News from the Hill

Kenyon Welcomes Alumni Back to the Hill

Let the summer begin with a weekend of celebration and conviviality. Welcome back, Kenyon alumni.

Quality of Life

Steven E. Schmidt '15 has won a coveted $20,000 Boren Scholarship to study abroad for a year in Santiago, Chile.

Doing it

An international, participatory art exhibition spanning 50 countries and 20 years - do it - is now on display in the Graham Gund Gallery.

Chasing the Big Bang

Hillary Child '13 has won a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, thanks in part to her significant research in computational cosmology.

Samhat to Wofford

The Wofford College Board of Trustees selected Kenyon Provost Nayef H. Samhat as its eleventh president on Tuesday, May 14.

Bloomberg at Kenyon

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg will deliver the address at the Kenyon College 185th Commencement on May 18, 2013.

Love In

Students are gearing up for a big weekend at Kenyon.

Local Lenders

Runners and walkers can help a Kenyon College student local-lending group get out of the starting gate by participating in a 5-kilometer run/walk on Saturday, May 4.

Campus Greening

Scanning his office computer, Sustainability Director Ed Neal noticed that two windows were left open in a student's room in Hanna Hall recently.

The Good Earth

Kenyon marks Earth Day on Sunday with an emphasis on good health, starting with a half marathon and a four-mile run and concluding with the annual Earth Day Festival.

Education Vacation

Kenyon introduces the Kenyon Institute, a novel summer program that promises to enhance professional writing and teaching skills and includes an array of popular short courses taught by Kenyon faculty.

Relay for Life

The Kenyon community has already topped an ambitious money-raising goal for the annual, cancer-fighting Relay for Life event on Saturday and Sunday.

Best of the Best

The annual Honors Day Convocation celebrated the academic accomplishments of students and faculty on Tuesday in Rosse Hall, highlighted by teaching awards for Professor of Political Science Pamela Jensen and Associate Professor of Chemistry John E. Hofferberth.

Holocaust Remembrance

Kenyon marks Holocaust Remembrance Day with a program reflecting on cultural responses to the Holocaust on Wednesday at 4:10 p.m. in the Cheever Room at the Finn House.

Portal to the Universe

Museum leader and physicist Evalyn Gates will discuss "Portal to the Universe" on Thursday, March 28, at 7:30 p.m. at the Community Foundation Theater, Gund Gallery.

Express Yourself

Including animation, painting, quilling, and sculpture, the work of senior studio-art majors is on display at the Graham Gund Gallery from Monday, March 25, through Sunday, April 14.

Class of 2017

The Office of Admissions at Kenyon College is pleased to announce that offers have been extended to 1,337 Regular Decision applicants as members of the Class of 2017.

October Inauguration

Planning has begun for the October 26 inauguration of Kenyon's next president, Sean M. Decatur.

Sean M. Decatur Named Kenyon's 19th President

Sean M. Decatur, an emerging national leader in higher education, has been selected as the 19th president of Kenyon College. The Kenyon College Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Sunday, March 17, to approve the hiring of Decatur after a national search.

Afro-Peruvian Groove

The Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet, a cutting-edge Latin jazz outfit, performs on Thursday, March 21, at 8:00 p.m., in Rosse Hall.

Red Tails

Veterans of the Tuskegee Airmen, who served with distinction during World War II, will visit Kenyon on Wednesday, March 27, to discuss their experiences as fighter pilots in the segregated U.S. Army Air Forces. Watch this event streamed live on Wednesday at 4:15 p.m.

Rural by Design

Rural by Design, a series of public events that will explore rural sustainability through dialogue, dance and music, unfolds at Kenyon College on Monday, April 1, through Saturday, April 6.

Fine Fellows

The inaugural Kenyon Review fellows, Elizabeth Lindsey Rogers and Natalie Shapero, will read from their new books of poetry on Thursday, February 28, at 4:10 p.m. in the Cheever Room at the Finn House.

Tree Campus

The Arbor Day Foundation has recognized Kenyon as a Tree Campus USA.

Black History in Verse

Poet Allison Joseph '88 visits Kenyon on Saturday, February 23, to help celebrate Black History Month and join a shared reading of "Poets and Writers of the African and African American Diaspora" at 5:00 p.m. in the Cheever Room at the Finn House.

Action!

A grant from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences brings accomplished cinematographer Jacek Laskus to Kenyon for a series of workshops with film students and a public talk on his work.

