FAQ

Saul Ewing’s review was exhaustive and included interviews with nearly 30 people (many more than once) and the analysis of thousands of related documents including emails, calendar entries, and phone records. The work did take longer than we anticipated which can be directly attributed to the comprehensive, in depth and iterative nature of Saul Ewing’s process including multiple interviews and follow-ups with key individuals.

This review brought to light many opportunities for improvement in our structure, processes, and governance which we are obligated to earnestly address for the benefit of the school, including:

• the need for formal and consistent policies for the approval of campus events and speakers
• approaches to ensure greater transparency and effective communication between administrators, the Board of Trustees and the greater community.
• a clearer delineation of decision-making responsibilities between those within the purview of the Administration and those reserved for the Board
• progress tracking to the goals outlined in our October 15 Board DEI statement to ensure that we are creating an inclusive, welcoming and supportive environment for all students – regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, ability or socio-economic background.

The Review Task Force was convened and charged with developing a statement of work and selecting a third-party in a competitive process to conduct the independent review. After a competitive process the task force selected Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP, a top-ranked firm with extensive experience working with educational institutions. We won’t discuss the cost of the review, but the Board approved the expense, believing the investment was worthwhile and the service essential to gain a full understanding of the facts surrounding this matter. The objective findings and insights the firm provided give us clarity on where errors occurred and allow us to develop stronger systems for the future.

Middlesex will develop clear, formal, and detailed event/speaker approval policies as well as clear criteria for when, if ever, it is acceptable to rescind an invitation. We value diverse voices and perspectives as an essential part of the process.

In order to ensure a comprehensive report, it’s essential to protect the privacy of those interviewed, thus allowing interviewees to speak openly, voluntarily, and without fear of reprisal. Beyond that, it would be inappropriate to comment on any individual, personnel matters.

The report concluded that the Head of School’s decision to rescind Hannah-Jones’ invitation was motivated by some individual’s concerns around pushback from members of the community and the possibility of unintended damage to the school’s ongoing DEI work. While the concern about public scrutiny exists with any high-profile speaker, we have a responsibility to offer our students the opportunity to hear a variety of intellectual viewpoints, think critically, and respectfully exchange ideas. We regret that they were not afforded that opportunity in this case.

Decisions about campus speakers are not made by the Board but by the school and, going forward, in alignment with an updated policy on speakers and events. Moreover, the school will continue to seek out visiting speakers across a wide spectrum of social and political viewpoints who challenge and inspire our student body.

The decision to rescind Hannah-Jones’ invitation was wrong as it did not reflect our belief that an open exchange of viewpoints is vital to student development and intellectual excellence. Regrettably, it also suggested that Middlesex wavered in our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Our students, faculty, and staff will remain diligent in our DEI work and build upon our progress undeterred.

Rather than focus on our differences, we believe that we should focus on what we have in common. Middlesex has evolved in many ways since our founding over a century ago and over this period; we have not always agreed on the speed, scope and approach.  Yet through that transformation–not unlike today–we know that every member of our community is committed to our mission and our ideal to “find the promise” in every student, to bring their talents to fruition as knowledgeable, capable, responsible and moral citizens of the world.

As we navigate our way forward, the road will not always be easy. Progress, we believe, rests on our community and its willingness to ask the difficult questions, have the honest dialogues, and commit in a sincere desire to learn, understand, and grow.

Yes, absolutely. School leaders and the Board reaffirmed their commitments in support of those initiatives in their letter to the community on October 15. If we are to fulfill our mission of “finding the promise in every student,” we must remain united in this effort and refuse to allow a single event to impede our progress.