Campus News

Huffington Post Features President Decatur

Yes, Virginia, There's Still Value in a Liberal Arts Education by Daniel Moulthrop Listening to the new President of Kenyon College, the other day, I found myself remembering The Sun newspaper's famous response to the young Virginia O'Hanlon, who was worried that her friends kept saying there is no Santa Claus. Similar to little Virginia, we are beset across the nation with naysayers and non-believers, in the form of reports and fears that there is no value in a degree in English or anthropology…

Kenyon Trustees Discuss Strategic Planning, Promote Faculty

At the Kenyon Board of Trustees annual fall gathering – its first with President Sean M. Decatur – trustees discussed a number of new planning initiatives, approved the elevation of six faculty members to full professor, and participated in an array of inaugural activities.  The meetings of the various committees as well as the full board took place on Thursday, October 24, and Friday, October 25. In the joint meeting of the Budget, Finance, and Audit Committee with the Executive Committee, trustees…

Remembering Andrew D. Pochter ’15

Kenyon honors the memory and celebrates the life of Andrew D. Pochter ’15 on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Great Hall in Peirce Hall. Andrew of Chevy Chase, Maryland, was killed in June during mob violence in Alexandria, Egypt, where he was participating in a summer program that involved teaching English to Egyptian youths. His family, mentors, and friends described him as a fun-loving, active student of the world with a facility for foreign languages. Andrew was a co-manager of Hillel House, a member…

Fulbright Muscle

Kenyon has enjoyed a ten-year run as a top producer of Fulbright fellows, who share the Kenyon dynamic around the world as researchers and teachers. The Chronicle of Higher Education recently compiled its annual list of Fulbright “top producers,” with Kenyon in a tie for sixth among bachelor’s institutions. A fascination with China has led to a Fulbright research fellowship for Morgan Peele '13. Peele joined eight other Kenyon alumni as Fulbright Fellows this year, and the others have dedicated…

Post-Graduate Salary Doesn't Tell the Whole Story

By Sean Decatur

This week, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced that the administration will be holding a series of town hall discussions at college campuses around the country on the proposed federal system for college ratings.  Spurred by concerns about college affordability, and the general question on whether a college education is worth the substantial financial investment, the new system will rate colleges based on metrics of outcomes, affordability, and accessibility.  One proposed metric for comparing…