To the Editor of The Principia Pilot
Inter-Office Mail
College Campus
Dear Editor:
A front-page article in the May 4 issue of The Pilot entitled "Does Prin follow best practice?" did not accurately report on the process used by the Board of Trustees in recruiting leaders at Principia or in electing members of the Board of Trustees. Certain facts need to be clarified, and we are grateful for this opportunity to help the community better understand current hiring and election processes.
Regarding recruiting for leadership positions such as College president, the article quotes a former Trustee saying that "potential candidates should be found a few years in advance and brought in as a dean or some other position." The Board strongly supports this practice and has become more proactive in recruiting for leadership posts. Principia works diligently to find well-qualified candidates to fill key positions and maintains extensive lists and contacts that serve as sources for candidates.
In electing new Trustees, the Board follows procedures that have been in place for many years and are based on instructions by Principia's founder, Mary Kimball Morgan. Mrs. Morgan specifically instructed that Trustees should not be selected based on professional background, gender, geographic location, wealth, or any other "quota-based" criteria. Mrs. Morgan expected Trustees to be selected based on their love of Christian Science and the Christ-idea in education.
Under the Bylaws of Principia, the Board maintains a permanent Committee on Trusteeship. We do not create an "ad hoc committee" to fill vacancies, as the article stated. The Committee on Trusteeship is responsible for preparing a slate of nominees for elections when vacancies arise. The Committee develops and maintains lists of prospective Trustees by widely consulting individuals throughout the greater Principia community. While this has always been done informally, recently the Board has established a page on its website to facilitate suggestions of prospective nominees from anyone. We welcome this input and invite the community to participate in this way.
The article quotes another former Trustee saying that the nomination list for new Trustees “usually includes candidates who were ‘left over’ from trustee elections as well as suggestions from trustees on the Committee.” This statement significantly misrepresents the integrity of the Board’s process and would serve to degrade the qualifications of nominees.
In fact, the Committee maintains a lengthy list of prospective Trustees. There are individuals on the list who have been suggested but who may not be known to members of the Committee or Board and, therefore, these become individuals the Board seeks to meet. There are individuals on the list who, for various reasons, are thought to be attractive candidates sometime in the future. From the full list, the Committee brings forward a slate that has been carefully vetted before each election.
At the time of an election, while there is no discussion in the form of "campaigning" for or against any candidate, the Committee does orally present a summary of each individual’s background, qualifications, and rationale for service on the Board of Trustees. If a nominee is not elected, his or her name typically is not removed from the list for future elections. So, within that context, yes, some names may appear to be "left over." In fact, this practice allows qualified individuals to serve at the most appropriate time.
The Board of Trustees of Principia includes individuals who have deep, broad, and lengthy experience in matters of governance gained through past and present service on numerous boards of directors. Individuals are selected from the broader Christian Science community, and while all members of the Board may not individually know each nominee, which would be highly impractical on a Board of this size, it has always been the Board’s practice to ensure that some members are able to adequately vouch for the nominee's qualifications.
In all matters pertaining to the activities of the Board and its selection of Trustees, this Board seeks to follow Mrs. Morgan's counsel when navigating between best human practices and following spiritual intuition. "Do not trust at all to your clear human thinking, but demand of yourselves spiritual insight," she advises (Education at the Principia, p. 100). Much of the Board's guidance on these issues can be found by studying Mrs. Morgan's article "A Heart-to-Heart Talk" (pp. 147-149 of Education at the Principia). While we certainly aim to follow best practices, Principia is unique in that we first follow divine guidance and spiritual intuition.
The Principia Board of Trustees has taken steps to improve governance procedures by reviewing best practices and making appropriate adjustments in its procedures during the past year. To promote progress and healing at Principia, we welcome constructive dialogue and insightful suggestions from all members of the community at any time.
Sincerely,
The Board of Trustees
The Principia
13201 Clayton Road
St. Louis, MO 63131-1099
314-434-2100