In an email to the fifth form, on Friday, January 11, Mr. Dean Jacoby ’88 announced he would step down as Choate’s Director of College Counseling, effective June 30, 2008.
Jacoby will be replaced July 1, 2008 with Ms. Tina Grant, currently an Associate Director, who was described in his email as “immensely talented” and with “a wealth of experience that will serve you [the fifth form] and Choate well.” Jacoby will assume his customary role as a counselor for 45 fifth formers until July, and continue to advise his 29 sixth form counselees until they matriculate.
Ms. Grant’s associate director position will be filled by Ms. Michele Mason, a college counselor from Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School, and with previous experience at the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC and with KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) in New York City and Annapolis, Maryland. She will attend the College Information Weekend in February, and return for several days in May to meet her new counselees. She is expected to counsel Mr. Jacoby’s 45 fifth formers.
A current fifth former, Taylor Elser ’09, said, “I put Mr. Jacoby as my first choice, but now I worry that I will have to switch in the heart of my college search”. Sam Cabot ’08 countered by saying, “I think any time with Mr. Jacoby is precious, as he is a great resource in choosing the right college”. Mr. Jacoby, when speaking of the stress of switching counselors said: “We [counselors] see this all the time. I have nothing but confidence that my group of counselees will not be negatively affected by a mid-summer switch”.
Jacoby had previous experience working at Bates College as Assistant Dean of Admissions and Director of International Admissions, and as Director of College Counseling at Princeton Day School. He came to Choate in the spring of 2006, looking to “humanize the college process” and to support his students “through some of the stress of this process”.
“Mr. Jacoby is and was a great choice for the job.” Dean of Academic Affairs, Kathleen Wallace said. She spoke highly of his ability to “handle concerns in a very calming and reassuring manner”.
Following his five-year tenure at Bates, Jacoby worked at the St. John’s International School in Belgium and at the American School of Madrid. He worked in college-guidance, emotional counseling, and special-needs testing. His mother Judith Haywood Jacoby, a Rosemary Hall alumna and teacher of mathematics there, was also a trustee from 1979-85 and 1987-93.
Jacoby said, “I think the world of Choate students, but I worry about the stress of this process on them”. Similar to his “24 by 7 job” at school, he feels there is no escape for Choaties under the peer pressures of the college process. He stated, “It is hard to empower students to be individuals while they are constantly judged by their peers”. “For example, I might suggest a lesser known college, which I think is a great ‘fit’, but then later that night, five of my counselee’s friends will tell them, that he or she is ‘too good’ for that specific school”.
Jacoby compared his search to one for college: “It is quite similar to my position. I got the big-name job—and this is a tremendous job—but then when thinking about it, I realized that Choate maybe isn’t the best ‘fit’ for me. Choate has helped me better define success and happiness for myself.” He went on to stress the importance of self-reflection and the student’s vital role in choosing the right college over common factors such as: prestige, ranking, parent’s wishes and peer pressure.
Jacoby remarked that his reasons for leaving were mostly personal, as although he and his wife have spent the majority of their lives on the east coast, they “are not 100%” at home, and “want to head west”, where he will assume the associate director position at Albuquerque Academy in New Mexico. At Choate, Jacoby felt that there lots of puzzle pieces to put together in the college office, and admittedly he was “maybe not the best at putting them together”. “I believe Ms. Grant is very well suited to the needs of the office,” he added.
In his new position, Jacoby has a “reduced administrative role” and “more family time” with 50 counselees. Cabot said: “I feel Mr. Jacoby is great one-on-one, and this new position will give him more of a chance to lend students his strength”.
The thought process behind his decision started in the middle of summer and culminated in the late fall after “looking in the mirror”. “I had spent so much time after turning thirty just looking for the next step on the success ladder, without really thinking about what made my family and me happy”.
Matt Proto’s departure last spring also added some stress in the college office. “Mr. [Charles] Timlin was the perfect choice for the job” said Wallace. When asked if both exoduses were affecting the school negatively, Wallace responded: ““There is always the potential for disruption when there is turnover...but you can’t argue with the thought process behind either decision [to leave]”. Proto departed to become the Director of Scholar Selections as part of the Morehead-Cain scholarship program at the University of North Carolina. Mr. Timlin will also leave the office after his interim year as athletic liason.
As to the future of the program, Wallace said: “We are in good hands”. After finding out that Mr. Jacoby was departing “We didn’t really have a search for a new director…we felt Ms. Grant would be an excellent choice” she said.
The transition of power will start this Saturday with Mr. Jacoby’s speech to the fifth form on his reasons for leaving. Mr. Jacoby will still be the Director, but Ms. Grant will immediately start working on new programs for next year.
Daniel Fallahi ‘09 said “I am excited to begin this process, and I guess it is good to learn of his [Jacoby’s] departure now.”
Ms. Wallace stated that in the search for the athletic liason position in the college office, the school is “in the process of interviewing”.
