Board considers a broad range of issues at May meeting
Gathering a little later than usual for their spring meeting, and with a very full agenda, Kenyon's trustees came together May 5-7, 2011, and made numerous decisions, addressed a broad range of issues, and initiated conversations about several newly introduced topics.
"Our discussions were particularly thoughtful, and the trustees particularly engaged," said President S. Georgia Nugent. "The whole board saw it as an especially productive meeting."
On Friday evening, the trustees were graciously hosted by Ann and Ted Schnormeier for a talk and tour of their renowned gardens on Laymon Road. That evening's dinner, which featured entertainment by the Chamber Singers, honored the 2010-11 Trustee Teaching Award winners, Assistant Professor of English Ivonne Garcia and Associate Professor of Political Science Pamela Camerra-Rowe, as well as those retiring from the board, including alumni trustees Jeffrey Bell '84 and Lisa Betson Resnik '89, parent trustee Carolyn Brody P'10,'11, and trustee-at-large Gerald Fields '62. In his remarks, William Bennett noted that Fields had served longer than all but a few board members in the College's history, first as an alumni trustee from 1976 to 1982 and then as a trustee-at-large beginning in 1987. The latter period encompassed almost two decades as the board's secretary and several years as its vice chair.
Nugent used the occasion to recognize Bennett and his wife, Susan Bennett, for their labors for and loyalty to Kenyon and its board over the past six years of Bennett's chairmanship. She noted that she has enjoyed a particularly supportive relationship with Bennett, one that has allowed the College to prosper in ways academic, administrative, and physical.
On Saturday morning, the full board gathered as usual but departed from past practice with a mid-meeting break for two presentations. Paul Healy '85, a trustee who also chairs the board of the Kenyon Review, gave a brief overview of the journal's history before focusing on its current status as one of the country's best-managed, and increasingly diverse, literary enterprises, with its own endowment of almost $4 million. Landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh, whose firm has been studying the College's campus for almost a year, then talked about the essential qualities of the local landscape, both aesthetic and historic, that might be enhanced by a comprehensive landscape master plan.
In her report to the board, Nugent pointed to several recent successes, beginning with the graduation of the first group of students in the Kenyon Education Enrichment Program (KEEP). She noted that two of the KEEP participants would be joining Teach for America, two were finalists for Fulbright awards, and one would be attending graduate school on a full fellowship. She also reported that three works from the past year's Kenyon Review had been chosen for O. Henry Awards and four for Pushcart Prizes.
One of the board's first orders of business was a final review of the "Statement of Permanence" for the collection of the Graham Gund Gallery. As explained by Natalie Marsh, the gallery's director, the statement insures that the institution will operate according to ethical standards established by the American Association of Museums. The statement, originally introduced for consideration at the board's truncated February meeting, was approved by the trustees at Saturday's meeting.
The Curriculum and Faculty Committee approved several resolutions later approved by the full board, including the tenure awards covered in the accompanying article, the conferral of degrees on the graduating seniors, and the alumni and others to be recognized at the 2012 Honors Day and Commencement exercises. The committee's main item of business was a discussion of faculty salaries and the continuing desire to maintain them in the top quintile of the national rankings. Projections compiled for Provost Nayef Samhat by Himmelright Professor of Economics Kathy Krynski indicate the resources needed to achieve this goal. While the most recent data show that salaries for full professors already fall within the top group, and that salaries for associate professors have closed the gap separating them from the top quintile by 50 percent, concerns in this area will be a significant factor in the College's budget negotiations for the 2012-13 fiscal year.
The Investment Committee heard that Kenyon has experienced a good year, with combined returns on investments of about 10 percent. While the College expects continued volatility in the markets, it was noted that Kenyon's endowment has almost re-attained its peak dollar value of several years ago. Committee members also heard a presentation from an outside firm on methods of insuring the College's investments.
The Budget, Finance, and Audit Committee attended to its due diligence responsibilities with a report from the Audit Subcommittee on its review of Kenyon's Internal Revenue Service 990 forms for 2010. The committee forwarded to the full board for its approval engagement letters with outside auditors, who will also conduct newly mandated annual reviews of retirement plans and the Emeriti program. Vice President for Finance Joseph Nelson noted that budget surpluses, which have been dedicated to the construction of Horvitz Art Building, are on target and may even allow for early completion of the project's funding.
