Oral History Initiative

Request for Proposals
Oral history initiative 2023-2026
Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass.

Phillips Academy (Andover) is accepting proposals for an oral history partner for our new oral history initiative, a project to begin in July 2023. We seek to explore gaps in the history of the school particularly between 1960 and 2010, the period of greatest demographic shifts in the student body and among faculty, staff, and trustees. The oral history initiative will be administered by a committee consisting of the director of archives and special collections, a project manager, and two faculty. The initiative aims to document, preserve, and share the experiences of women, racial minorities, people with disabilities, LGBTQ people, and recipients of scholarships during their time on campus at Andover. The oral history partner will be responsible for coordinating, conducting, finalizing, and reviewing professional-quality oral history interviews with 50 individuals. Prospective interviewees will be alumni, administrators, staff, faculty emeriti, faculty children, parents, and others (names to be provided by the oral history committee). Phillips Academy plans some of the oral history interviews to be in-person, and some to be done remotely.

About Phillips Academy
Founded in 1778 as a Calvinist school for boys, Phillips Academy merged with Abbot Academy, a nearby girls’ school, in 1973. The parents of founder Samuel Phillips were enslavers. The first known African American student was Benjamin James, class of 1836, who became a printer, teacher, missionary, and government official in Liberia. (A timeline of equity and inclusion at Phillips Academy is attached as an appendix.) For a century, Phillips Academy shared its campus and board of trustees with Andover Theological Seminary, which was the first graduate institution in the United States. The Seminary moved to Harvard University in 1908, leaving behind much of what comprises the center of Phillips Academy’s present-day campus. Andover has had a need-blind admission policy since 2007. In 2022 the trustees released the anti-racism task force report, and in 2022-2023 the Committee on Challenging Histories worked to develop a system for considering naming on campus. Phillips Academy’s constitution charges the faculty to teach “youth from every quarter” to aspire equally to knowledge and goodness. This obligation challenges students to develop what is finest in themselves and others, for others and themselves. Phillips Academy is committed to nurturing an intentionally diverse, inclusive community that encourages students and adults to respect, inspire, and learn from one another. Guided by the ideal of non sibi, leading lives “not for self,” the Phillips Academy community promotes a balance of intellectual curiosity, engagement, leadership, and service in the pursuit of excellence: academic, civic, and moral.

Role of the Oral History Partner
The oral history partner will be responsible for coordinating, conducting, finalizing, and reviewing professional-quality oral history interviews with a number of individuals (50). Some of the interviews will require multiple interview sessions. The oral history committee has identified an initial list of prospective interviewees. The oral history partner will work with the oral history committee to identify additional interviewees and coordinate outreach. The oral history partner will also coordinate with the oral history committee on general project design and question development and to access research materials for interview preparation.
The oral history partner will be in contact with the oral history committee at least every 2 to 4 weeks and as needed. The oral history committee is responsible for all on-campus logistics and initial interviewee contact. The partner is responsible for interview coordination, research preparation, travel coordination, developing and implementing consent/release protocols, and post-interview processing (transcription, auditing, editing). The oral history partner will also be responsible for conducting reviews of all finalized oral histories to make recommendations to Phillips Academy for topics, themes, segments, and quotes that may be used by Phillips Academy for educational, communications, or promotional purposes. Finally, the oral history partner will be responsible for delivering all interview materials and related work product to Phillips Academy by agreed upon deadlines throughout the project period. Segments from the oral histories will be featured on a new oral history section of the Phillips Academy Archives & Special Collections and may be shared in other publications.
We expect the project to roll out in three phases that, to some extent, coincide with the tenures of previous Heads of School: phase 1: 1957-1973; phase 2: 1974-1994; phase 3: 1994-2012.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I contact Phillips Academy if I have questions about the project or request for proposals?
Yes. All questions related to the oral history project or the request for proposals must be sent to archives@andover.edu and copy to project manager Patricia Davison (pdavison.emeriti@andover.edu ). The oral history committee will respond to questions until the submission deadline. Please do not contact other Phillips Academy personnel about the status of your proposal.

