D ATE LINE AND O VER
Young Theologian Receives International Recognition
Gil Talbot
Andover’s newest philosophy and religious studies instructor, Michael Legaspi, has been awarded the 2011 John Templeton Award for Theological Promise for his doctoral research and his recent book, The Death of Scripture and the Rise of Biblical Studies. He joined the Academy faculty in September 2010. Along with documenting the emergence of a new form of biblical interpretation at the time of the Enlightenment, Legaspi’s book examines how academics created new modes of biblical criticism that were designed to preserve European culture by replacing older, confessional forms of biblical theology. “People write books because they feel they have something to contribute to a larger conversation,” he says. “An award like this amplifies your voice a little within that conversation.” Legaspi, who currently is working on his second book, will receive a $10,000 prize and attend the awards ceremony at the University of Heidelberg in Germany in May.
New Director of College Counseling Appointed
Joy St. John
Following an extensive national search, Sean Logan, former associate director of admission at Williams College, has been named PA’s new director of college counseling. He will join the Academy on July 1, 2011. Logan brings more than 20 years’ experience in college counseling and admission, at both the independent secondary school and college levels. During his 11 years at Williams, Logan coordinated athletic recruiting, was the main liaison to the financial aid office, and oversaw international student admission. He also has worked in admission for Harvard and Stanford universities and Occidental College. Additionally, he was the director of college counseling at The Bishop’s School in La Jolla, Calif., for six years. Logan also served two terms on the board of directors of Greylock ABC (A Better Chance) program, the Williamstown, Mass., branch of a national program that places promising students of color in the nation’s leading high schools. He also partnered with a philanthropist to establish a college counseling program for low-income high school students in San Francisco. “Sean is a talented and experienced educational leader, and his dedication to broadening educational access is consonant with Andover’s vision; we look forward to welcoming him into the Andover community,” said Head of School Barbara Landis Chase in announcing Logan’s appointment. Logan earned his undergraduate degree at Williams and holds a master’s degree in higher education administration from Stanford. He and his wife, Joy St. John, the director of admission at Wellesley College, have a young son. 10
Andover | Spring 2011
Global Perspectives Group Plans Global Teaching Conference At press time, Andover’s Global Perspectives Group (GPG) was gearing up to host a two-day conference planned for May 6 and 7 on campus. The goal of “Sharing Best Classroom Practices: Contexts for Change” is to discuss best classroom practices for educating teens using models from middle schools, high schools, and even colleges from around the country and the world. Some 100 educators are expected to participate. The conference is intended to “encourage participants to think outside the confines of their familiar context through the sharing of innovations by schools that are unlike each other,” says GPG coordinator Peter Merrill. “We intentionally are not focusing on New England boarding schools.” Merrill explained that the GPG is looking to public, private, and charter schools in the United States and abroad, from both well resourced and underserved communities. And the focus is not on the content, the “what” of global education, but on looking at how education is done in a wide variety of contexts. Participants will come from Shanghai and Beijing; India; Cape Town; New Orleans; Washington, D.C.; and Scarsdale, N.Y., as well as local public and private schools, and the Eight Schools Conference, of which Andover is a member. Many Andover faculty members will take part. Keynote speakers are Harvard professor Fernando Reimers, director of Global Education; Tufts professor Sherman Teichman, director of the Institute for Global Leadership; and LEAP School founder and headmaster John Gilmour, who developed an innovative secondary school model. Merrill notes that each keynote speaker “brings to the conference a perspective on education that derives its power not from ‘magic button’ program development, but from challenging traditional conceptions of education.” This conference is GPG’s first outreach effort since its inception in 2006 by Dean of Faculty Temba Maqubela, who, under the direction of Head of School Barbara Landis Chase, developed the multidisciplinary faculty advisory group to work toward goals of Andover’s 2004 Strategic Plan. Maqubela’s highly successful ACE Scholars Program, created to address the preparation gap, is among the innovations to be spotlighted at the conference. The GPG is eager to see this conference model continued with subsequent meetings rotating among participating schools.