Unique Kluge

Writer-in-Residence P.F. Kluge '64 draws on his career as a novelist and journalist to share his unique perspective on a literary life, on Saturday, February 23, at 7:30 p.m.

Giving Peace a Chance

Kenyon alumni have embraced the Peace Corps, and the College now ranks eighth nationally among small colleges and universities with sixteen alumni volunteers.

Five French Films

The Francophone Film Festival brings five contemporary films to campus screens this week.

Hedda Gabler

Hedda Gabler brings to the Kenyon main stage one of theater's most intriguing female characters in an adaptation written and directed by Brant Russell '02.

Sharing Memoirs

Author and journalist Roger Rosenblatt will read from his work and be joined by Kenyon students and others reading from their memoirs on Friday at 4:10 p.m. in Brandi Recital Hall.

Open to All

Rebecca Chowdhury '13 of Jackson Heights, New York, is a co-founder of Project Open Voices (POV), a student-based coalition that hosts events and collects student narratives that address issues of identity, diversity, and difference at Kenyon. She talked with Joumana Khatib '13 of Upper Arlington, Ohio, who is a student writer in the Office of Public Affairs.

Artist's Journey

Professor of Art and sculptor Barry Gunderson takes visitors to the Ohio Wesleyan University Ross Art Museum on an imagined journey "From Liverpool to Ohio with Stops in Between" in a news exhibition.

Appreciating Tom Turgeon

Thomas Snyder Turgeon, professor emeritus and an active faculty member in the Department of Dance, Drama, and Film from 1972 to 2008, died at his home near Gambier on Wednesday night.

Day of Dialogue

The Kenyon College Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Dialogue will honor the spirit of the movement King inspired by considering the challenges that remain in 2013.

Research Showcase

If it's winter break, you know that Kenyon biology and neuroscience students are topping off their holiday with research presentations at one of the world's major professional conferences.

Just Breathe

Campus Senate's new smoking policy designates smoking areas near academic buildings, but some students question its effectiveness.

Window on Waldron

Eli Waldron, a man of letters and literary line art, is being celebrated in an exhibition at the Olin Library as well as in the pages of the winter issue of the Kenyon Review.

Jousting over Ideas

Tommy Brown '13 of Winnetka, Illinois; Matthew Hershey '13 of Scarsdale, New York; and Alexander Variano '13, of Tarrytown, New York, are the founding members of Agora, a forum discussion group.

Star Power Reprise

The second annual Dancing with the Kenyon Stars competition raised $1,050 for a local poverty-fighting community action agency.

Star Power

Ballroom dancing takes a competitive turn for a good cause when eight campus couples meet for Dancing with the Kenyon Stars on Friday.

Lords Rule

"When I was a student at Kenyon, we wrote poetry the way they played football at Ohio State," novelist E.L. Doctorow '52 famously recalled.

A Mural for Crowtown

A public art project created in a Kenyon classroom and depicting crows over Coshocton, Ohio, will be pasted onto a three-story wall in that city on Saturday.

All Things Literary

The Kenyon Review Literary Festival brings acclaimed novelist Nicole Krauss to Kenyon on Saturday to discuss her novel The History of Love.

Good Chemistry

Solomon Reisberg '13 of Portland, Oregon, is a recipient of the Franklin Miller Jr. Award, which recognizes unusual or significant contributions to the academic environment.

Welcoming Horvitz Hall

When Horvitz Hall opened its doors at the start of the fall semester, Kenyon art students and their professors gaped and marveled, then settled in and made themselves at home.

Family Weekend

Visitors and the campus community will enjoy theater, music, nature, and more, plus a talk by award-winning TV journalist - and vice presidential debate moderator - Martha Raddatz P'15.

Kenyon Unique

Peter Rutkoff and Will Scott inaugurate "Kenyon Unique," a lecture series featuring distinguished faculty members, whose talks will be streamed live on the Internet and recorded as part of a digital library.

Writing in Your Profession: New Summer Workshops Debut

The Kenyon Institute —a new program for adult writers—premieres on the Kenyon campus in June 2013.

New Summer Program Offers Adults an "Education Vacation"

The Kenyon Summer Seminar, and it provides a week-long "education vacation" in which participants can take one or two mini-courses taught by faculty members, while enjoying the campus and meeting like-minded learners.

Congressional Debate

Kenyon will host the only face-to-face debate in the race for Ohio's 7th Congressional District on Tuesday, October 30, at 7:00 p.m.

Pill Power

Legendary chemist and writer Carl Djerassi returns to Kenyon College for a short series of public events on October 22-23, including a staged reading of his play Insufficiency.

