Chaired by Aileen Hefferren ’88 H’12, the Kenyon College Board of Trustees convened in Gambier for its spring 2024 meeting on April 11–12. The meeting coincided with Julie Kornfeld’s inauguration as Kenyon’s 20th president.
“It’s heartening to see so many people coming together on this historic day, in our 200th year, to celebrate not only a new college leader, but the continuation of an unbroken chain of tradition for Ohio’s oldest private institution of higher learning,” Hefferren said to the hundreds of students, faculty, staff, alumni and honored guests assembled for President Kornfeld’s installation ceremony.
“What better way to celebrate two centuries of excellence than by welcoming the woman who will lead us into our third century.”
During the board’s full meeting on Friday, President Kornfeld provided an update on the implementation of the College’s strategic plan, Foundations for Kenyon’s Third Century. A set of faculty and staff working groups will be tasked with moving key initiatives forward, identifying the infrastructure needed to support interdisciplinary inquiry, experiential learning and personal growth in a thriving, diverse community — with a particular emphasis on building bridges between these important dimensions of a Kenyon education.
In her report, Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions Diane Anci emphasized the importance of the strategic plan and its implementation to the College's enrollment goals and provided an update on the 2024 enrollment cycle.
Vice President for Advancement Colleen Garland reported on several extraordinary milestones of the Our Path Forward to the Bicentennial campaign, including more than $100 million for scholarships and financial aid and $26 million for endowed faculty positions. The campaign will conclude at the end of June 2024 as the largest and most successful in Kenyon’s history — with $526 million raised from more than 20,000 donors in support of significant investments in the people and places that define Kenyon.
In addition, the strategic and operational committees reported on their spring meetings:
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The Campus and Finance Committee began its meeting in a joint session with the Investment Committee for a discussion of Kenyon’s current debt program. It then heard updates on the progress of the South Campus residence halls, which remain on schedule, and the planned construction of a roundabout at the College’s main entrance — a project of the Ohio Department of Transportation to improve the safety of the Rt. 229 intersection. Finally, it heard updates from two ad hoc committees. The first has been exploring low-capital strategies for reducing the College’s carbon footprint. The second has been exploring options for employee housing as growth in the region intensifies. Housing is an important variable in ensuring that faculty and staff are able to fully immerse themselves in the Kenyon community.
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The Kenyon in the World Committee discussed the higher education media landscape and opportunities for Kenyon to bring its voice to the national conversation. Trustees provided input on materials to support their work as ambassadors and identified areas where they can offer advice and input on advancement activities.
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The Student Experience Committee discussed innovations in the curriculum, including a growing interest in interdisciplinarity among students and faculty. They considered the trends of double majors and multiple minors, and their impact on course and teaching loads, advising and student success. As has been its practice in recent years, the committee convened with student leaders over lunch on Thursday.
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The Inclusion and Equity Committee discussed the results of the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS) campus climate survey with Associate Vice President for Institutional Research Erika Farfan.
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The Investment Committee also heard an update on the performance of the College’s investments, while the Audit and Risk Committee reviewed the Form 990 informational tax returns for the College and its related organizations.
Trustees act on a considerable amount of business every spring, including faculty appointments and the award of tenure. The board:
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Approved the following tenure-track appointments: Phoebe Carter ’17, Arabic; Sahai Couso Diaz, Spanish; Marissa Gee, mathematics; Lin Li, Asian history; Alexandra Oehmke, art; Alexander Rocklin, religious studies; John Rufo, American studies; and Nicholas Theis, sociology.
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Approved the promotion to associate professor of and the award of tenure to: Krista Dalton, religious studies; Diego del Río Arrillaga, Spanish; Francis Gourrier, American studies and history; Brad Hostetler, art history; and Natalie Wright, biology.
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Approved the promotion of Rosemary O’Neill, English, to full professor.
They also reviewed degree candidates:
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Approved the Class of 2024 candidates for graduation.
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Approved the slate of honorary degree candidates to be awarded at Commencement 2024: the Most Rev. Michael Curry, presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church; as well as retiring faculty members Edmond Ennis, religious studies; Claudia Esslinger, studio art; and Victor Rodríquez Núñez, Spanish.
They appointed new trustees and said farewell to trustees and others who have served the Kenyon community notably. This included several longtime trustees whose terms ended following a reconfiguring of board policies several years ago, including the adoption of term limits.
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Approved the appointment of Chris Eaton ’89, Joseph E. Lipscomb ’87 P’19, Anne H. Ranson ’92, Christine Gould Sharkey ’80 and Alexander W. Wright ’05 to a six-year term as a trustee-at large; and Una I. Fogarty ’90 to a four-year term as an alumni trustee.
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Shared resolutions of appreciation for outgoing trustees-at-large with a collective 58 years of service on the board — Nina P. Freedman ’77 H’92, R. Judith Hoff Gilbert ’91, James F. Parker ’81 P’10 and Matthew A. Winkler ’77 H’00 P’13 — as well as Annie Hanna Engel P’23 as parent trustee and Todd Giardinelli ’94 and Aasem G. Khalil ’96 as alumni trustees.
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Adopted memorial resolutions Charles “Chuck” Rice H’94, professor emeritus of psychology; Thomas V. Lepley H’13, retired director of facilities planning; and Patricia N. McCulloh, former faculty member in studio art and longtime member of the community.
Finally, trustees approved the engagement of Maloney + Novotny LLC to serve as the external auditors for the 2023-24 fiscal year financial statement audit.