The Hill School 2012-17 Strategic Plan outlines ambitious goals to reimagine and redefine a liberal arts education for the 21st century. Key objectives include increasing financial aid to attract the most qualified students globally, strengthening academic and co-curricular programs, enhancing facilities for science and the arts, improving faculty compensation and housing, and ensuring students graduate with skills for lifelong success. The plan aims to position The Hill School as the preeminent family boarding school through both tradition and innovation.

1. THE HILL SCHOOL 2012-17 Strategic Plan

2. Dear Hill School Community:
It may seem a bit dramatic to say that The Hill School treats strategic planning as if lives
depend upon it. But, the truth is, they do.
Our planning supports the programs – from the academic program, to college advising, to
alumni networking – that empower our graduates to realize their goals throughout their lives.
Our deliberate thinking calls for academic facilities where creative teachers have the classroom
skills, tools, and technology they need to ensure student success; faculty housing that
provides advisers and dorm parents a dynamic and appropriate environment in which
to mentor students; and state-of-the-art athletics facilities where Hill student-athletes
learn the leadership, teamwork, and perseverance they will rely on to face challenges
throughout their lives.
The way we plan affects each and every Hill student – from the talented trombonist
and future tennis standout from Vietnam, to the Pottstown student who is as
passionate about the classics as she is about field hockey and service learning, to the
inquisitive science scholar from Texas whose desire to test his academic potential at
Hill would not be fulfilled without financial aid.
The thought inherent in this 2012-17 Strategic Plan undoubtedly benefits the entire
Hill community.
This presentation outlines the ambitious goals approved by the Board of Trustees in
June 2012 and further updated in January 2014. These essential objectives have been
determined by small, focused committees – faculty and trustees who continue to delve
into topics including admission, advancement and alumni relations, athletics, budget
and investment, campus planning, campus life, college advising, community relations,
education, faculty and staff, and technology.

3. This strategic planning process has equipped The Hill to tackle this overarching goal, as shared
with the Board of Trustees at the beginning of my tenure, and as used as a touchstone for our ongoing
work:
“While staying very true to our core values, The Hill will re-imagine and redefine a liberal arts school
education. We will combine all of the powerful ideals encompassed by ‘The Family Boarding School’ with the
best and most innovative practices of 21st century teaching and learning. People will simultaneously describe
The Hill as the most traditional and the most innovative school in the country. In doing so, we will attract
the most capable students and most talented teachers from around the world; our students will be the most
highly sought after college applicants; and we will generate unprecedented financial support from our alumni,
parents, and other donors.”
I am very grateful to the dedicated members of The Hill School faculty and Board of Trustees who
have worked so hard on creating this impressive and tangible Plan and who continue to implement
its ideals. Special and ongoing acknowledgement is due to Executive Steering Committee Co-Chairs
John Dollhopf, Hill’s academic dean, and Andrew D. Soussloff ’71; Tom Millhiser ’67, P ’96 and ’00,
chairman of the Board of Trustees through June 2014; Preston G. Athey ’67, our chairman of the Board
of Trustees effective June 2014; and the Steering Committee and subcommittees.
Guided by this Plan, we look forward to continuing our relevant, immensely inspirational work as
educators and mentors, and we pledge to meet the heightened expectations of all members of our Hill
family. Together we will achieve great, enduring things for our students, for our School, and, ultimately,
for the world.
Warm regards,
Zachary G. Lehman
Headmaster

4. The Hill School
Mission Statement
The Hill School prepares young men and
women from across the country and around
the world for college, careers, and life.
Within a family school environment and a
rigorous liberal arts curriculum, we challenge
our young people to work hard; think and
reason; be fulfilled; serve the common
good; and be prepared to lead as citizens of
the world, uniquely guided by our motto,
“Whatsoever Things Are
True.”

5. Within our core mission of preparing our students for college, careers, and life as
citizens of the world in the 21st century, we commit The Hill School to a thorough
review of its priorities, with the goal of being the preeminent family boarding
school in the nation, true to its ideals and ambitious for its future.

6. The Hill will evaluate, address, and enhance six key areas
of impact through implementation of this 2014 Strategic Plan.
students...EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM...
Faculty...Campus...Town...Future...

7. “People will simultaneously describe HILL as the
MOST TRADITIONAL and MOST INNOVATIVE
school in the country.” Headmaster Zachary G. Lehman

8. We will: address the affordability
of a Hill School education with
the aim of increasing financial aid
and addressing financial need to
achieve a long-term objective of
attracting and enrolling the most
qualified students from around the
world. Furthermore, we will attract
these students by providing the
programs, facilities, resources, and
overall experience they should
expect from our close, diverse
living and learning community.
For our students...

9. We will:
Meet vigorous goals set to ensure an
exceptional student body:
• Raise $50 million to increase our financial
aid endowment so that Hill offers the most
financial aid dollars per student among our
peer schools.
• Further expand our geographic social-
economic, and racial diversity.
Engage all students – boarding and day —
in a community that promotes the values
embodied in our motto of “Whatsoever
things are true”:
• Develop a residential life curriculum that
enhances interactions between students
and their teachers, dormitory parents,
advisers, and coaches; and
• Promote health and wellness in all aspects
of campus life.
For our students...

