The Phillipian Endowment Case for Support

The Case for Endowment Support

To protect ‘student voice’

Academy Seeks to Raise $500,000 for Phillipian Endowment Like so many local and national news outlets, The Phillipian, Phillips Academy’s student-run newspaper, experienced financial difficulties following the 2008 economic downturn.

The award-winning weekly paper, popular with students, alumni, and

parents alike, has barely broken even in the past several years. To secure The Phillipian’s future—in print and online—the Academy is now seeking to fund a $500,000 endowment.

Income from the endowment will primarily be used to enhance The

Phillipian’s online presence via the purchase of new hardware, software, and online services; provide technology and equipment renewal; and enable on- and off-campus learning, enrichment, and networking opportunities for Phillipian staffers. Students will continue to be responsible for generating advertising revenue, managing the paper like a small business, and producing each weekly issue within an established budget.

135 years and counting

Since 1878, The Phillipian has provided Phillips Academy students with an uncensored voice. Thousands of students have been involved with the production of the newspaper and have gained remarkable experience as writers, journalists, editors, The 2013–2014 Phillipian staff at work

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Please Show Your Support!

To contribute to the Phillipian Endowment Fund, please call Alison Hebert at 978-749-4525 or e-mail ahebert@andover.edu.

If you would like to send a check, please make it payable to Trustees of Phillips Academy and mail to: Phillips Academy Attn: Alison Hebert Office of Academy Resources 180 Main Street Andover MA 01810-4161 Appreciated securities or stock, corporate matching gifts, and planned gifts also are welcome, as are gifts in memory or in honor of loved ones or past or present faculty. Thank you!

Remembering Tom Lyons Alumni may wish to make a gift in memory of Tom Lyons, passionate Phillipian advisor for 25 years, who passed away in 2012.

He was a beloved history instructor, football coach, and house counselor from 1963 to 1999.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

The P hil l ipia n

“

I work for The Phillipian because I can truly confront and dig into the issues that I believe matter to this campus. These are the things that my fellow editors and I lose sleep over. We can talk about the feminist movement in history or Betty Friedan in English, but I believe that we learn more about these issues and about people in the newsroom—arguing and fighting over them—than in any classroom. In the process, we learn more about ourselves. We discover what we believe in, and what we will fight for, and what matters to us.

”

—Janine Ko ’14, Executive Editor

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photographers, graphic designers, and business managers. A staff of student editors takes full responsibility for all editorial, financial, and operational decisions; values such as honesty, integrity, fairness, and civic responsibility are central to their work.

Fueled by pizza, coffee, and adrenalin

Editors spend many late-night hours in the Phillipian newsroom in the basement of Morse Hall—hunched in front of computers, examining page proofs, often subsisting on pizza, coffee, and adrenalin—as they run a small business operation with a strong academic component. The editorial staff takes seriously its responsibility to publish fair and accurate information and balanced perspectives, as well as a mandate to represent student opinion. The Phillipian experience challenges students in myriad ways. Each edition tests their critical thinking and decision-making skills.

The reward is knowing that their newspaper—29 issues a year, 400-plus total pages—enhances PA’s sense of purpose and community.

Tough times for newspapers

In 2010, the Academy granted permission for The Phillipian’s faculty advisors to convene an advisory board to help concerned editors secure the paper’s financial health and navigate the rapidly evolving digital landscape.

The Phillipian Advisory Committee recommended a number of costcutting and revenue-raising measures, which then–Editor in Chief Max Block ’12 and successor Samuel Green ’13, along with their editorial boards, effectively implemented. Most significantly, they renegotiated the newspaper’s print contract with the Eagle-Tribune, cutting costs by nearly half.

With the paper’s immediate fiscal health restored, the committee turned its attention to assuring the long-term survival of the Academy’s independent student voice in both print and digital formats.

Tackling the Issues, Giving Students a Voice The Phillipian serves to inform the PA community of campus happenings, such as student performances, athletic contests, weekend activities, guest speakers, community news, and much more. Its highest purpose, however, is to give students a voice.

Each week guarantees a fresh selection of opinion pieces and letters to the editor drafted mostly by students, with frequent submissions from faculty, alumni, and trustees. The Phillipian recently has fostered discussions about gender representation in campus leadership positions, a proposal for the Academy’s divestment from fossil fuel companies, and an overhaul of the academic calendar.

“

The Phillipian has given me two of the greatest gifts possible: purpose and friendships.

”

—Gregory Hosono ’14, Online Editor

Phillipian Endowment Fundraising Committee

• to enhance The Phillipian Online via the purchase of new hardware, software, and annual online services (approx. $2,500 per year) • to support technology and equipment renewal (approx. $2,500 per year) • to provide each student with a free hard copy of The Phillipian (approx. $12,000 per year) • to enable on- and off-campus learning, enrichment, and networking opportunities for Phillipian students (approx. $8,000 per year) Income from the endowment will decrease dependence on paid subscriptions and stabilize The Phillipian by covering a portion of its expenses. Students will continue to manage the newspaper like a small business, sell advertising space to augment endowment income, and work within an annual budget.

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Jonathan H. Alter ’75 H. Gerard Bissinger III ’72

Charles C. Forelle ’98 Betsy J. Gootrad ’74

“

There is not a single class at Andover where I could learn team management, fiscal planning, customer service, writing technique, and time budgeting all at once.

