making news Elm Tree Hall, and the Shumway Fields complex. Once the campaign was over, Scott was instrumental in securing an anonymous gift to pay for the renovation and upgrade of the Ferguson Building, the McDonald Library, and the Richardson-Mees Performing Arts Center. In addition, he was instrumental in attracting two grants— one from the Mary Mae Foundation for $500,000 to build faculty housing, and another from the EE Ford Foundation to support the J. William Mees Visiting Scholar Program. He also oversaw the rebuilding of Murbach Field.
Head of School Scott Wiggins Moves On
Scott will be remembered for enhancing LA’s residential program, restructuring the administrative systems of the school, shepherding LA through the national economic crisis without compromising the academic program, and revitalizing and redefining the expectations for being a full-time faculty member and administrator at LA.
Beyond all of these achievements, Scott’s main goal from the moment he took over as head, as he wrote in the Academy Journal in 2007, was to ensure that the LA experience for all students was based on “creating and nurturing meaningful relationships between students and adults. It is through these vital relationships that we are able to model and deliver the totality of the Lawrence Academy education: an education that is grounded in the deliberate pursuit of intellectual growth and character development.”
Under Scott’s leadership, the school increased the Annual Fund by 70% and finished its most ambitious capital campaign, Breaking New Ground, which provided us with the Ansin Academic Building,
Scott leaves a legacy of significant growth for LA, and we thank him, his wife, Susan, and their daughters, Cayce and Lexie, for serving LA so well for the past eight years.
In June, after eight years at the helm of Lawrence Academy, the 44th head of school, Scott Wiggins, stepped down.
Throughout last spring, the Board of Trustees engaged in the process of searching for an interim Head of School for the current academic year. They considered a solid group of candidates, met with four of them, and brought three to campus for a series of meetings with teachers, administrators, trustees, and a few students. The goal was to identify an experienced, talented Head who would be able to lead and improve the school, someone who would bring a sense of unity and who would move the school forward through strong communication and visible, active leadership. That person was unquestionably Greg Foster. Greg began his career in education in 1973 as a teacher, dorm master, and coach at the Stevenson School in California. During his 25 years there he assumed administrative roles as Director of Boarding, History Department Chair, Admissions Associate, College Counselor, Academic Dean, Head of the Upper School, and Assistant Head. Greg left Stevenson School to become the Academy Principal at Punahou School in Hawaii, then served five years as Head of School at Alexander Dawson School in Colorado, and six years as Head of School at the St. John’s Country Day School in Florida. The trustees made this choice based on the unanimous recommendation of its Interim Head Search Committee, who were impressed by Greg’s wealth of school leadership experience, his thoughtful demeanor, and his ability to both listen and communicate.
Welcome to our new interim Head of School, Greg Foster A great majority of the teachers, administrators, and trustees who met with the candidates expressed enthusiastic support for Greg, citing his communication skills and his deep experience as both a teacher and a successful Head of School as strong positive attributes. Greg’s professional references were effusive in their praise of him as a Head candidate, and the school is grateful to have both him and his wife, Pati, as part of its community. “In many ways, we are new students ourselves,” says Greg. “And yet there is a rhythm to a new school year that is familiar no matter where you are from, and that familiarity is a welcome friend to seasoned school leaders such as us. As your interim Head of School, I am enjoying getting to know the LA community and am looking forward to a happy, productive year.”
ACADEMY JOURNAL / FALL 2011
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