RE LOG Fall 2017

FALL 2017 Ransom Everglades LOG 33 improving our traffic circulation. It offers many opportunities to improve the experi- ence for the students. Ransom Everglades’ upper campus already enjoys some unique characteristics. It’s an oasis on the bay in a rapidly urbanizing city. La Brisa and our projected developments will create a college-campus experience for our students. How did RE finally claim the coveted La Brisa property? It was almost two years ago when the former owner, Mr. Simon Decker, a father of two at RE, called me. He wanted to let me know he was selling the property. At that time, he was offering it at a price of $65 million. We had a good chuckle about that; it was clearly not feasible for us. We agreed to stay in touch. We talked for the better part of a year, back and forth, until we came to satisfactory terms that included a generous donation to the school. The board was excited. We believed this move would secure the future of the school and really shape it for decades to come. So the board was on board from the be- ginning? Absolutely. I commend this board: It took courage to make an investment in the future of this size. It takes vision to make the kind of investments to create a good environ- ment for future students. When you look at the whole Paul Ransom story, it’s really embedded in our board as much as anywhere else. Board members really give of them- selves – both of their time and resources. The board really passed it forward. The board’s vision will set the stage for the next 100 years more than anything the school’s done, with the possible exception of the merger. A final question: What are the biggest challenges the board faces in the coming years? The board has to meet the chal- lenges of a rapidly changing world. Where is education going? How is the cyber revolution changing the way we educate our children? How do we prepare the institution to face those changes? Are we doing the right things today to prepare our students not for what college they attend, but to have the skills to excel in the new economy? Our answers to those questions and others will be reflected in the structures we build, the programs we help improve, the people we hire to handle the future. It’s a lot of work. We’re ready to take it on. “The board’s vision will set the stage for the next 100 years more than anything the school’s done, with the possible exception of the merger.”