Remembering Franklin

A fabled Kenyon life came to a close yesterday with the peaceful passing of Franklin Miller Jr. in the company of his family at Autumn Health Care in Mount Vernon. The longtime Gambier resident had celebrated his 100th birthday on September 8 at a College party and concert at Rosse Hall.

History's Other Side

Celebrated Ojibway poet Heid E. Erdrich visits Kenyon on Sunday to read selections from her books and discuss "Who Owns the Stories?"

Place to Be

The Place to Be - a student exhibition that explores the public spaces in Knox County - has won the 2012 History Outreach Award from the Ohio Local History Alliance and the Ohio Historical Society.

Guitar Virtuoso

Guitar virtuoso Fareed Haque performs on Saturday, October 6, at 8:00 p.m. in Rosse Hall.

Chime In

An audio art installation that set off alarm bells this week for some in the Kenyon community is intended to spur a reaction among listeners.

NPR CEO

Gary E. Knell, president and chief executive officer of National Public Radio (NPR), visits Kenyon on Wednesday at 6 p.m. to discuss the future of public radio.

Presidential Forum

The Kenyon presidential search committee will gather at Rosse Hall on September 28, at 4:00 p.m., to host a public forum and gather community input on the qualities sought in a new president.

Student Insider

Matthew Metz '13 of Charlotte, Vermont, a former intern in the Obama White House, recently returned from the 2012 Democratic National Convention, where he was a delegate from Vermont.

Hispanic Heritage

Photojournalist José Galvez, acclaimed for capturing Latino life in the United States on film, will help Kenyon celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with a talk and exhibition on Tuesday, September 25, at the Gund Gallery Community Foundation Theater.

Art and Identity

The restoration of art looted during war and genocide is the subject of a yearlong series of cultural events that begins this month at Kenyon.

Clear the Air

The Five Colleges of Ohio, including Kenyon, have joined forces to improve campus pollution prevention and environmental management systems, drawing praise from the Ohio Environmental Education Fund (OEEF).

State of the Art

"Amazing" seems to be the adjective of choice this semester among Kenyon's studio art students and professors.

Presidential Search

Barry F. Schwartz '70, chair of the Kenyon College Board of Trustees, today announced the membership of the search committee charged with selecting Kenyon's 19th president.

Novelist Ghosh Visits

Acclaimed cross-cultural novelist and essayist Amitav Ghosh visits Kenyon on September 5 and 6 for a lecture and reading.

New Exhibitions at Gund

The Graham Gund Gallery celebrates the simultaneous opening of three exhibitions that address social issues on August 31 at 5:00 p.m.

Distinguished Decade

President S. Georgia Nugent announced today that she has decided to step down at the conclusion of the 2012-13 academic year.

Welcoming Pelotonia

The big top rises Thursday on Ransom Lawn as the Kenyon campus gears up for Pelotonia.

Pelotonia Partner

Kenyon's partnership with Pelotonia has placed Kenyon students at the front lines in the fight against cancer at research labs at the Ohio State University.

Riding for Kenyon

They'll be pedaling, volunteering, cheering-and, yes, raising money in the fight against cancer. For several dozen Kenyon people, Pelotonia is more than a campus event. It's a personal commitment.

Restoring Middle Path

Research into the restoration of Middle Path to improve universal accessibility takes a step forward this summer with the construction of four 25-foot trial walkways near Old Kenyon and Olin and Chalmers libraries.

Questing Minds

Summer at Kenyon is about fireflies twinkling at dusk, and insights flashing in the lab. Those flashes ignite in the minds of the Summer Science Scholars-students who stay on campus to pursue advanced research projects under the guidance of their professors.

Wide Horizons

Kenyon students and admissions staff welcomed 84 high school students from Native communities to campus for a six-day intensive program, June 10-15, on carrying out a college search.

Advisory Panel

President S. Georgia Nugent, with the support of the Kenyon College Board of Trustees Executive Committee, has decided to create an advisory panel from the Kenyon community to help determine the best path forward as the College considers ways to manage its buildings and grounds in a more efficient and cost-effective manner without the sacrifice of jobs.

Kenyon's Future

Kenyon's decision to establish a partnership with Sodexo to manage the buildings and grounds operations has sparked considerable dialogue on the campus and in the realm of social media.

Coffee Buzz

Wiggin Street Coffee promises to perk up Gambier's coffee palate as Middle Ground closes its doors on June 15.

