West Quad Project

The West Quad will be an interdisciplinary hub in the core of Kenyon's campus that brings together 21st-century teaching and learning with 21st-century library, information and student services.

Kenyon library

A state-of-the-art library will play a crucial role in our ongoing effort to keep pace with the evolution of teaching and learning. In the new library, the latest technology will be readily available and simple to use, and space will flex to the collaborative and project-based work students pursue in and out of the classroom.

The Kenyon library will be a hub for high-impact practices and experiential learning, bringing together academic advising, experiential learning and career development to support and reflect the continuum of experiences that cohere and extend a Kenyon education — and position students for post-graduate success. The Kenyon library will also be home to the Center for Innovative Pedagogy. Read more about the Kenyon library project.

A New Home for the Social Sciences

Like the new library, this building makes tangible the Kenyon 2020 strategic goals supporting high-impact practices. Teaching and learning are evolving, and Kenyon needs facilities that are a match for the kinds of flexible, integrated approaches that faculty and students expect to use seamlessly. The new center for the social sciences will allow existing cross-cutting initiatives like the Center for the Study of American Democracy and the Center for Green Initiatives to continue to flourish — and encourage new collaborations. The new center will contain open, flexible spaces for classrooms that will be able to adapt decades from now. A 300-seat auditorium will provide a critically needed space for lectures, performances and other events. Read more about the new academic building.

Admissions Center

A new home for admissions and financial aid will bring together the offices, which currently operate in two separate buildings. Institutional research will be housed under the same roof, capitalizing on the research arms of all three operations and clarifying the College's commitment to assessing the inputs and outcomes of a Kenyon education. The center will also provide space for the Registrar and the Kenyon Academic Partnership.

The admissions building will present a more accessible gateway for students and families. While there is an elevator in the current home of admissions, Ransom Hall, it is accessed through a side door at the basement level; the underground garage will provide accessible parking for visitors.

Literary Legacy

The English department needs modern office space, more flexible classroom space and buildings that are fully accessible. Beginning in the fall of 2017, Kenyon will build two new structures and create a plaza of English buildings around Lentz House. A new building next to Lentz will have 15 offices on three levels to house all the faculty and staff now working in Sunset Cottage. A second building will contain new seminar space and offices for visiting faculty. The cherished Sunset Cottage will be preserved for future renovation and use. Read more about the new English facilities.

Accessibility and the West Quad

The West Quad enables us to make major strides toward a more accessible Kenyon campus. When all of the West Quad projects are complete, including the renovation of Ascension, 90 percent of classrooms will be accessible, up from 71 percent currently; 100 percent of classrooms with 20- to 99-seat capacity will be accessible.

Kenyon announced on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, that it has received the largest single gift in its nearly 200-year history, $75 million from an anonymous donor. This transformational gift will support the development of the new library and academic quad. Read the West Quad announcement and watch the video below of President Sean Decatur announcing the gift at Rosse Hall.