Supporting Faculty A n d
Sp e c i a l
P r o g r a m s
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D EAR
FRIEN D S , A MESSAGE FROM DOUGLAS HALE, HEAD OF SCHOOL
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t Mercersburg the composition of our student body has a powerful
influence on classroom chemistry and the dynamism of learning here. Yet our student body changes each year as a new cohort enters, and another class of seniors heads off to college. The enduring factor is the faculty. They are the catalysts of classroom chemistry, the sparks on our athletic fields, and the mentors and role models in the dormitories. Quite simply put, the faculty at Mercersburg Academy is the most critical factor in our success as an institution, year in and year out. Having the means to attract, reward, renew, and retain these extraordinary individuals is a key plank in the Mercersburg Plan. We must be able to provide competitive salaries that take account of the long hours and multiple duties of our teacher窶田oaches. We must have resources to extend opportunities for professional development and travel. We must continue to enlarge the endowment pool that is dedicated to honoring our faculty leaders with endowed chairs and discretionary program dollars. The innovation and commitment of our teachers always impress me. It takes tremendous psychological and physical capacity to perform in a role that is lived around the clock and around the calendar. Our faculty
“ The faculty are the heart of any school. At Mercersburg theirs
David Frantz ’60 President, Board of Regents
is a 24/7 operation. The teachers, advisers, and coaches are the difference makers for our students. We want to recruit, reward, and sustain these dedicated people who are the lifeblood of Mercersburg Academy.”
must always be ready to lend an ear, bring a new perspective, encourage discipline, and ask probing questions. More importantly, they must be our kind of people – not merely excellent teachers, but teachers who love teaching, coaching, living with, and relating to adolescent boys and girls in a boarding school setting. As our faculty continues to develop the vision and direction set by the Mercersburg Plan, they also benefit enormously by the presence and support of outside authorities from a variety of fields who come to campus to lend their expertise and inspiration through our endowed lectureships and residencies. What difference do these endowments really make? We’ve gathered the views of a few faculty and donors who can speak firsthand to the value of endowment gifts that advance the mission of Mercersburg through faculty and staff chairs and special programs. We invite you to consider making your investment in the Mercersburg Plan through the vehicle of endowment—gifts that will continue to foster and catalyze the special chemistry between students and teachers at Mercersburg Academy.
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Derry Mason The Margery and Edgar Masinter ’48 Chair for the Outdoor Education Director Director, Mercersburg Outdoor Education “ Holding this chair in outdoor education has encouraged me always to aim higher, to live up to the example and expectations of the man who made the gift to Mercersburg for the Outdoor Education program. To me personally, Mr. Masinter is a great role model—successful and accomplished. He’s someone who had such a positive experience at Mercersburg that he was willing to invest in the ongoing work of the faculty.”
Laurie Mufson Palmer Chair for the Fine Arts at Mercersburg (inaugural holder) Director of Theatre “ For all of the art disciplines at Mercersburg, the Palmer Chair for the Fine Arts is a recognition and validation of the importance of the arts in the overall educational experience this school provides. The Palmer family has been amazing in the multiple ways they have supported the arts across the country, and they have always been ready to jump in and help Mercersburg when we have a special need. Endowment funds in particular help us maintain the continuity and excellence in the arts. For me 2
personally, the endowed chair has been critical to my professional development and to sustaining my energy for this work.”
Marshall Carroll Marjorie McCrae McCulloh Chair for the Library Director Director of Library Services “ Libraries everywhere are moving toward digital online databases. While books are still important, we must also teach students how to navigate the amazing number of online resources that are available to them. I want Mercersburg students to feel like the library is their “third place” where they can relax and study in addition to their dorm room and classrooms. Making the library comfortable and accessible according to their needs is a top priority. Holding the McCulloh Chair and other endowment resources for the library at our disposal speaks volumes about how serious Mercersburg’s commitment is to us. At many institutions, when times get tough, libraries are the first to be cut, but at Mercersburg we are working hard to give our students the best resources for their academic journey. And we’ve seen an uptick in the quality of research that our students are doing as a result of this support.”
