UWC Adriatic is delighted to announce that William Turner has been selected to become the next Rettore as of August of this year. William is currently Deputy Head (Academic) at St John’s School, Leatherhead, Surrey. He holds a BA in French and Italian from the University of Exeter, a PGCE from the University of Buckingham and his university education includes a one-year experience with the Università di Pisa, Italy. His teaching career started in 2008 at Sherborne School, moving to Harrow school in 2011 where he became Head of Italian in 2013 and Head of Modern Languages one year later. He assumed his current role at St John’s in 2016.
The challenging selection process designed by the Search Committee with the invaluable support of the executive search firm Perrett Laver, was launched at the end of last year after the incumbent Rettore, Mike Price, announced his intention to move back to the UK for a new chapter in his life after nine years in Duino (seven of which as Head of the College). Eighty-nine applications were received at the beginning of the year and 29 candidates were considered worthy or potentially worthy of careful consideration. Following a series of in-depth interviews via video conference, four candidates and their partners were invited to Duino for three days. From March 17th to 19th they were introduced to the College community and had in-person interviews with the Search Committee, the College President, the Rettore and the College’s senior management. The Committee, chaired by the President of UWC Adriatic, Ambassador Cristina Ravaglia, was composed by representatives of the College’s main stakeholders: UWC International, the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region and the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs. An internal representative of the faculty was also invited to sit on the Search Committee. Alongside the numerous interviews, all candidates were asked to hold presentations before the student body, the faculty and the administration, with both sides having the opportunity to ask questions. Individual written feedback was provided anonymously to the Search Committee by all constituencies. The candidates also had an opportunity to socialise with the College stakeholders and partners during a reception. Over the weekend they had some time to explore the College, the village of Duino and the surrounding area.
At the end of this thorough selection process the Committee offered with great conviction the position of Rettore to William Turner.“I am delighted and feel very privileged to have been appointed as Rettore at UWC Adriatic and I look forward to building on the outstanding leadership of Dr Mike Price”, said the successful candidate, who also added: “as soon as I visited the College, I was deeply impressed by the students. Their moral principles, inquisitive nature and belief in the UWC values shone through immediately. The dedication, passion and care of the teaching staff was also very evident. I therefore feel a great sense of excitement about working with the students and the staff. Having studied Italian at university, it will also be a great personal pleasure to return to Italy and live in such a wonderful location as Duino. My wife and I therefore look forward enormously to joining the College community later in the year”.
The outcome of the selection was also greeted with great satisfaction by Mike Price who commented “William has a remarkable opportunity ahead of him. Being Rettore of UWC Adriatic is a very special, rewarding and inspiring role. I am confident that William will thrive in the exciting environment of the UWC Adriatic community and Duino and he has all my best wishes and support for his future leadership”. Ambassador Ravaglia, who joined the College in May last year, looks forward to Mike’s outstanding legacy being upheld and raised to new heights by the young new Rettore.
