Western Reserve Academy, a non-sectarian, independent college preparatory boarding school, works diligently to attract and retain the finest teachers by offering competitive salaries, exceptional benefits, attractive homes and dormitory residences, and generous support for professional development.

Unlike teachers in day schools, boarding school faculty members are always on duty, and a lasting education occurs beyond the classroom through the dedication and personal commitment of the faculty. For almost 200 years, WRA's faculty has displayed an appreciation for learning and a passion for excellence.

Like their predecessors, today's faculty members are dedicated to their students, and their presence is felt in every corner of life at WRA. They know that WRA parents, some at great distances from the school, have placed their trust in the faculty who work with their sons and daughters. Meeting the challenging and changing needs of adolescents in a complex world is a difficult task that WRA's faculty members eagerly accept.

Founded in 1826 as a preparatory school for Western Reserve College, Western Reserve Academy is one of the oldest boarding schools in the nation and the premier school of its kind in the Midwest. A WRA education emphasizes the importance of a lifelong engagement with the world. WRA offers a challenging curriculum that prepares our 390 students for future academic success--and for purposeful, fulfilling lives. WRA strives to graduate citizens who can think critically, discuss important matters articulately, write persuasively and act responsibly.

WRA's ambitious academic program is balanced by our greatest asset--our faculty. The heart and soul of the campus community, these men and women never disengage from their responsibility to help develop their students' character. Almost all the teachers live on campus, so students have access to compassionate adults who act as extended family, private tutors, trusted confidants, dinner companions and wise advisors.

Because of WRA's caring and talented faculty and its challenging curriculum, students are able to realize their potential.

Student Profile

A Western Reserve Academy education offers a transformational experience where students strive for excellence, live with integrity and act with compassion. We have a diverse body of motivated and well-rounded students who study and live in a supportive, inclusive academic community where they learn about independence and responsibility--traditional values that help them achieve success at higher rates than private day and public school students, in the classroom and beyond.

Two-thirds of our students are boarders who find that their days are busy, diverse and fulfilling--and rarely dull. Day students are equally involved in the academic, athletic, extracurricular and social life at the school. Currently, 20 percent of our students represent minority groups (African American, Latino/Hispanic American and Asian American), and we have students from 25 states and 17 countries.

The middle 50th percentile scores for WRA students on the SAT are 650 in critical reading, 680 in math and 670 in writing. One-hundred percent of our graduating students matriculate to a college or university.

Our graduates attend some of the top universities in the country, including Brown, Dartmouth, Duke, Case Western Reserve, Middlebury, Williams, Harvard, Miami (Ohio), Kenyon, Columbia, the U.S. Naval Academy, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Penn and Yale, to name a few.

Head of School Profile

Head of School Christopher Burner has been a loyal supporter of Western Reserve Academy for more than 30 years. As a graduate, he believes WRA shaped his character and developed his self-confidence. Mr. Burner embodies the school's mission of excellence, integrity and compassion.

Earning a bachelor's degree from Franklin & Marshall College and master's degrees from Dartmouth and Harvard, Mr. Burner has devoted his entire professional life to independent boarding schools. He has taught Latin passionately for the past 20 years, and he has also taught economics and history. Previous administrative positions held at WRA include dean of admission & financial aid and dean of the faculty & administration. Past teaching experience includes positions at St. James School and Westminster School. Outside of the classroom, Mr. Burner has influenced many students while coaching football, wrestling and lacrosse.

Mr. Burner embraces the family atmosphere at Western Reserve Academy, which is evident when you walk around campus. You will frequently see Mr. Burner eating dinner in the dining hall with his family, stopping by the dorms to chat with students or cheering on our athletic teams. Mr. and Mrs. Burner open their house to students on a regular basis, and they take on the role of host family to a WRA international student. In addition, the Burners serve as advisors for WRA's Business Club, which meets at Pierce House, the head of school's residence.

Administrative Team

The administrative team includes: William A. Bugg III, assistant head of school; James A. (Jay) Gundy III, assistant head of school for advancement; Anne Sheppard, dean of admission & financial aid; Eugene Thomas, director of college guidance; John Tortelli, chief financial officer; Justin Zimmerman, director of studies; Herb Haller, director of athletics & afternoon programs and Kate Mueller, dean of faculty.

