KC Class of 1998,

It’s officially Reunion month on the Hill! For those eager to get back to the Hill, all alumni are welcome back for Reunion Weekend this year (and in the future!) and the fact that alumni are FINALLY able to reunite on campus again after two years of virtual gatherings is something worth celebrating. And, I hope you are making plans to attend our 25th class reunion next spring!

I hope you have heard about and know a good number of you have already supported the 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 1,113 gifts to support this unique initiative, helping to create new scholarships that will be awarded to enrolling students. In further news, applications this year hit another record, up 14% over last year.

I suspect you saw President Sean Decatur’s response to calls from students to look beyond the Lords and Ladies moniker. Thanks to all of you who have submitted suggestions or other feedback for the process. 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 100 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 the College’s history! If you aren’t able to make it back for Reunion this year, I hope you’ll plan on attending our 25th next spring.

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. 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.

Fare thee well!
Jonny Nicholson

P.S. Scroll down to view the 1998 class notes.