Kenyon names chief business officer

The College has chosen David E. McConnell, a seasoned administrator with experience at schools similar to Kenyon, to fill the new position of chief business officer. McConnell, who assumes his responsibilities in early June, will oversee auxiliary services such as the bookstore and the Kenyon Inn, along with the buildings and grounds department as well as security and safety.

The College's food-services contract will also fall under his purview, and he will be the budget representative to architects and construction managers working on campus projects. A member of the senior administrative staff, McConnell will report directly to President S. Georgia Nugent.

McConnell comes to Kenyon from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, where he served as business manager. In that post, he managed dining services, the bookstore, printing and copying services, mail services, purchasing, faculty rental housing, fleet rentals, travel management, and telecommunications.

Previously, he was director of dining services at Grinnell College in Iowa. He also served as the mayor of the City of Grinnell and as a member of the city council.

"We were particularly impressed by Dave's successful experience in areas that correspond closely to our needs at Kenyon," says Nugent. "He has excellent experience in campus bookstore management and food services development, and in running a restaurant outside of academe. These will be great assets as we bring the new athletic center online, develop new options in the dining halls, and continue operations at the Kenyon Inn."

McConnell is a graduate of Jamestown College in Jamestown, North Dakota. He earned an M.B.A. at the University of Iowa, where he also pursued additional graduate work in higher education administration.

The College created the post of chief business officer earlier this year, in recognition of the fact that two increasingly complex areas of fiscal management--auxiliary services and the endowment--required two administrators. Vice President for Finance Joseph Nelson, who previously oversaw both areas, will now focus on the endowment.

Reporting to McConnell will be Ed Neal, superintendent of buildings and grounds; Dan Werner, director of security and safety; Fred Linger, manager of business services; Jack Finefrock, manager of the Kenyon Bookstore; and Ernie Linger, manager of the Kenyon Inn.

McConnell was familiar with Kenyon from his days at Grinnell. While the College's reputation attracted him to the job, he says he was most impressed by the people he met during his visit to campus. "The quality of interaction with the staff members I met during my interview only confirmed what I gleaned from my research," he says, "which was that Kenyon College is an open and caring environment that values teamwork and is willing to challenge itself to be one of the finest liberalarts colleges in the country."

McConnell and his wife, Maxine, have two daughters--Melissa, who works in Washington, D.C., and Amanda, a student at Hope College in Holland, Michigan.

His appointment follows a national search conducted by a committee chaired by Vice President for Library and Information Services Daniel Temple.