After seven years as Dean of Students, Mr. James Stanley will step down in June, at the end of the 2018-2019 academic year. Next year, he will return to full-time teaching. According to Mr. Stanley, the decision was only a matter of time. “When I took the job, my mental assumption was that I’d do it for five years. The Deans were in the midst of doing some meaningful work that needed to continue, so I stayed longer than originally intended, and it’s been worthwhile. But when I took the job, I very much had in my mind that seven was the absolute limit.”
Reflecting on the past seven years, certain work stood out to Mr. Stanley as especially rewarding. “The most rewarding part is being in situations where you can work constructively, collaboratively, and effectively with students. Having had a number of situations over the years to sit down with student leaders to figure out how to approach something, and having it work, is great. To see students voice their opinions, to bring their ideas to the table, and to make it work, is cool.”
Student Body President Itai Mupanduki ’19 said, “Working with Mr. Stanley has been a real pleasure of mine.” Mupanduki added that Mr. Stanley was always “willing to really discuss the ins and outs of issues, which has been really helpful for me.”
Many students commended Mr. Stanley for his work as the Dean. “Mr. Stanley did a really good job,” Kiki Kim ’20 said. “He did a lot of really important things for gender equality, especially helping with the gender-neutral housing, so I think it’s going to be pretty big shoes to fill for the next person in his position. I hope they can keep the momentum that he started.”
A return to full-time teaching looks bright for Mr. Stanley. He plans to take a sabbatical in the fall, and, when he returns, he plans to spend much more time in the classroom, in the rink, and as an adviser. Mr. Stanley said, “I like the job; it’s rewarding. But the way the job has evolved in the last two years, I haven’t taught a class. I miss that opportunity to have the experience that has been the norm for most of my career.” Mr. Stanley added, “I’ll be returning to what brought me to Choate in the first place.”
Mr. Stanley’s initial motives for becoming Dean of Students also influenced his decision to step down. “Sometimes, people take administrative roles because they’ve kept this kind of career path they have in mind. I never took it because I wanted to go onto bigger administrative things,” he explained. “Now, it’s an opportunity for somebody else to do that, to bring fresh eyes to the job.”
With the highs came the lows; the Dean of Students job did not come without its challenges. Mr. Stanley said, “In terms of challenges, that’s simple: There’s nothing I dislike more than to be a position where I have to say ‘goodbye’ to a student. It’s heartbreaking for everybody involved. I wish it never happened.” He added, “But sometimes, it does, for a variety of reasons…Having to have hard conversations with students and their parents is not fun.”
This transition in roles will be one in a lengthy, seasoned career. Prior to being the Dean of Students, Mr. Stanley served as a form dean for the classes of 2009 and 2012 and served as the Chair of the Faculty Committee the year before that, alongside full-time classroom teaching, coaching, and advising. Mr. Stanley mainly taught economics and a former third form elective series, Ancient and Classical Medieval History. Throughout his 17 total years at Choate, Mr. Stanley has coached girls’ varsity hockey, boys’ varsity hockey, boys’ JV lacrosse, and boys’ varsity lacrosse. He was an adviser in Memorial House for 6 years, was the Head of House, and has been an adviser in Bernhard House for the last 10 years.
Different students have different hopes about what a new Dean of Students might bring. “Samantha Brown ’20 said, “The Dean of Students is very important. They need to not only take into account the Student Handbook, but the student itself. We need to take into account that the students are people, and not just problems to be dealt with.”
Serena Levin ’20 added, “I hope that we’ll have more diversity among the people in our administration.”
Mr. Stanley will not be involved in the search process for his successor. The job listing has been posted both internally and externally, and it is believed that the School will fill the role sometime in the next few months.