“ When you’ve taught and coached as long as I have, you come to realize
Karl Reisner
that the most important thing to keep you going is recognition of accomplishment over a period of time. The Board, administration,
Marilyn and Robert Kurtz Jr. ’52 Chair for American History
and my benefactor, who is Mercersburg Regent Emeritus, Bob Kurtz,
History faculty and
have given me that recognition in the form of an endowed salary and some extra funds to support my work each year. It matters very much,
head varsity baseball coach
and I am most grateful.”
SU P P OR T IN G FA C U L T Y AN D S P E C IA L P RO G RA M S ENDOWED TEACHING CHAIRS Contributions that establish endowed chairs are critical to the recruitment, retention, and ongoing education of Mercersburg’s phenomenal faculty. The importance that endowed chairs play cannot be overstated, when it comes to ensuring the school’s ability to attract and retain quality teachers of the highest caliber. In order to continue providing an elite academic experience for all of our students, Mercersburg must have the resources in the form of endowed chairs to ensure that our faculty remain second to none. A gift of $1 million will create a Teaching Chair or underwrite salary support for a distinguished member of the faculty. Donors may establish a Chair in a specific academic department or for a specific position. CURRENT ENDOWED CHAIRS: Robert R. Black ’25 Class of ’38 Chair Walter H. Burgin Jr. ’53 Chair in Mathematics David F. Chapman Chair for History John L. and Cora I. Grove Chair for Math and Science Marilyn and Robert M. Kurtz Jr. ’52 Chair for American Studies Mary Keeler Lawrence Distinguished Teaching Chair
Margery and Edgar Masinter ’48 Chair for the Outdoor Education Director Marjorie McCrae McCulloh Chair for the Library Director Palmer Chair for the Fine Arts Joseph and Helen Regenstein Foundation Chair in English Literature Florence and John H. Rumbaugh ’07 Chair Archibald Rutledge Chair for English
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Allen Zern ’61 Vice President of the Mercersburg Board of Regents, Retired Managing Director, Treasurer, and Chief Financial Officer for Morgan Stanley & Company “ My wife and I have funded a teaching award at Mercersburg, and we have put funds into an endowment to enhance the ways we teach science at Mercersburg. Technology and science are the disciplines that will allow our country to differentiate itself going forward. Our funds have helped support study trips to the Galapagos Islands and made it possible for students in the robotics program to travel for competitions. We know that these are the kinds of enriching experiences that might not otherwise happen without endowment support. My wife and I support other institutions, but most of the funds go to Mercersburg because we believe when it comes to science and technology, you’ve got to start early. Kids who haven’t 4
developed their interest in this field by college won’t pursue it. We want to encourage their curiosity early.”
“ Holding the Rumbaugh Chair is particularly gratifying for me since I am
Allison Stephens Florence and John H. Rumbaugh
in my 26th year at Mercersburg. I cannot emphasize too strongly how endowed funds like the Rumbaugh Chair play an enormously important
(1907) Chair
role in attracting and particularly retaining faculty. Having come of age
History and English faculty
here and matured here as a teacher, I am honored by this a distinction for my life’s work, made possible entirely by the thoughtful generosity of John and Florence Rumbaugh.”
NAMED TEACHING AWARD A gift of $500,000 will create a Named Teaching Award to be given annually at Mercersburg. A Named Teaching Award provides not only partial salary support for one or more members of the faculty, but will also provide additional stature, recognition, and motivation for all faculty who receive a Named Teaching Award. Donors may designate the area of support for their Named Teaching Award. CURRENT Named Teaching Awards and Funds: Ammerman Distinguished Teaching Fund for Religious and Interdisciplinary Studies Allen W. Zern ’61 Fund for Support of Teaching Excellence in Mathematics and the Sciences
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“When we’re able to bring experts from the outside—poets, scientists, political figures—to connect with students, it opens up possibilities in students minds that only such distinguished visitors can provide. We have very talented faculty,
Julia Stojak Maurer ’90
but there’s something about guest lectures that allow us to take it up a notch.