Nine Fulbrights

Nine recent graduates of Kenyon have been awarded coveted J. William Fulbright fellowships. Each of the winners will travel to a different international destination during 2012-13 for a fully funded year of research or teaching abroad.

Burrito Brothers

Kenyon students have offered a helping hand to New Directions, a non-profit shelter in Mount Vernon that battles domestic violence.

No Sleepyheads

Power-pop music for children and families comes to Kenyon when Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players perform a free concert on Saturday, May 26, at 4:00 p.m.

Commencement 2012

Pride and joy take center stage at Kenyon on May 18-19 as the Class of 2012 celebrates Commencement Weekend. With family and friends looking proudly on, 412 graduating seniors will receive their diplomas and march into the world beyond Gambier.

Celebrating Cry-i-i-ing

The National College Dance Festival has invited a quintet of Kenyon student dancers to perform Cry-i-i-ing on May 27 in Washington, D.C.

Pursuing Poetry

The Kenyon Review has named poets Elizabeth Lindsey Rogers and Natalie Shapero as fellows who will teach at Kenyon College and work on writing projects during their two-year appointments.

Super Coach

Jim Steen, architect of the most successful collegiate athletic program in NCAA history, plans to step down as head coach of the Kenyon Lords swimming and diving team after this academic year.

Project for Peace

Students from the hills surrounding the Nepalese village of Kharelthok walk for miles to reach their school, and when they arrive there is no roof on the building and no safe drinking water.

Ride On

Pelotonia, the Ohio bicycle tour that has raised more than $25 million for cancer research, has charted the course for riders who will journey from downtown Columbus to Kenyon on August 11.

Smart Talk

Basketball coaching star Shaka Smart '99, who defined the role of student athlete while at Kenyon, returns to Gambier for an evening conversation with students on May 3.

Sustaining Community

A student exhibition exploring Knox County's public spaces will itself become a community crossroads at the Buckeye Candy Company building in Mount Vernon on May 4-5.

Warming Up

Climate-change expert Robert K. Musil will discuss the relevance of Earth Day in a talk on Wednesday, April 25, at 7:00 p.m.

Believe It

For John A. Kirkpatrick III '73, the Pulitzer Prize for local reporting won by his staff at the Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was "an unbelievable moment." Kirkpatrick is the publisher and president of the newspaper.

Exhibitions Elevate Gund

The Graham Gund Gallery at Kenyon College premieres four new exhibitions on Thursday, April 19, including the work of acclaimed contemporary artist Kiki Smith.

Graying Gracefully

The maturing of the baby-boomer generation is turning Knox County a shade of gray that matches much of rural America and is the subject of a Kenyon College community conversation on Tuesday, April 17, called "Aging in the Country."

Loving the Earth

The sixth annual Earth Day Festival at Kenyon celebrates a healthy planet with more than 60 exhibitors, including local artisans, health experts, environmental advocates, and farm marketers on Sunday, April 22.

Honoring Excellence

The Kenyon community came together on Tuesday, April 10, to celebrate the accomplishments of students, teachers, and mentors at the annual Honors Day Convocation.

Kenyon Nine

The Kenyon Nine stand with the best professors in the United States. The Princeton Review's new book The Best 300 Professors includes the Kenyon bunch selected from about 42,000 professors using a student survey and results gleaned from RateMyProfessors.com, a Web site built on anonymous student critiques.

Famed Physicist

Famed physicist Charles M. Falco will address the controversy he triggered by arguing that the great painters in Western art in the 15th century used optical devices to help create their work.

Icarus and Aria

Icarus and Aria comes to the Kenyon stage on April 5-7 with a story that blends elements of Romeo and Juliet, Greek tragedy, hip-hop and professional football.

Top Spot in Research

Research interests in mathematics and biology add up to a spot at the elite Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories summer Undergraduate Research Program this year for Nathan Huey '13.

Wild About Harry

The monsters and magical creatures of the Harry Potter saga are tethered to reality in the traveling exhibition "Harry Potter's World: Renaissance Science, Magic, and Medicine" now on display at the Olin Library.

Democracy Abroad

Top-tier diplomats, foreign policy experts and former White House officials will gather at Kenyon College on April 12-14 to discuss the role of the United States in promoting democracy around the world.

Epstein '70 on the Hill

Kenyon students are learning the craft of advanced poetry writing and exploring the art of modern American poetry this semester with award-winning poet, biographer, and dramatist Daniel Mark Epstein'70, the 2012 Richard L. Thomas Visiting Professor of Creative Writing.