The newsroom truly is Andover’s greatest professional laboratory.

”

—Stephen Moreland ’14, Editor in Chief

Off-Campus Learning Experiences The Phillipian staff periodically attends journalism conferences, such as:

• The New England Scholastic Press Association Conference at Boston University

Ruth E. Harlow ’79 Erwin Hosono & Beth Axelrod, P’14 William D. Kummel ’81 Daniel B. Schwerin ’00 Thomas J.C. Smyth III ’08 Roger L. Strong Jr. ’75 Thomas J. Strong ’82

as of November 1, 2013

”

—Emmie Avvakumova ’14, Photography Editor

• The Columbia University Scholastic Press Association Convention

Samuel C. Butler Jr. ’72

Julia L. Zorthian ’11

Before joining The Phillipian, I could not have imagined how much it would change my life at Andover. The paper makes me believe I can make a difference, right now and right here; that I am significant and that what I do matters.

• The National Scholastic Press Association/Journalism Education Association National Conference in Washington, D.C., and Seattle

Robert B. Semple Jr. ’54, Honorary Cochair

Stefanie Scheer Young ’81

“

The Phillipian’s annual operating budget averages $55,000, most of which is spent on printing and mailing. Until recently, student subscriptions—and those of parents and alumni—have covered the bulk of these costs. But with an unprecedented 47 percent of students on financial aid, the Phillipian subscription fee has become too much for many families to bear; income from subscriptions continues to fall.

To foster the ongoing success of The Phillipian while respecting its independence, the Academy is seeking to establish a $500,000 endowment, which would generate approximately $20,000 to $25,000 annually. These funds will be allocated as follows:

Thomas C. Rubin ’79, Cochair

Vivian S. Toy ’81

Phillipian students have benefited from conversations with numerous media professionals, including Susan Chira ’76, assistant managing editor of The New York Times; Justin Smith ’87, former president of The Atlantic; Mike Miller, deputy managing editor of The Wall Street Journal; Dodie Kazanjian of Vogue magazine; Calvin “Tad” Tomkins of The New Yorker; Kuni Takahashi, AP Photographer of the Year; Rolling Stone journalist Michael Hastings; and Boston Globe sports photographer Jim Davis, as well as alumni writers and journalists such as Buzz Bissinger ’72, Gary Lee ’74, George Smith Jr. ’83, and Greg Zorthian ’71.

Why an endowment is needed and how it will be used

Gary L. Lee ’74, Cochair

Clement B. Wood ’04

Mentoring & Networking

Recent Phillipian Awards The 2012–2013 staff of The Phillipian celebrates receipt of the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) 2012 Newspaper Pacemaker Award—the highest national honor for a scholastic newspaper. They also received the New England Scholastic Press Association (NESPA) 2012 Class I All-New England Award in the online category.

Staffers also travel to meetings with editors at media outlets such as The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Daily News, Vogue magazine, The New York Post, The New Yorker, Forbes, CBS, ABC News, Fox News, and Facebook, and visit CUNY’s entrepreneurial journalism program.

The P hil l ipia n Endowment Income to Fund Ongoing Digital Initiatives

With a website, online image gallery, digital archives, and thousands of Twitter and Facebook followers, innovative Phillipian staffers have gone digital in multiple ways. But technology, apps, and online opportunities are ever changing, and there are multiple costs associated with maintaining a robust online and social media presence. Income from the Phillipian endowment will support: • Website redesign—to include a crawl that pulls from all Phillipian Twitter feeds and a complete front-end redesign that will streamline the online reader experience • New iPhone App—up to date with iOS 7 design schemes; will bring recent articles to iPhones for on- and off-line viewing • Escalated presence on Twitter—to facilitate timelier online reporting • Greater use of Facebook—to promote article, surveys, and events

“

[Learning how to synthesize large quantities of information] really started at The Phillipian, which was very important in my development. So did learning how to prepare for an interview with an important newsmaker. In the case of The Phillipian, it was Jimmy Hoffa, who was just out of prison and was friends with an Andover parent. He came to Andover, and when I asked him some hard questions, he turned to one of the thugs with him and said, ‘Who is this kid?’

”

—Jonathan Alter ’75, author and journalist

Help keep The Phillipian independent, fresh, relevant, and accessible to all. Please support the Phillipian endowment.

“

The Phillipian was my first love.

It was fascinating, exhilarating, and, more than any class ever did, it taught me how to write—how to form a persuasive argument and explain complex topics in simple and accessible prose. As Hillary Clinton’s speechwriter, my audience is bigger, but that sense of anticipation and responsibility is the same. And more than once, I’ve wished I still had Tom Lyons or Nat Smith taking a red pen to my latest effort.

”

—Dan Schwerin ’00, speechwriter for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

“

Writing for Features and then serving on The Phillipian’s editorial board were critical aspects of my intellectual and personal development…. [Skills and lessons learned] concerning leadership, responsibility, and commitment to excellence have remained with me throughout the years, informing my work as a writer/editor of the Harvard International Review during college.

I have drawn upon them in my various professional roles— management consultant, lawyer, and educator.

”

—Sara Su Jones ’91, founder and president, Chicago-based Elite Educational Testing

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