Campus Report

Report from the Board of Trustees

Office of Communications
May 6, 2019

Chaired by Brackett B. Denniston ’69, the Kenyon College Board of Trustees met in Gambier on April 25–26. The opening plenary on Thursday afternoon began with an update from President Sean Decatur on future planning. Members of the Faculty Executive Committee, Campus Senate and Student Council then joined the trustees for a discussion of Kenyon’s mission statement, which was last reviewed and revised more than 20 years ago.

The Board conducted its formal business meeting on Friday afternoon, which included updates on the Class of 2023 admissions cycle and progress in the Our Path Forward campaign. Vice President for Student Affairs Meredith Harper Bonham ’92 led a discussion of the “smartphone generation,” expanding on research presented by psychologist Jean Twenge in a lecture to campus that many trustees attended.

The Board heard reports from committees, including the following:

  • The Academic Affairs Committee discussed progress on reaccreditation planning and considered faculty promotions.

  • The Budget, Finance and Audit Committee continued a discussion of staffing trends and received a report from the Ad Hoc Committee on Strategic Financial Planning.

  • Jack Killen ’71 presented the findings of a task force on alumni volunteer engagement to the Development and External Affairs Committee. The committee also discussed plans for celebrating the 50th anniversary of coeducation at Kenyon.

  • The Student Affairs and Diversity Committees conducted a joint meeting to discuss current and planned diversity and inclusion initiatives on campus.

  • The Academic Affairs and External Affairs Committees also met jointly to hear an update from a special ad hoc committee on career development.

In other business, the Board:

  • Approved seven faculty promotions, the Class of 2019 candidates for graduation and the 2020 slate of honorary degree nominations.

  • Acknowledged the contributions of outgoing board members Marshall W. Chapin ’94, after a four-year term as an alumni trustee; Jeffrey C. Moritz ’86, after a four-year term as an alumni trustee; Alan E. Rothenberg ’67 H’10 P’96, after a six-year term as an at-large trustee; and Wendy Webster P’18, after a four-year term as a parent trustee.

  • Appointed Alan E. Rothenberg ’67 H’10 P’96 as trustee emeritus in honor of his 24 years of service on the Kenyon College Board of Trustees.

  • Approved new board members Rachel Berger ’11 and Sonya Pryor-Jones ’94 as alumni trustees serving four-year terms.

  • Appointed Brackett B Denniston III ’69 as chair of the Board of Trustees, Joseph E. Lipscomb ’87 as vice chair, Judy Hoff Gilbert ’91 as secretary and Kathryn Brechler Lake as assistant secretary.