Working in Wood

Wood has been a source of strength for the Knox County community since pioneer days, and the many ways it has been used, from agriculture to art, will be explored in a discussion at Kenyon called "Working in Wood."

Frack Talk

Rhonda Reda will provide an industry perspective on oil and gas exploration and fracking in Ohio on Wednesday, March 21, at 7:00 p.m. in Rosse Hall.

Leaders and Winners

The College has selected four students accomplished in the classroom and active in community service as winners of the Franklin Miller Award.

High Note

A spring-break road trip for 53 Kenyon students will take them to seven cities in seven days, stopping along the way to make some beautiful music.

Alumna Celebrates Oscar

Oorlagh George '02 celebrated an Academy Award last night in Los Angeles, winning as the producer for the live action short The Shore, which was written and directed by her father, Terry George.

All You Can Be

Human rights activist and U.S. Army 1^st Lt. Adam Swartzbaugh visits Kenyon on Friday, February 17, to share his thoughts on changing the world.

Islam's Diverse Paths

Muslim homosexuality. Mystical poetry from the thirteenth century. And, yes, even in-your-face punk rockers.

The Stem-Cell Frontier

Can scientists develop a drug that would increase the number of stem cells in human umbilical-cord blood, which is vital in transplant medicine?

Eat Local

The national trend of eating local food and supporting local farmers has had a head start at Kenyon.

Hamlet Takes the Stage

After more than forty years, Hamlet by William Shakespeare returns to the Kenyon stage on February 2.

Sundance Kids

Among those receiving accolades at this year's Sundance Film Festival are a Kenyon sophomore and Allison Janney '82 and Josh Radnor '96, two of Kenyon's most successful drama alumni.

Jazz Gems

The Kenyon College Jazz Ensemble brings a free concert for all ears to Rosse Hall on Friday, February 3.

The Right Direction

The Department of Dance, Drama, and Film presents Collected Stories and The Baltimore Waltz, with two performances each on alternating days starting on Thursday, January 26.

Pelotonia Partner

Kenyon will host hundreds of bicycle riders in August as the campus becomes the new overnight destination for Pelotonia, the Ohio bike tour that has raised more than $25 million for cancer research in three years.

Research Internships

Six Kenyon students will have the opportunity to conduct cancer research this summer in internships at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center—the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and the Richard J. Solove Research Institute.

"Marching On"

Planners of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Dialogue in 2012 intend to explore many dimensions of the King legacy.

Mourning Kathryn Currier

Kathryn E. Currier lived to learn. Kathryn '15 was known for her intelligent grace in the classroom, her optimism, and her sense of compassion.

The Buzz at Kenyon

Friday Night Lights author H.G. "Buzz" Bissinger visits Kenyon on Thursday to discuss "Sports in Academia: Why?"

Women in Politics

Feminist writer Rebecca Traister will discuss "From Clinton to Palin to Bachmann: What's Next for Women in Politics?" on Thursday at Kenyon.

Ladies Dancing, Lords A Leaping

"Eternal glory" is the prize for the champions of Dancing with the Kenyon Stars, said Georgina Leslie '12, but the real winners will be Russian orphans.

NEA Boosts Kenyon Review

The National Endowment for the Arts recently awarded The Kenyon Review a $10,000 Art Works grant to support print and online publishing and marketing.

Singing with the Don

A new professional production of Mozart's Don Giovanni, to be presented in Columbus this weekend, will soar with voices from the Hill.

Take a Hike

Night or day, the Brown Family Environmental Center explores the natural world this fall through a series of events that includes birds, stars, and woolly bears

Perspective on Revolution

Author Hisham Matar will discuss "The Writer in Revolution" at Kenyon on Thursday, Dec. 1.

Civil Liberties

Kenyon brings together experts in law and global security on Wednesday, November 9, to discuss the protection of civil liberties when confronting terrorism.

Virtual Manuscripts

The Rev. Columba Stewart discusses the digital preservation of sacred manuscripts during a visit to Kenyon today and Thursday.

Founders' Day

Founders' Day will take on an historic significance this year when President S. Georgia Nugent is joined by two former presidents for a shared address at the Kenyon Athletic Center.

The Written Word

In a celebration of the written word, the Kenyon Review Literary Festival returns to Kenyon College on Friday and Saturday, November 4-5.

Glittering Gund Gallery

The Graham Gund Gallery throws open its doors to the Kenyon community on Thursday, and the party includes the first glimpse of the inaugural exhibition, Seeing/Knowing.