Sean Decatur, an emerging national leader in higher education, became the nineteenth president of Kenyon College on July 1, 2013. A champion of the liberal arts, President Decatur earned a bachelor's degree at Swarthmore College and a doctorate in biophysical chemistry at Stanford University.
Research shows that human connection is essential to happiness, and that small, daily connections matter a great deal. Things are not “business as usual,” so let’s make time for exchanges that aren’t strictly business, for those smaller moments of humanity that fortify our souls.
How did my biochemistry seminar fall into such a natural rhythm while working in a remote format? The answer may be connected to the core of the Kenyon teaching and learning experience, which is rooted in relationships among students and faculty.
Our minds not only need this escape, they need the creative exercise that comes from following a light topic down a twisting rabbit hole, looking at something a million different ways and reminding ourselves of the sheer joy and excitement that comes from discovering something new within something familiar.
The best way we can honor Dr. King is to choose community over chaos — to find the courage and will to overcome procrastination and stand with those who are sacrificing for justice.
Nourishing an environment where activism is not only accepted, but encouraged, only serves to bolster the educational experience at Kenyon. With that in mind, the College recently adopted revisions to its protest policy to affirm the College’s commitment to free expression, protect the right to peaceful demonstration and provide clear guidance to all members of our Kenyon community.