The inauguration of Julie Kornfeld as Kenyon’s 20th president in a ceremony filled with tradition and attended by delegates from across the country will culminate a week of special activities on April 13.
The procession and ceremony — which all members of the campus community are invited to attend — will begin at 11 a.m. in the Lowry Center.
But prior to the presidential installation there will be a host of festive activities. These include the lighting of Old Kenyon at 10 p.m. on Friday and the ringing of the Old Kenyon bell, which can only be heard at the inauguration of a Kenyon president.
The series of inauguration and bicentennial-related events throughout the week aim to highlight the dynamic and vital contributions of the Kenyon community making a positive impact on campus and in the world. These include a variety of recitals, performances, communal meals and discussions.
Events include “Twenty Presidents: An Illustrated Talk on the Lives and Legacies of Kenyon's Leaders,” which will take place Thursday at 11:10 a.m. at Community Foundation Theater, and a Q&A with former Kenyon President Georgia Nugent at the same site on Friday at 4:15 p.m.
And the fun won’t stop with the formal inauguration Saturday morning. Afterwards, the community is invited to continue the celebration with a slate of Saturday activities that includes:
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Gund Gallery open house at 1 p.m.
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Campus tour with Tom Stamp '73, retired College historian and keeper of Kenyoniana, at 2 p.m, leaving from The Gund.
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Kenyon Review Associates reading at 3:30 p.m. at Finn House.
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Inauguration hike with the Brown Family Environmental Center at 4:30 p.m., meeting at the Parish House.
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Performance of “An American in Paris” by the Opera and Music Theater Workshop at 7 p.m. in Rosse Hall.
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All-campus dance party at 8 p.m. at Peirce Hall.
More information about all related events taking place this week can be found on the inauguration website.
Kornfeld, who assumed the role of president on Oct. 1 after previously serving as vice president for academic programs at Columbia University, said she is excited about this historic moment taking place as the College celebrates its bicentennial and continues its important mission.
“It was a very intentional decision for me to come to Kenyon,” she said. “This is a warm and welcoming community that embraces so much of what I think is important — valuing people and relationships, intellectual discussion and diversity of thought even in complicated times, and supporting community.”
A highly regarded academic leader, committed educator and skilled epidemiologist, Kornfeld will deliver an inaugural address. Global health expert and MacArthur Fellowship recipient Wafaa El-Sadr will deliver the keynote address. El-Sadr and Kornfeld were colleagues at Columbia, where El-Sadr is the executive vice president for Columbia Global Centers; the founder and director of ICAP, a leading global health center working in more than 40 countries around the world; and a university professor of epidemiology and medicine.
The installation ceremony will feature performances by the Chamber Singers and Symphonic Wind Ensemble and speakers representing the College and local communities, including students, alumni, staff and others.
There also will be several time-honored Kenyon traditions, including the passing of the ceremonial mace and the donning of the presidential medallion. Board of Trustees Chair Aileen Hefferren '88 H'12 will lead the investiture at the ceremony, marking the official beginning of Kornfeld’s tenure at the College.