Dear Friends of the Tang Institute,
As our campus community prepares to close the fall term, we find ourselves taking stock of the last few months—and years—of activity and engagement. This autumn, we celebrate one decade since the 2014 launch of the Tang Institute and, as we undergo a full review of ten years of work, we are recognizing the efforts of more than 70 fellows who have led more than 60 projects.
From impact in Academy classrooms to cross-campus initiatives to engagement with learners and scholars around the world, our colleagues—with unwavering support from all of you—have explored innovative approaches to teaching and learning and meaningfully engaged the question: How can we best prepare our students for life after Phillips Academy? The collection of creative and inventive responses that have emerged since 2014 point to a hopeful future for students at Andover and beyond.
Such effort does not emerge by accident, of course, but depends on a healthy dose of institute fellows’ commitment, significant support, and impactful institute leadership. In this season of offering gratitude, I am thankful for the abundance of all three elements over the last ten years. To our fellows, to the current and past members of the Tang Institute team, and to all of you, thank you for playing your part in delivering on the institute’s promise to reimagine education.
In the spirit of reflection and thanksgiving, I offer two special expressions of gratitude: first, to Jay Precourt ’55, who passed away on September 20, 2024. Jay’s generosity and advocacy for Phillips Academy, the Tang Institute, and our outreach efforts ensured that our work could extend well beyond campus. A founding steward of the institute, Jay’s vision for connection and partnership enabled us to collaborate with educators from the Merrimack Valley and around the world. His leadership has lasting impact, and it has been an honor to serve as Precourt Director of Partnerships.
Second, I am grateful for Andy Housiaux, Currie Family Director of the institute for the last six years. During Andy’s tenure, institute projects and programming reached across campus, the region, the country, and the world, leaving an indelible mark on students and educators—and aspiring educators—both near and far. Andy’s leadership reflected his abiding devotion to meaningful teaching and learning. It also served as a capstone to Andy’s memorable “institute journey” which began in 2015, as an early institute fellow, building a mindful community both on and off campus. Thank you, Andy.
This fall, Root Cause kicked off a monthslong review of the Tang Institute, slated to run through early 2025. Alongside this work, the institute embarked on teaching- and learning-focused programming including convenings and conversations related to “AI and education” and “productive discourse across lines of difference.” We were thrilled to welcome peacebuilder and social entrepreneur John Marks ’61 and “techno-sociologist” Zeynep Tufekci to campus. We also welcomed the opportunity to hear about the globe-spanning work of our colleagues Steph Curci, instructor in English, and Chris Jones, instructor in history and social science, about their institute project, “Mapping the Haitian Revolution.” Additionally, the institute advanced the launch of Phillips Academy’s fourth Leadership Development Program cohort, which includes colleagues from four other schools.
As the Tang Institute moves into its second decade, our efforts to bolster education and the exchange of ideas will continue—thanks to all of you.
Warmly,
Eric Roland
Interim Currie Family Director
Precourt Director of Partnerships
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Andover students had a unique opportunity to engage with renowned techno-sociologist Dr. Zeynep Tufekci in Paresky Commons as part of her visit to campus in late September. A Pulitzer finalist and Princeton professor, Tufekci led a lively conversation exploring the intersection of science, technology, and politics. Her insights inspired critical thinking and meaningful dialogue about the complexities shaping our world today and the challenges that lie ahead.
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In September, we hosted representatives from the Yayasan Pendidikan Kader Bangsa Indonesia Foundation and the Indonesian Embassy for dynamic discussions on advancing education in Indonesia. Covering topics from teaching to student life, the collaboration sparked fresh ideas, mutual growth, and a vision for shared success.
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Earlier this month, we welcomed to campus Dr. Achim Schmitt, dean of EHL Hospitality Business School, and Maria Schmitt, managing partner of SystemicAlly, from Switzerland. Andover students, who had previously met our visitors during one of the Academy’s Learning in the World programs—Systems, Sustainability, and Social Impact, The Villars Symposium, Switzerland—joined a day of rich campus conversations on learning, sustainability, hospitality, and human-centered education.
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| Mapping the Haitian Revolution |
Discover how this Tang project redefines learning for students at Andover and beyond. This innovative collaboration brings Haiti’s complex history to life through an interactive map and interdisciplinary course, offering a creative, deeply engaging approach to understanding the past.
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Leading Change Through Peace |
John Marks ’61, founder of Search for Common Ground, shared insights on peacebuilding and social entrepre-neurship while visiting Andover earlier this fall. During a conversation with Amy Kellogg ’83, a former senior foreign affairs correspondent for Fox News, Marks highlighted the power of finding common ground in polarized situations, inspiring future leaders to drive change through collaboration.
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"Drawing on the revelatory results of a landmark study, William Damon [’63]—one of the country's leading writers on the lives of young people, whose book Greater Expectations won the Parents' Choice Award—brilliantly investigates the most pressing issue in the lives of youth today: why so many young people are 'failing to launch'—living at home longer, lacking career motivation, struggling to make a timely transition into adulthood, and not yet finding a life pursuit that inspires them."
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"The Silo Effect asks a basic question: why do humans working in modern institutions collectively act in ways that sometimes seem stupid? Why do normally clever people fail to see risks and opportunities that later seem blindingly obvious? Why, as Daniel Kahnemann, the psychologist put it, are we sometimes so 'blind to our own blindness'? Gillian Tett, 'a first-rate journalist and a good storyteller' (The New York Times), answers these questions by plumbing her background as an anthropologist and her experience reporting on the financial crisis in 2008."
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We inspire teachers.
We inspire learning.
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180 Main St
Andover, MA 01810
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