To the Editor:

As a young alumnus of Choate Rosemary Hall, I appreciate the Masthead’s recent effort to voice the opinions of the Choate student body on the Head of School search. While I firmly believe in the power of journalism and commend the Masthead’s statement, I do not think that an editorial or the electronic surveys conducted by the search committee are nearly enough in ensuring that the interests and opinions of students are taken into account in the selection process. While the search committee appears to be composed of very qualified faculty members and trustees, one crucial element is missing—students and recent graduates. 

While one might deflect the naïve voice of Choate’s youth, in the end the institution’s goal is to serve students. While I do not believe that students alone should be trusted to make the all-important decision of who will succeed our current headmaster, having students present at the discussion table would benefit the selection committee. Most students and young alumni see many aspects of Choate through a different lens than teachers and trustees. The Choate community’s youth understand the issues that students face at Choate Rosemary Hall and therefore only they can convey these issues to the search committee during the deliberation process.

At the institution which I currently attend, Dartmouth College, a search committee similar to Choate’s was assembled last year in order to find Dartmouth’s next president. The undergraduate student body president served on the search committee to ensure that the student voice was represented in the decision-making process. Likewise, I am confident that including a Choate senior or recent graduate at the discussion table would add a unique and important perspective. The presence of Choate’s new headmaster will be felt by all members of the Choate Rosemary Hall community, young and old; students and recent graduates should not be left out in determining who fills the shoes of this important position.

One issue that a younger member of the Choate community might bring to the attention of the selection committee is that the committee appears quite focused on hiring from outside the school. As a very involved student for four years, I know that there are highly able faculty members and administrators at Choate who could serve as exceptional headmasters of our school. However, by bringing in a firm like Spencer Stuart that especially prides itself in finding qualified candidates from all parts of the world and presenting them in a search process, I fear that the talent already present at Choate is overlooked. Although this is just one point of many that students could raise, I find that this alternative viewpoint could be very valuable in the search process.

As the selection process continues for the next headmaster, I respectfully ask those members on the selection committee to be mindful of the many advantages of having a younger member of our community present alongside the very impressive slate of current members. Choate has taken great strides under Headmaster Shanahan’s leadership, and Choate is in a very favorable place for future success. Having a younger member of the Choate community help determine the next head of school will only ensure that our next leader represents the interests of all members of the Choate community in the school’s path towards future success.

Suril Kantaria ’09                                                     

Suril Kantaria is a member of the Choate Class of 2009 and was the 2008-2009 News Editor.  He has just completed his freshman year at Dartmouth College.