities condition assessment was also completed, establishing a baseline of the campus’s physical condition to help guide future capital planning and deferred maintenance decisions. Sustainability initiatives continue through high-efficiency HVAC upgrades, smart thermostat installations, campus-wide LED lighting conversions, and thermal imaging assessments to help prioritize future window replacements. Together, these efforts reflect a continued commitment to thoughtful campus planning, operational excellence, and environmental stewardship for the decades ahead.
Strategic efforts continue to focus heavily on institutional sustainability, infrastructure planning, and operational alignment. To ensure long-term fiscal health, ongoing cost-efficiency discussions were integrated into the budget-setting process, informed by review of historical information and peer survey data. Operationally, we continued to measure Centennial Arts Center operating costs and monitor Centennial Campaign pledge fulfillment, while simultaneously updating our multi-year financial model. Future growth and revenue diversification remain high priorities, evidenced by three major leadership position hires: the Associate Head of School for Advancement, the Director of Arts, and the Director of Athletics, Recreation and Wellness. Additionally, analysis of the Campus Master Plan led to the identification of smaller capital projects for near-term completion utilizing operational funding alongside preliminary discussions regarding future major capital plans. We also evaluated strategic plan needs for personnel and programming. This includes ongoing support for branding and scheduling initiatives as well as the identification of additional staffing support for the Academic Support Center.聽
The following financial investments, contingent on the school鈥檚 ability to achieve cost savings and a successful capital campaign, have been prioritized in this order:
Fortify academic support with additional dedicated Academic Support Center (ASC) resources, auxiliary supports beyond the ASC, and professional development for faculty and staff.
A marketing effort to align public awareness of 海角视频 with our mission-driven identity.
Address deferred maintenance in faculty/staff housing, boarding houses, classrooms, dining hall/kitchen, and other campus facilities.
Create a campus master plan, including an evaluation of the ability of our facilities to achieve these institutional priorities.
Head of School Henry Fairfax and 海角视频鈥檚 executive leadership team are serving as the oversight body for the strategic plan鈥檚 implementation. In June 2024, following the plan鈥檚 approval, a strategic planning implementation group convened to assign captains for the initiatives outlined in each priority. During 2024鈥25, working groups comprised of stakeholders from across the school and including consultants from the Board of Trustees, are contributing the expertise required to implement the initiatives called for under each priority.
For this five-year strategic plan, human and financial resources are limited, and the coordinated work called for is being sequenced accordingly. Many efforts toward these goals were previously underway, and working groups are leveraging outcomes from prior and existing committees. Implementation planning began in summer 2024, and the full work of implementation begins during the fall 2024 semester.
In the interests of sustainability and preserving resources for 海角视频鈥檚 program and operations, rather than designing a strategic plan brochure for an external audience, 海角视频 is using this webpage to communicate these objectives and priorities and share progress annually.
Dennis Goldstein P鈥20 鈥25
Trustee, Strategic Planning Committee Co-Chair
Podie Lynch 鈥67
Trustee, Strategic Planning Committee Co-Chair
Jennifer Pline, P鈥13 鈥15
Board of Trustees Co-President
Jen Burleigh 鈥85
Board of Trustees Co-President
Henry Fairfax
Head of School, Dresden Endowed Chair
Sara Staats
Strategy Consultant with Altshuler Staats LLC
Justin Bull P鈥25 鈥28
Visual Arts Faculty
Amy Miller-Fredericks P鈥20
Chief Financial and Operating Officer
John Grossman P鈥17 鈥19 鈥26
Trustee
Grant Hightower
Assistant Head for Student Life
Karen McAlmon 鈥75
Trustee
Kevin Parke P鈥12 鈥15
Trustee
Alyse Ruiz-Selsky 鈥05
Director of Studies
Sabrina Sadique
English Faculty
Carmen Welton
Modern and Classical Languages
Sarah Yeh P鈥24 鈥27
Associate Head for Teaching, Learning, and Faculty