Advancement Division staff members.
Dear students, faculty and staff,
As the division with the joyful charge of helping alumni stay connected to Kenyon, I’m confident that our roughly 20,000 graduates are envious of us in Gambier right now. You won’t soon forget these first few days on campus at the beginning of the academic year, as friendships are forged, or renewed, and we settle into the rhythms of new schedules devoted to scholarly pursuits.
Now, as always, alumni are rooting for us. We begin this semester with incredible momentum from them and others who propelled the recently concluded Our Path Forward to the Bicentennial campaign to record success. Kenyon College was founded through philanthropy; the continued investment of those who love this place sustains it today.
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12,272 alumni — or three out of every five — gave to Kenyon during the campaign, which received support from 22,886 total people, including students, parents, faculty and staff, an incredible testament to the special place Kenyon holds in the hearts of our community members.
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Hundreds of donors combined to give more than $110 million to endowed scholarship funds, which will provide between $4 to $5 million annually for scholarships, forever, nearly doubling the amount of scholarship funding during the campaign.
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The campaign launched in 2018 and has touched every area of campus: the new West Quad, downtown village vitalization, renovation of Bexley Hall to the north and two new residence halls on South Campus, the first of which will open to students in January. Philanthropy is the most powerful tool we have for large projects or initiatives; we are grateful our donors invest in these important priorities.
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Another 12,228 alumni connected with the College during this campaign, as regional volunteers, class agents, internship providers, reunion organizers, by attending an event and many other ways.
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The total $532 million given during the campaign makes it the most successful in Kenyon history — by a lot.
Throughout the campaign, gifts to the College’s annual funds — including the Kenyon Fund — supported every element of the daily student experience. From students giving $5 to our newest graduates showing appreciation for the scholarships they received, this campaign relied on generosity at all levels.
Yet our work is not done. We must continue to engage with alumni and parents as part of the broader Kenyon community who care about supporting and strengthening this place. And we must grow the College’s endowment so that we may continue to admit talented students, regardless of their financial circumstances, and our annual funds will welcome support anew each academic year. Generosity is among Kenyon’s most important traditions, we look forward to our new students discovering for themselves the importance of this shared community value.
This summer, we also had the exciting opportunity to greet some of the newest members of this community and their families at six regional welcome events hosted by Kenyon families. Alumni also gathered at 17 events across the country, from baseball games to trivia nights, some sponsored by our office and some organized by alumni themselves. You can find photos and more on the alumni Instagram account.
We look forward to gathering at the many opening events and at Homecoming Sept. 27-28, when we’ll welcome alumni back to campus. Here’s to a great second half of the bicentennial!
Sincerely,
Colleen Garland
Vice President for Advancement