At the core of Proctor’s DNA is a deep commitment to environmental stewardship. From its earliest years to recent solar installations around campus, an appreciation for the relationship we, as a community, have with our environment has been central to our mission. Former Head of School David Fowler (1970-1995), reflects during a recent conversation on this long-standing focus on environmental stewardship in the video below. Student appreciation for Proctor’s Environmental Mission Statement as seen in this AP Environmental Science blog post by Hannah Brochu ‘17, mirrors our institutional commitment.
This past weekend was yet another reminder of Proctor's commitment to sustainability as our Board of Trustees spent time meeting with faculty, staff, and students to further Proctor’s mission.
One particular conversation proved especially fruitful. Tom Morgan’s Environmental Literature students engaged with trustee Chris Ray P ‘08 (Chair of Proctor's Investment Committee) and past parent and trustee Alex Williams P’12 (who now manages Proctor's investments as a part of his role at UBS) around the issue of divestment from fossil fuels in Proctor’s endowment. This student-led initiative to better understand the school's investment strategy provided the opportunity for Chris and Alex to explain the board’s fiduciary responsibility to govern the school, as well as the specific strategies the Investment Committee uses to make investment decisions.
Chris and Alex also left the conversation inspired by the student’s inquisitiveness and genuine desire to understand the multitude of challenges surrounding endowment investments and encouraged the class to raise awareness around the opportunities for divestment within the Proctor and alumni community.
These types of conversations are critical as they continue to bridge the gap between Board members and students. We are fortunate our Board of Trustees actively seeks out engagement opportunities with students because the more these bridges are built, the deeper the trust that develops among community members. Regardless of our role within the Proctor community, we have the privilege of believing in, and working toward realizing the same mission. Sometimes we only see a piece of that mission given our role, but developing relationships with those in different roles allows us to better appreciate the big picture and shared goals.
