Exeter, NH (May 22, 2008)—On Friday, May 16, Phillips Exeter Academy gave James G. Rogers III (class of 1963; parent of Jamie ’05) the school’s Founder’s Day Award, presented annually by the General Alumni/ae Association “in recognition of devoted service to the Academy.”

Rogers’ service as a trustee stands as the longest in recent memory—16 years—during which he skillfully empowered all who worked with him, while approaching his duties with an open mind and an emphasis on detail. His ability to create and sustain consensus among trustees and faculty was, by far, one of his most masterful skills, helping him serve successfully in a variety of roles, including Chair of the Principal Search Committee in 1997 and the creation of The Exeter Initiatives, a fundraising campaign initiated in 1999.

Described as an artful leader and a visionary, Rogers’ career as a volunteer began while a student at the Academy in the early 1960s. During and after graduation, he served as president of his class, a reunion volunteer, president of the Exeter Association of Greater New York, and president of the General Alumni/ae Association. Today’s increased diversity among Exeter students is a result of Rogers’ efforts to welcome all perspectives and lifestyles.

He came to the Academy as a student in 1960 after attending New Canaan Country Day School in Fairfield County, CT. While a student, he excelled in academics and sports, playing soccer, hockey and golf. He graduated in 1963, studied at the University of London, and received his bachelor’s degree from Yale University and his master’s in architecture from Columbia University.

After helping launch Butler Rogers Baskett Architects, Rogers began a niche service in master planning and designing educational facilities. His structural design skills were put to use years later when he chaired the trustees’ Building and Grounds Committee. Under his patient, determined leadership, the Academy welcomed such building projects as Fisher Theater, the Phelps Science Center, the Phelps Academy Center, and the renovation of two dormitories and Phillips Church.

In 1990, Rogers was invited to serve on the Academy’s trustee board and generously offered his time and talents for more than a decade. In 1997, as chair of the Principal Search Committee, he set precedent by forming a committee composed of an equal number of trustees and faculty, encouraging all voices in the PEA community to be heard.

Rogers’ service to the Academy culminated in a four-year term that began in 2003, as president of the trustees. As president, he utilized his integrity, vision and values. During his tenure, Rogers’ efforts included working to advance the Academy’s middle-income financial aid initiative, community housing and salary enhancement, and the Academy Master Plan.

Summing up his years as a student, alumnus, parent and trustee, Rogers says he is most proud of the Academy’s evolution to inclusion.

“I’ve witnessed many wonderful changes at the Academy in 25 years. The campus has been transformed into a much more caring and accepting community, and continues in that effort. It is a leader among secondary schools in its commitment to environmental stewardship, responsible use of resources, and green design of its buildings. The recent announcement of tuition-free attendance for families with less than $75,000 annual income is an extraordinary reaffirmation of its belief in the importance of attracting students from every quarter,” he says.

The Founder’s Day Award is given to an alumnus, alumna, faculty emeritus, emerita, retired staff member, parent or friend who has demonstrated exceptional and sustained service to the Academy over time.

For further information, please contact Harold Brown Jr. ’74, director of Alumni/ae Affairs, at (603) 777-3353. A complete list of upcoming events is available on the Phillips Exeter Academy public events line at (603) 777-4309 and on our website at http://www.exeter.edu/ or http://www.exeter.edu/news_and_events/news_events_2990.aspx. For directions to Phillips Exeter Academy, call (603) 777-4330.

Phillips Exeter Academy is a coeducational, independent preparatory school that was founded in 1781 and originated the system of instruction known as Harkness teaching in 1931. In the spirit of its charter to foster both goodness and knowledge, a Phillips Exeter Academy education will now be free to any admitted student whose family income is $75,000 or less. Committed to educational excellence, the school meets all demonstrated financial aid needs of its admitted students, making the Academy effectively “need blind.” The diverse student body comes from a wide variety of geographic, economic, racial and religious backgrounds approximately from 45 states, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and 23 foreign countries.