I’m an independent oral historian, can I submit a proposal?
Yes. We encourage proposals from organizations, institutions, and independent oral historians and memory workers passionate about oral history, public memory, and racial justice. We also recognize that this is a major oral history project that will require significant project management, coordination, communication, and travel so we encourage independent practitioners to submit proposals as part of a team (for example, a team might consist of an oral historian, public historian, and project manager). We strongly encourage BIPOC and/or LGBTQ oral historians and memory workers to submit proposals.

Are there educational requirements?
No. Although serious candidates must have extensive experience in oral history project management and cultural memory work, applicants are not required to have an advanced degree. Key qualifications also include deep interest in U.S. racial, cultural, and educational history specifically civil rights, racial justice, and social justice movements in schools and universities throughout the twentieth century.

Is there a limit for the project budget?
Phillips Academy is looking for budgets that reflect a clear understanding of what resources will be required to successfully carry out a major nationwide oral history project. Phillips Academy supports fair and equitable compensation for oral historians and memory workers and is strongly committed to ensuring fair and equitable compensation for all labor undertaken as part of this project.
Is the oral history partner responsible for archiving the oral histories?
No. The oral histories and related project materials will be preserved in the Phillips Academy archives.

Who will own the oral histories and other project materials?
Although the oral history partner will be publicly acknowledged for their role, Phillips Academy will own and hold copyright to all oral history interviews conducted as part of the oral history project. Phillips Academy will also own all materials generated as part of the oral history project such as interview research notes, project blueprints, interview guides, correspondence, etc. All work done on this project will be deemed a “work made for hire” (independent contractor) and/or all intellectual property resulting from this project will be assigned to Phillips Academy by the oral history partner.

How will project funding be allocated?
The project will be dependent on the contract, project budget, and scope of work being finalized by Phillips Academy and the oral history partner. Funds will be disbursed to the oral history partner on a monthly basis and will be contingent on the oral history partner submitting monthly progress reports and invoices to Phillips Academy and meeting agreed upon benchmarks and deliverables.

Submitting Your Proposal
Proposals are due by Monday June 23, 2023. Please create a single PDF document that includes your responses to the proposal questions and all supplemental materials. Submit the document to archives@andover.edu and a copy to the project manager Patricia Davison (pdavison.emeriti@andover.edu) with a subject line that includes Oral History. We look forward to reviewing your proposal.

PROJECT TIMELINE
Proposals due June 23, 2023
Phillips Academy may ask candidates to submit additional materials including additional work samples and letters of support.
Finalist interviews July 2023
Finalists will be invited to meet virtually with the oral history committee and Head of School Raynard Kington
Oral history partner selected July 2023
Phillips Academy and the oral history partner finalize the contract and scope of work.
Oral history project begins July 2023
Throughout the one-year project period, Phillips Academy and the oral history partner will work together to monitor performance and address challenges, and track progress, goals, and timelines. The oral history partner will submit monthly progress reports to the Phillips Academy oral history committee. The oral history partner will also submit oral histories and related materials as they are completed.
Oral history project ends 2026
Phillips Academy oral history committee has received all project deliverables from the oral history partner. They will work together to evaluate project successes, challenges, and lessons learned.

PROPOSAL QUESTIONS
Please limit each response to 300 words or fewer.
Tell us about you. Are you submitting as an individual, team, organization, or institution? Why you would be the best oral history partner for this project? Please tell us about your past experiences managing oral history projects as well as your oral history ethics and principles.
Tell us who would be involved. Who will be on your team? What will their responsibilities be? Why did you build this team? Please also identify the project lead who will serve as the main point of contact.
Tell us how you would plan and execute the project. How would you manage this project? How would you be sure to meet the project goals, deliverables, and timelines?
Tell us what being involved with this project would mean to you. Why do you want to be the oral history partner? What is your understanding of the role of oral history and public memory to advance racial justice and equality?
Supplemental Materials
Project Budget. Please provide a detailed project budget that demonstrates a clear understanding of the resources needed to successfully carry out the oral history project and all of the responsibilities of the oral history partner. You may include notes or explanations in the budget document.
Work Samples. Please provide a transcript of a complete oral history interview conducted by the person or people on your team that would conduct interviews for this project. Please also provide up to 20 pages of past project designs, and/or interview guides. You may also provide hyperlinks to online portfolios, relevant writings, and digital exhibits.

CVs/Resumes. Provide CVs/resumes of no more than two pages each for every person on the core project team.