About NMH Northfield

Letter from President and Head of School about Northfield Campus Plans

April 5, 2005

Dear Member of the NMH Community,

We write to update you about our efforts to find new uses for the Northfield campus. The board of trustees, in conjunction with its specially created policy committee, the Northfield Stewardship Committee (NSC), is committed to finding the most appropriate use for the campus. Both groups are actively involved in this process.

Stewardship involves the careful and responsible management of property entrusted to our care, and the board of trustees understands fully the importance and impact of its stewardship role. Its overall responsibility is to the mission and stability of Northfield Mount Hermon School, assuring by effort and action that the school will thrive. An important part of this responsibility is finding alternative uses for the Northfield campus that ideally are compatible with our mission and heritage, while allowing growth in new directions. One initiative of the NSC is to commission an architectural and landscape history of each campus; these studies will enhance our archives and guide our planning as well as be available for the enjoyment of the NMH family.

With the expert counsel and efforts of Dennis Bidwell of Bidwell Associates and Dick Perkins of LandVest, we have spent the last eight months researching the market, gathering pertinent information about our property, hosting potential users on campus, and pursuing a wide range of possibilities. All of this work has clearly led to the decision to begin a major initiative to find a single-user enterprise in the area of education. A brochure with cover letter is being sent to many of these potential users, mainly in New England and New York. This marks the beginning of a more public and intense search phase, and we wanted you to know and understand these plans.

The board is open to lease, joint venture, or sale of the property. Additionally, the board explicitly states a special interest in careful stewardship of the Birthplace, Homestead, Round Top, and the Auditorium. Every effort will be made to keep the property intact and to preserve the legacy buildings. As potential users come forward, we will negotiate with them the exact form
in which our stewardship interest will be realized.

This September, NMH will be located primarily on the Mount Hermon campus; therefore we can consider making some Northfield buildings available for other uses. Recognizing the uniqueness of the property and the time it will take to find the correct match, we have built maintenance costs into our budget for several years to come. We are currently investigating short-term interim uses for parts of the campus for the next few years.

Since the beginning of the year, the Northfield advisors, a group of alumni with special expertise, as well as various reunion and alumni groups, have met with us on campus to brainstorm and provide insights and support. Information also has been sent to you through e-mail and by regular mail. We will continue to keep you informed. Accompanying this letter is a Q&A sheet that will answer many of the specific questions we have heard.

As you know, Richard announced in January that he will retire from NMH this June. Tom will assume full leadership of NMH, including the stewardship of the Northfield campus. Carol Ramsey ’70 will continue to chair the NSC; as Richard steps down, Tom will assume on-campus responsibility; Carol Lebo remains as on-campus coordinator of our initiatives. The board discussed this transition thoroughly at its February meeting and confidently endorses this structure.

It is reasonable to believe that, with patience and determined effort, we will find good uses for the Northfield campus. At the same time, we must be realistic; there are relatively few immediate uses for such a large campus, so we must be open, flexible, and creative regarding possible outcomes. We are excited about the possibilities that are beginning to signal the next distinguished chapter for the Northfield campus. We are committed to making that future secure and compatible with the NMH mission.

We appreciate your support and welcome a continuing dialogue. Please consult our website (www.nmhschool.org) frequently for updated information.

President Richard W. Mueller ’62
Head of School Thomas K. Sturtevant

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