Dear classmates,
I hope you’re all recovered from our legendary semi-reunion/graduation weekend back in May. I know it took me most of the summer to feel back to my post-grad “adult” self. It has me itching for the next time we all get to reconvene. I truly appreciate the fact that so many people made it back to campus and that the College put on such a terrific weekend. Now, as we are true alumni of Kenyon College – I hope these updates hit you a little closer to home as we get to watch others live out the same great experience we had.
With many changes coming to the Hill, you can be sure that the culture in which Kenyon is rooted will remain as strong as ever. We are progressing toward a Kenyon that you can continue to be prideful and supportive toward. Here are just a few new things that are happening around campus, giving students the same experience we were so fortunate to have.
For starters, this semester, 12 members of the Class of 2026 were able to enroll as the direct result of donor support for the Kenyon Access Initiative (KAI), a vital scholarship effort to increase access for low-income students. We’re only just getting started and aim to enroll 50 students each year through KAI, in addition to other robust financial aid. This additional diversity in backgrounds and lived experiences will further enrich daily life on campus.
Chalmers Library in the West Quad has quickly become a hub for such connections day and night. Its neighbor Lowell House, home to admissions and financial aid and named for Pulitzer Prize winning poet
Robert T.S. Lowell IV ’40, is also now open. Oden Hall, future home to social sciences and named for former president Robert Oden, will open for instruction next year. The 261-space underground parking garage for visitors and employees — with EV charging, naturally — is already helping to ease congestion in the Village without disrupting the beauty of Gambier we all remember so fondly.
This year students will also soon have access to a dining option in “downtown” Gambier, when Peirce Express opens in a space under the Gambier Deli. This space will also be home some evenings to a student-run bar known as Flats, helping to provide a non-residences nightlife option. Look for more about both of these in an upcoming issue of Kenyon News Digest.
To further support all students, the College increased the budget for the Student Success Fund — emergency grants for which any student can apply. They also welcomed Dr. Lynn Hampton to serve in the newly created Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion position, providing additional leadership to the daily efforts of ODEI and partnering with Dean Chris Kennerly so he can extend his reach across campus with DEI efforts.
In other news, the Music Department is celebrating its 75th year. Alumni Council is developing an updated version of the Kenyon songbook (Kenyon has a songbook!) which will be viewable online soon and distributed at Reunion Weekend during the all-class sing. If you haven’t saved the date yet for Reunion Weekend, remember that all alumni are welcome to attend May 26-28.
I hope you’re now feeling wistful about our own time at Kenyon. I invite you to turn that nostalgia into action with a gift to help make all this possible! Gifts to the Kenyon Fund can be directed toward enrolling the next high-achieving group of students through the Kenyon Access Initiative, broader scholarships and financial aid efforts, athletics, one of the College’s many green centers and more.
Please consider making your alma mater and today’s Kenyon students a philanthropic priority this year by giving online at gift.kenyon.edu.
I hope you’ve enjoyed hearing the news from the College this fall. I have certainly enjoyed (as always) hearing from those of you who submitted class notes for this letter (see below). I encourage folks who haven’t updated us with one recently to consider submitting a quick life update for the next batch of notes in the spring.
Thank you!
Jake Zalenski