10. Hill graduates will demonstrate resilience and flexibility
attained through rigorous study, self-reflection, and
character-building experiences.

11. Encourage our students to pursue
excellence in both their academic
pursuits and their co-curricular
endeavors and passions:
• Ensure visibility and recognition of our
students for their achievements – in the
classroom, on the playing fields, in the
arts, in community service, and in other
commitments; and
• Continue to evaluate and redefine
our athletics offerings, specialization
opportunities, and requirements.
Ensure that our students thrive in
dormitory facilities befitting
The Hill’s high standards:
• Annually assess dormitory rooms and
common areas and make prioritized
improvements.
For our students...

12. For our students...
Empower our students to take
responsibility for their college
search process and make
insightful decisions about their
life after
The Hill:
• Maintain data and metrics that
will help inform the process for
our students; and
• Achieve and maintain ambitious
acceptance rates for top colleges
and universities while working
one-on-one with students to
identify institutions where they
will experience the greatest
challenge and success.

13. For our EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM...
We will undertake a wise, enlightened examination of our educational program and
create a curriculum that uses best current pedagogical practices, thus establishing
The Hill as a leader in 21st
century education.

14. We will:
Graduate confident students who possess:
• A comprehensive liberal arts background;
• The ability to collaborate, problem-solve, and
express themselves creatively; and
• Resilience and flexibility attained through rigorous
study, self-reflection, and character-building
experiences.
Conduct a mission-driven restructuring of our
educational program:
• Highlight and spark creativity and character
development;
• Reaffirm and strengthen Hill’s emphasis on the
fundamental core curricular skills of critical
reading, writing, oral communication, quantitative
analysis, information management and research
skills, and ethical reflection;
• Review all aspects of our calendar and daily
schedule, including athletics, campus life, and off-
campus activities;
• Integrate appropriate technology in all aspects of
our educational program;
• Facilitate opportunities for service-learning in our
extended community of Pottstown and beyond;
and
• Review graduation requirements.
For our Educational Program...

15. The Hill School
will be a
destination place
of employment
for a diverse
group of women
and men who
are passionate
about teaching
and inspiring
equally
motivated
young women
and men.

16. For our faculty...
We will demonstrate our
commitment to recruiting, retaining,
and enhancing the professional and
personal lives of our faculty and their
families. We will:
Increase faculty salaries to within the
top quartile of ABOPS median teaching
faculty salaries by 2017 and regularly
review all benefits programs;
Meet the need for first-class faculty
housing by:
• Completing the renovation of all faculty
housing units by September 2017, and
• Completing an additional eight units by
August 2017
• We have completied eight initial units of
the East Campus Faculty Village (2014).
We have implemented a comprehensive
faculty development program (2014)
We have appointed a Director of Human
Resources (2014)

17. For our Campus...
We will enhance our world-class campus by creating a premier facility and curriculum supporting
innovate, interdisciplinary, and project-based learning approaches in science, technology, mathmatics,
engineering and design; renovating new classrooms for humanities subjects; expanding our athletics
facilities; and infusing our facilities with cutting-edge technology.

18. We will:
Create premier facilities for the
interdisciplinary study of Science,
Technology, Engineering, Aesthetics
and Design, and Mathematics;
Renovate facilities for classes in classics,
history, philosophy, and religious studies;
Renovate the Widener Arts and Crafts
building to fully accommodate the
visual arts;
Refurbish and expand the Dining Room
and kitchen and pantry facilities;
Remove the old outdoor hockey rink to
expand and enhance our campus green
space; and
Enhance our Fitness Center and the
entrance to the athletics complex.
With all construction, we will pursue
the best green building practices in
construction and renovation.
We have:
Achieved a 100 % wireless campus
Constructed two artificial turf fields, a
championship track-and-field facility, and
a new soccer pitch

19. For our town...
We will seek to invest in and partner with Pottstown to pursue mutually beneficial ends in
the arts, economic development, neighborhood revitalization, and the environment.

20. We will:
Place The Hill at the forefront of revitalization
of the Pottstown community, particularly in
our immediate neighborhood:
• Working with other anchor community
organizations to achieve common goals,
including added safety measures such as
lighting and beautification;
• Encouraging local commerce and business
development;
• Supporting Pottstown’s cultural initiatives
by sharing Hill talent and facilities as well as
attending downtown events; and
• Facilitating community volunteerism and
service learning among our students and
faculty.
For our town...

21. For our future...
We will undertake a multi-year
comprehensive campaign, fundraising with
passion and focus to achieve this Plan’s
strategic objectives and secure the future
of our School. We will:
Conduct a campaign feasibility study and
report those recommendations by June 2014;
Address campaign, The Hill Fund, and Alumni
Relations staffing needs; and
Grow The Hill Fund to a sustained level of
$4 million and 12% to 15% of the 2017-18
operating budget, with:
• 100% Board participation
(30% of The Hill Fund goal),
• 35% alumni participation,
• 75% parent participation, and
• 100% faculty participation.

23. The Hill School depends upon the involvement, input, and support of our alumni, parents, and friends.
We thank you for your interest in the Strategic Plan and we encourage you to share your questions and
comments about our initiatives as well as other aspects of the School with Headmaster Zack Lehman.
E-mail: Zlehman@thehill.org 610-705-1280
Thank you...