Last Friday we welcomed our Board of Visitors to campus for their annual meeting and a joint strategic session with our Board of Trustees. For those of you who don't know, SSA's Board of Visitors is composed of alumni, most of whom live away from Pittsburgh, who assist us with alumni engagement and strategic initiatives. It has always been immensely helpful to listen to the observations and insights of people who aren't enmeshed in our community on a daily basis.

One of the highlights of the day is our Board of Visitors panel at our Senior School assembly. Four alumni answer questions about their career paths and their time at Shady Side. I think it's wonderful for our students to hear that education and career trajectories often don't follow expected linear paths. It's also nice to hear how the Shady Side experience affected each member of the panel. Central to those reflections are the memories of special relationships each person had with particular faculty members and mentors.  

The afternoon joint session with the Board of Trustees had three parts. First, a panel of students answered questions about the Senior School experience. Needless to say, all present were very impressed with how our students presented themselves and the thoughtfulness with which they discussed what it has meant to be a student at SSA. In the second part of the session, Sean Beasley from Strada Architects gave a presentation about different options for the renovation and expansion of our current athletic facilities. In the third and final session, trustees Rob Mullin and Jeff McDaniel, co-chairs of the presidential search committee, gave an update on the search process and moderated a lively discussion on what qualities and experiences are important for the next president of the Academy.

Finally, I just want to say that the McIlroy Center for Science and Innovation is nearing completion. We couldn't be more pleased with how this project has turned out. The building is, in a word, stunning. I can't wait for everyone to see it.