As another year draws to a close and Kenyon students, faculty and alumni prepare to dive into 2019, it’s time to take a look back at what made 2018 a memorable year both on and off the Hill. Here are the top-10 most-read stories published on Kenyon.edu in the past year.
10. Joyful Reading — Dec. 5, 2018
Members of the Kenyon community grasping for a last-minute holiday gift turned to the recommendations from our friends at the Kenyon Review. Editors and staff of the historic literary journal hand picked poetry, children’s books, short story collections, memoirs and novels perfect for cozying up with this winter.
9. New Star Rising — Mar. 2, 2018
Talk about timing: in 1998, Kenyon’s Alumni Bulletin published this profile of Allison Janney ’82 just one year before she won America over as catty press secretary C.J. Cregg on “The West Wing.” Two decades later, Janney took home the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, confirming the star status she long enjoyed among Kenyonites. Just before the Oscars, we republished the profile, in which statements like “I just want to be a great actor, and I don’t have to be a superstar” now carry a pleasing irony.
8. Silver for Commencement — Jan. 19, 2018
Readers were eager to learn the details of political prognosticator Nate Silver’s visit to Kenyon to address the graduating Class of 2018. “In the midst of the current media atmosphere, where the term ‘fake news’ is applied to much more than just politics, I think we, the Class of 2018, will benefit from an analytical perspective,” Class President Eliza Abendroth said at the time.
7. Recommended Reading — June 12, 2018
Thanks to Kenyon Review staff recommendations, readers kept their minds sharp during the summer break with books by R.O. Kwon, Hanif Abdurraqib, Tayari Jones and more.
6. Standing for Decency — Oct. 30, 2018
In the wake of the horrific shooting at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue, which killed 11, Kenyon listened to President Sean Decatur’s reflections on the tragedy. “We are not brought together here at Kenyon merely to learn how to be civil in the face of growing incivility; we are here to learn how to be decent in the face of growing indecency,” he wrote.
5. New Arrivals — Aug. 21, 2018
The Kenyon community is always eager to welcome new faces to the Hill, and this year was no exception. Readers were quick to learn the names of six faculty coming to Gambier in tenure-track positions in the fall of 2018, including Francis Gourrier ’08, a graduate of Kenyon.
4. Fulbright Fellows — May 10, 2018
With 12 seniors and recent graduates selected for Fulbright Fellowships in 2018, and an additional one selected as an alternate, Kenyon tied its record for winning the prestigious overseas positions and continued to rank as a top producer among liberal arts institutions.
3. Skills for a Lifetime — May 19, 2018
“Don’t stop questioning the data, questioning authority — and questioning yourself.” These were statistician and writer Nate Silver’s parting words to the Class of 2018 at Kenyon’s 190th Commencement, during which Silver received an honorary degree from the College. Those who couldn’t attend the event in person tuned in to watch video of his speech and read a transcript of the address.
2. Ready to Dig In — Aug. 29, 2018
Kenyon alumni and parents wishing they could spend more time on the Hill lived vicariously through the incoming Class of 2022, as first-year and transfer students at Kenyon moved into their dorms and took part in the rainiest First-Year Sing on record.
1. Kenyon Newsmakers — Dec. 18, 2018
The most popular story of our 2018 roundup was itself a roundup of sorts — a look back at the ways Kenyon alumni made headlines in the previous year, from Lizzie Pannill Fletcher ’97 winning a seat in Congress to — you guessed it — Allison Janney ’82 bringing home Oscars gold at the 90th Academy Awards.