Biographies of faculty members and administrators can be found at wra.net.

Faculty

Our 70 talented and dedicated educators, composed of a healthy blend of senior, mid-career and junior faculty members, are actively engaged with students. The school has made a strong commitment to faculty recognition and development, as evidenced by the eight current endowed faculty chairs and several professional development funds.

Teachers are encouraged to pursue summer course work, graduate study and special sabbaticals. Teachers also travel off campus to further their study. Recent trips include the exploration of practical applications of chemistry in industry, work at an archeological dig in Bermuda and the study of plant adaptations at the Darwin Research Center in the Galapagos Islands.

We have a faculty exchange program with schools in Costa Rica, France and Turkey, and travel opportunities with students are available through our ELISA program to Costa Rica, France and Germany. In recent years, faculty members have also taken students on trips to Italy, China, New York City and Peru. Eighty-two percent of the current faculty have or are working on advanced degrees. Faculty hold degrees from some of the top institutions in the United States, including Harvard, Columbia, Case Western Reserve, Middlebury, Georgetown and Davidson, as well as universities in Germany, Wales, Spain and Costa Rica.

Faculty Benefits

Western Reserve Academy's faculty benefits include the following:

• Competitive salaries
• On-campus housing. Those who qualify to live in a faculty residence attached to a dormitory do not pay for utilities, cable television or Internet service, and additionally they receive a monthly stipend dependent on dormitory responsibilities.
• Premiums paid by WRA for hospitalization, medical and dental benefits
• Exceptional contributions to TIAA-CREF's retirement program. Currently WRA contributes 11.5 percent of the faculty's salary to the program.
• A laptop computer provided for duration of employment, with planned updates from our Technology Department.
• Three meals a day offered to faculty. Families are welcome and encouraged to join in for all meals.
• Use of state-of-the-art athletic facilities, including an indoor track in the field house and a health club-style weight room.
• Tuition remission for qualified faculty children
• Full-year sabbatical program
• Moving allowance

School Finances

WRA is financially healthy, with a $109 million endowment and a recently completed $44 million, 5-year capital campaign. The school provides more than $3 million each year to more than one third of the student body through both need-based aid and merit scholarships.

Campus Housing

WRA has 52 faculty residences, ranging from one-bedroom apartments to four-bedroom homes for dorm masters, as well as two-, three- and four-bedroom homes situated around the campus. Students quickly learn that teachers' doors are open, whether they are in need of academic assistance, help with a personal problem or simply the opportunity to relax and share a laugh in a comfortable and welcoming environment.

Hudson, Ohio, and Surrounding Areas

Western Reserve Academy is ideally situated just a few blocks from downtown Hudson, which offers a variety of shopping and dining opportunities. With Akron and Cleveland within 30 miles, our faculty members and their families can take advantage of many cultural and educational opportunities.

Park facilities, including athletic fields, hiking, biking, downhill and cross-country skiing, and picnicking, are available both in Hudson and the nearby Cuyahoga Valley National Park. In addition, Hudson is home to two private country clubs and the public Ellsworth Meadows Golf Club.

The Hudson City School District, with more than 5,300 students, is consistently in the top one percent of school districts in Ohio, with a rating of Excellent, and rank in the top 3 percent nationally by Newsweek magazine for Advanced Placement curriculum. More than 95 percent of the high school's students attend four-year colleges.

Blossom Music Center, the summer home of the Cleveland Orchestra and a main stop for popular music acts, is just a short drive away from campus. Thirty-two private and public colleges and universities are within 50 miles of the campus, including Case Western Reserve University, the University of Akron, Cleveland State University, John Carroll University, Kent State University, Notre Dame College, Ursuline College, Youngstown State University and the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (NEOUCOM).

The region is also home to several world-renowned medical facilities, including The Cleveland Clinic, Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital and Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron.

Within driving distance of campus are several major attractions, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the Great Lakes Science Center, the Cleveland and Akron zoos, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Museum of Natural History and the Cleveland Play House. Cleveland also offers professional sports, with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Indians. Akron offers the minor-league baseball Akron Aeros.

For more information on area attractions and services, please see the "Visitors" section of wra.net.