Chaired by Brackett B. Denniston ’69, the Kenyon College Board of Trustees held its annual fall meeting on October 30. In its opening session, the Board heard from the consulting firm Brailsford & Dunlavey, who conducted a study of Kenyon’s student residences. Paul Goldberger P’04, chair of the Buildings and Grounds Committee, led a discussion of the report and recommendations.
The co-chairs of the Our Path Forward campaign reported on progress to date — over $278 million raised from more than 17 thousand alumni, parents and friends — as well as recent gifts and plans for the next stage of the campaign.
In the afternoon, chair of the Inclusion and Equity Committee Aileen Hefferren ’88 provided an update on the College’s anti-racism work, including workshops for students, faculty, staff and trustees. Joe Klesner, advisor to the president for strategic planning, reported on Kenyon’s preparations for reaccreditation; a site visit is scheduled for February 2021. President Sean Decatur updated the Board on the College’s plans for the spring 2021 semester; given public health conditions, the campus will operate at a lower density, with first-year students studying remotely.
The Board of Trustees also expressed their admiration and gratitude to the entire College community and the integrity of Kenyon’s educational mission. While the trustees know Kenyon still has distance to travel in concluding the semester and in continuing its vigilance in the next semester, the trustees have followed how students, faculty and staff have assiduously worked to safeguard one another and the College in the face of great uncertainty. They know from watching other communities, indeed other colleges, that success is not a given. Kenyon's comes from the choices students, faculty and staff have made and the care they have shown in prioritizing the welfare of the community.
The Chair of the Board, Brackett B. Denniston ’69, said that “the true measure of character is taken when times are hard, not when they are easy. This is also true of institutions. In this most challenging semester, the Kenyon College community has indeed demonstrated the considerable strength of its character, and the board is thankful for this strength.”
In other business, the Board:
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Reviewed the charters and goals for the Board’s standing committees;
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Ratified the Boards of the College’s affiliate organizations — the Gund Gallery, Kenyon Review and Philander Chase Conservancy — and approved memoranda of understanding with the Gund Gallery and Philander Chase Conservancy;
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Adopted a memorial resolution honoring Professor Emeritus Charles A. Piano H’04.
An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed the Kenyon Review among the MOUs approved.