NMH Magazine : Spring 2005

From the President

Seven years ago I came to Northfield Mount Hermon to lead the school. I arrived with an open mind, a ready heart, and willing hands, and in return I received an education greater than any I could imagine. Now, as I leave NMH to become head of Hong Kong International School, I find my thoughts full of the school that has given so much to so many.

Northfield Mount Hermon truly is as unique a place today as it has been in the years since D. L. Moody’s vision set us on course in 1879. Has our school changed from generation to generation? Of course, for innumerable reasons. And each generation has absorbed and come to terms with that fact.

NMH today is a world apart from the school I knew in 1962. That’s a good thing. All great institutions grow and change. Not long ago an alumna told me she just couldn’t believe boys were living in “her dorm,” East Hall. I told her I couldn’t believe girls were living in “my dorm,” South Crossley. We both laughed and agreed that the world hadn’t ended and that both genders are receiving a wonderful education.

More important, have enduring values and practices been lost? This question always engenders lively discussion. After my years of leading NMH, I know we can be proud of the continuity of core values and practices. We may live some of them out in different ways at times, but they are enduring.

In the boarding school world, we’re known for providing an excellent, distinctive education that includes enrolling a diverse community of young people, teaching the importance of spiritual life and wrestling with ethical and moral issues, instilling lessons of hard work and character, respecting others because it’s the right thing to do, and promoting crosscultural and international learning so graduates can make a positive difference in a complex world.

Can we continue to grow and find effective ways to value all these things as we continuously refine our educational program for 21st-century students? Without a doubt. The important point is that we not lose sight of what we value.

That’s where our alumni play such a crucial role. Faculty, staff, and administrators come and go, but alumni are forever. You are the bedrock of the school. Over many decades, generations of you have shouldered the responsibility of giving back to the school that gave you so much. You have stepped up in myriad ways, and you have our genuine gratitude. So many of you have expressed strong support for the board’s decision last year to make NMH a smaller school on one campus. We understand that some have had reservations—and we hope you will all now look to the future with us.

I challenge all of us to step up to a new and sustained level of moral and financial support. There is no one else to do this! For those who say they want to wait to make sure we’re successful, I say, “Join us now and ensure our school’s success!”

For those who say they’re losing their campus or their memories of their time at NMH, I say, “You’ll always have your memories; help us find good alternative uses for that beautiful Northfield campus, and help us create the reality for today’s students so they will have their memories!”

For those who say there must be someone else who can support the school, I say, “There is nobody else other than each one of us!”

I am enormously proud of this school and what it has achieved for young people. As Claire and I prepare to move to Hong Kong, we thank you for your good wishes and strong support over these years. We have been honored to serve the school, and we look forward to staying in touch and continuing to be good stewards of Northfield Mount Hermon.