In the Development Committee, Vice President for College Relations Sarah Kahrl reported that the $230-million goal of the "We Are Kenyon" campaign had been achieved and that additional gifts anticipated before the June 30, 2011, conclusion would swell the final total. She noted that, to date, 25 percent of campaign dollars have been contributed by board members. Post-campaign goals include additional funds for financial aid, completion of the funding for the North Campus Housing Project, and ambitious new targets for the annual Kenyon Fund and Kenyon Parents Fund initiatives. At its next meeting, the Development Committee will hear a report on the College's plans for the use of social media.
The Buildings and Grounds Committee heard a longer presentation from Van Valkenburgh and Chief Business Officer Mark Kohlman's report that current building projects are proceeding on schedule. Kohlman also introduced the issue of future plans for Bailey House, Bexley Hall, and the Mayer Art Center (Art Barn) after the completion of the Graham Gund Gallery and Horvitz Art Building. Other items for discussion included the possible installation of solar panels near the Kenyon Athletic Center with the potential of supplying as much as 50 percent of the power for the KAC as well as Bolton Theater, Shaffer Speech Building, and Ascension Hall; a pilot green-roof project, slated for completion this summer, on top of Gund Residence Hall; and a service agreement with a firm that will provide the College with a comprehensive plan for conservation and efficient use of power.
In keeping with its practice, the Student Affairs Committee met for dinner with several student leaders before attending to other business. Items for discussion included the Kenyon chaplaincy, which has been vacant since Rev. Karl Stevens '95 accepted the rectorship of St. Paul's Church in Mount Vernon, and student concern that the activities budget has been eroded in recent years. Consideration of both issues will continue.
Barry Schwartz '70, who will become board chair on July 1, announced that his successor as head of the Admissions and Financial Aid Committee will be Samuel Fischer P'10. Committee members heard from Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Jennifer Delahunty about the many successes represented by the Class of 2015, including greater selectivity, a higher academic profile, a lower "discount rate"(the percentage of tuition revenue that is used for financial aid), and greater diversity (due largely to an increase in Asian-American enrollees). It was also reported that the federally required "net-price calculator," intended to help families determine how much a college will cost and make comparisons among institutions, will be posted by October 2011. Discussion topics included the need for enhanced recruitment on the West Coast and overseas and a new marketing study, the first in eight years, on public perceptions of Kenyon and how to articulate the College's values.
The Diversity Committee focused first on priority-setting from the on-campus Diversity Council and then on building on the successes of KEEP's first four years. Committee members also heard from an enthusiastic panel of faculty members and students about Kenyon's new concentration in Islamic civilization and cultures, which, along with a program at Swarthmore College, is one of only two such comprehensive undergraduate programs in the country. Kenyon's program will be further enhanced by a tenure-track position in Arabic language to be filled by the 2012 fall semester.
The Trustee Affairs Committee compiled several recommendations for proposal to the full board. As a result, Larry James, a prominent Columbus, Ohio, attorney was elected to fill a vacant at-large trusteeship; Joseph Lipscomb '87 and Schwartz were re-elected to six-year at-large terms; Fields was elected to emeritus status; and Tory Smith McKenzie '82 P'14 was elected as a parent trustee, the first alumna to hold that position. Schwartz was also formally elected as board chair, with Lipscomb and William Lowry Jr. '56 H'99 as vice chairs, Brackett Denniston '69 continuing as secretary, and Kathryn Brechler as assistant secretary.
In the Information Resources Committee, members heard a report on the new Center for Innovative Pedagogy, which will consolidate academic support and occupy a space on the ground level of Olin Library. The center, a result of discussions begun at the August 2010 faculty retreat, will entail no new positions, although there will be some redistribution of duties for existing positions. Vice President for Library and Information Services Ronald Griggs noted that needs within both academic and administrative areas have shifted from hardware to software, as many programs are in need of upgrading or replacement.