Walter H. Burgin Chair in Mathematics
Students dress up, and they understand that these occasions are a great privilege
Academic Dean
made possible by the generosity of donors to the endowment. Endowment funds also allow us to take students to the White House, the Supreme Court, and the Pentagon where they are able to meet with high-level officials after intensive study that prepares them to get the most out of the experience.”
NEW PROGRAMS ENDOWMENT Endowment funds are not confined just to the classroom or to faculty. They play an equally vital role in supporting the Lectureship and Residency Fund, which brings engaging world-renowned speakers, writers, artists, scientists, thinkers, and innovators to campus—highly accomplished men and women of all ages whose names are in today’s news, whose books are New York Times bestsellers, or whose creative output is known around the globe. It is nothing short of thrilling for a student to meet an talk with a highly accomplished person who speak with the authority and vision of someone who has done remarkable things for mankind and the planet. Distinguished fellows who are in residence on campus are nothing short of potent models for our students: they stimulate their minds, help us inspire new leaders, expand their awareness, enriching their perspective.
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“ I felt very honored when Walter Burgin awarded me the Robert Black Chair
Brent Gift Robert R. Black Chair Science faculty, head varsity volleyball coach, and assistant varsity baseball coach
nearly 20 years ago. It continues to validate what I do in the classroom. I knew Robert Black and his commitment to the Academy. He was the director of development and alumni giving when I started here in 1972 and was highly regarded by the faculty and alumni. The original stipend has increased to $1500 annually. I end up spending most of it on biology lab supplies (items from the grocery store or garden center) that I never submit for reimbursement, so much of it goes right back to the school.”
• A gift of $100,000 will provide endowment support for courses, teaching materials, and educational programs. The donor may designate the program. • A gift of $300,000 will provide endowment support for a Lectureship and Residency Program Fund, which will provide resources to bring 8
distinguished speakers, artists in residence, and visiting fellows to Mercersburg.
EXAMPLES OF ENDOWED LECTURES AND RESIDENCIES The Schaff Family Endowment supports the Schaff Lecture on Ethics and Morals with annual speakers on topics related to fundamental values—those principles that direct a person’s decisions and actions, because they clarify what is right and what is wrong. Recent Schaff lectures were given by: • Reza Aslan, Iranian-American activist and author (2012) • Josh Shipp, American teen behavior expert and motivational speaker (2011) • Rick Ufford-Chase, American founder of BorderLinks, an organization that works for understanding/respect surrounding immigration issues in the American Southwest (2009) • Stephen Prothero, American author and professor, expert on history of religion in the U.S. (2008)
The Jacobs Residence was endowed to minimize the risk of isolationism through activities, such as workshops and small group discussions, with the goal of enriching the actual experience of students and faculty in a spirit of non-elitism. Recent Jacobs Residency fellows have included: • Johnny Dubowsky, American environmentalist and musician (2012) • James McBride, American writer and musician, James McBride (2010) • Hooman Majd, Iranian-American journalist, author, and commentator (2009) • Elizabeth Kolbert, American journalist and author (2006) The Ammerman Family Lecture Series brings speakers of national renown who have important perspectives on the issues of the day and the capacity to help young people understand the relevance of such issues in their lives. Recent Ammerman lectures were given by: • Nicole Krauss, American author, The History of Love (2010) • Edward Hirsch, American poet, professor, and president of the Guggenheim Foundation (2010) • Robert Sapolsky, American neuroscientist, professor of biology, and MacArthur Fellow (2009) • Tim Flannery, Australian mammalogist, palaeontologist, environmentalist, and global warming activist (2008)
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300 East Seminary Street, Mercersburg, PA 17236 800-588-2550 www.mercersburg.edu