Exeter, NH (February 13, 2008) - Phillips Exeter Academy announced today that Tyler C. Tingley, the Academy’s 13th Principal, has informed the Board of Trustees of his intention to retire in June of 2009, after 12 years of service to the school.

“At Exeter it takes a long time to plan major initiatives,” said Tingley. “The planning process that resulted in The Exeter Initiatives capital campaign began nine years ago. It’s time to start thinking about the school’s next big challenges, and thus it’s the right time for a change in leadership.”

Exeter has prospered greatly during Tingley's tenure. The school recently crossed the initial dollar goal of its $305 million dollar fundraising campaign 20 months ahead of schedule, and work continues under Tingley's leadership to meet the remaining goals by June 30, 2009. The school has seen its endowment top the $1 billion mark and has significantly increased its financial aid to students. Said Tingley, “Our fundraising success, coupled with the growth of the endowment, allowed us to become need-blind two years ago and free, beginning next fall, to students from families that make less than $75,000.”

Tingley, himself a scholarship recipient, said, “Seeing this come to pass has surely been the greatest thrill of my administrative life at the Academy.”

The Exeter Initiatives capital campaign grew out of a collaborative Academy Master Planning process begun in 1999 that involved trustees, faculty, and senior administrators. Charles T. Harris III ’69, president of the Academy’s trustees, told the Exeter community, “Ty understood that, in order to advance the Academy in a meaningful way, collaborative thinking and action were called for. He knew that if the faculty embraced a vision, it would reflect the core programmatic mission of the Academy. Likewise, he knew that if the trustees connected with the community they would have confidence in the resulting plans and become knowledgeable advocates; he knew they would be inspired by the members of the faculty.” Harris added, “Under his leadership the Academy has accomplished an enormous amount since 1997. We will move with great strength into the next chapter of the Academy’s life.”

Tingley’s work in concert with the Academy’s trustees in making the school financially accessible to able students will be a hallmark of his time at Exeter and is sure to shape the Exeter of the future. This initiative, combined with generous aid to middle income families, means that Exeter is now within the financial reach of 95 percent of US families.

Tingley’s great energy and his deep involvement in all areas of Academy life have characterized his leadership. During his tenure, he has overseen the completion of an extensive master planning process, an ongoing review of Exeter’s curriculum, and a revitalization of many campus facilities.

Tingley spearheaded the fundraising for numerous building and renovation projects, including the state-of-the-art Phelps Science Center, which was completed in the fall of 2001; the Phelps Academy Center, completed in 2006; the Harris Family Children’s Center, also completed in 2006; and the renovation of Phillips Church, completed in 2003, which now provides appropriate worship space for students of numerous faiths. Additionally, a major landscape plan resulted in the planting of almost 500 trees on campus.

Three large brick dormitories, Cilley, Amen, and Peabody Halls, have also been substantially renovated, with a goal of providing a more supportive environment for students and encouraging connections within the dorms that mirrored those in the classroom. Eighteen new faculty houses were constructed or purchased; 22 new faculty chairs have been established.

In 2005 and 2006, Tingley received a six-month sabbatical. During the fall term he was a visiting scholar at Oxford University studying the works of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. In spring 2007, he returned to the classroom to teach “Fellowship and Fantasy,” a senior course that examined the Tolkien-Lewis connection.

He received an A. B. degree cum laude from Harvard College and Ed.M. and Ed.D. degrees from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Prior to joining the Academy, Tingley was the head of school at the Blake School in Minneapolis, Minnesota from 1991 to 1997. He also served as the headmaster of Kingswood-Oxford School in West Hartford, Connecticut from 1986 to 1991. An alumnus of Kingswood-Oxford, he returned there to teach English after graduating from Harvard in 1968.

Tingley has been president of the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools and the Minnesota Association of Independent Schools and a member of the board of directors of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). He has just completed his term as president of the Headmasters Association. He is the author of numerous scholarly papers and has been a presenter at many conferences nationally and internationally.

Phillips Exeter Academy is a coeducational, independent preparatory school that was founded in 1781 and originated the system of instruction known as Harkness teaching in 1931. In the spirit of its charter to foster both goodness and knowledge, students come from a wide variety of geographic, economic, racial and religious backgrounds. The diverse student body comes from approximately 45 states, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and 23 foreign countries.

Read Tingley's letter to Charles T. Harris III '69, president of the trustees...

Read the letter from Charles T. Harris III announcing the news to the Exeter community...