Dear Class of 2001,

It’s officially Reunion month on the Hill! Even though our twentieth reunion was virtual in 2021, this year, all alumni are welcome back on campus for Reunion Weekend, and the fact that alumni are FINALLY able to reunite on campus again after two years of virtual gatherings is something worth celebrating. The sense of isolation that has accompanied the past two years has been challenging to navigate, but I think we can all say that having the support of our Kenyon family has been a bright spot during this pandemic.   

Last fall, I hope you heard about (and perhaps supported) the new Kenyon Access Initiative. We are eight months into our five-year partnership with the Schuler Education Foundation to increase access to Kenyon for exceptional students with limited resources. Our extended Kenyon community has enthusiastically responded by making more than one thousand gifts to support this unique initiative, helping to create new scholarships that will be awarded to students we are enrolling now. In further great news, applications this year hit another record, up 14% over last year.

Hopefully you saw the news from President Sean Decatur this winter that, in response to calls from students as we approach our Bicentennial, he agreed the time has come to look beyond Lords and Ladies. Thanks to all of you who have submitted suggestions or other feedback for the process to consider a new athletics moniker. This letter was finalized before the results were known, but you can visit kenyon.edu/moniker to learn the latest.

This spring, the College continued its commitment to integrating environmental stewardship into its curriculum, campus operations, and campus culture. One exciting way this is happening is that Kenyon is refraining from new commitments in specialized private investment funds that focus on fossil fuels — expecting that less than 1% of Kenyon’s endowment portfolio will be invested in fossil fuels by 2030. This news and more was shared in Kenyon’s new quarterly Green Newsletter. If you don’t already receive it, I encourage you to sign up for it at bit.ly/Green-Kenyon.

As summer approaches, Kenyon is preparing to welcome several groups of alumni back to campus. First, more than one hundred members of the Class of 2020 and their families have registered to attend their belated Commencement taking place on the Hill May 22. On May 26, the Classes of 1970, 1971, and 1972 will be kicking off Reunion Weekend a day early with special 50th Reunion programming. And then, as you know, all alumni are welcome back to campus May 27–29 for what promises to be the biggest alumni gathering in Kenyon’s history! If you aren’t able to make it back for Reunion this year, I hope you’ll plan to attend one soon, and otherwise, we’re not that far from our official 25th anniversary (although I can’t believe that we’re actually old enough to even think about a 25th Reunion!)

All of the excitement and achievement at Kenyon today can be traced, in part, back to our support. Kenyon relies on our gifts to the Kenyon Fund to support every aspect of students’ experience today, from seminars to scholarships. I hope you’ll join me in making a gift today. Kenyon might not be perfect — no institution ever is — but we know first-hand how a Kenyon education can impact one’s future — not just professionally, but personally. When we support Kenyon’s current and future students, we help make a Kenyon family like ours a possibility for many more.

And speaking of our personal connections, scroll down for the latest class notes. It was wonderful to get everyone’s news for this letter, and if you missed your chance to share in this letter, please consider sending in your news for the fall 2022 class letter. Keep an eye on your inboxes for a reminder.

Thank you!
Erin Shanahan