Thank You From President Sean Decatur
Under the lush arbor that covers Gambier in the summertime, we are doing the quiet, detailed work to begin another academic year. New student apartments are being readied for occupancy this fall, extending our living-learning community into the heart of the Village. Professors are structuring a new major in environmental studies that takes full advantage of the laboratory we have in our region’s natural resources. This summer’s session of the intensive Kenyon Educational Enrichment Program (KEEP) is larger than ever with the addition of 12 science scholars to our cohort of promising and diverse incoming students. We feel every day the impact of your support for the Kenyon and Parents Funds, for students and scholarships and for faculty and facilities.
In the 2016–17 academic year, that impact could be seen in the 11 students who won the competitive Fulbright Fellowship, once again making Kenyon one of the leading producers of these distinguished fellows. Our robust academic program helped us win a $1 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to support and advance the work of students typically underrepresented in the natural sciences. This spring we took another step toward carbon neutrality: solar panels placed on the Village Inn roof will eventually offset 80 percent of the power used in three apartments above the Inn. March saw our second annual showcase of students who are putting what they learn in the classroom to work in the field — through scientific research, community-based work, off-campus study and artistic performances.
Even as we enhance the experiences of our current students, we continue to position and strengthen Kenyon for the next century, with notable investments in our community. The Wright Center opened in January as a new hub for Kenyon’s community engagement efforts: the historic structure in downtown Mount Vernon, Ohio, was refurbished to house our Office for Community Partnerships, to host our film studies program and to provide space for the children’s science education organization SPI. In June, the Village Market moved into a modern space in downtown Gambier. Work begins soon on replacing Farr Hall with new student and retail spaces.
Thank you for your support of this work. You have many options for your philanthropy, and Kenyon promises to be a force multiplier for your giving. In preparing people to make a difference in the lives of others, in their communities and across the globe, we have an impact that reaches far beyond this hilltop in Ohio. No matter the size of your gift, it ripples through the work of our graduates, today and in the decades to come.
Thank you again for the many ways you support Kenyon. This amplifying effect happens each year because alumni, parents and friends of the College make a Kenyon education possible.
Sincerely,
Sean Decatur
President of Kenyon College