Cynthia Cole '74 relishes taking the initiative for Kenyon

Cynthia Cole '74 is someone who enjoys being in on the initial moments of a changing environment.

After working at the Smithsonian Institution for two years on its exhibit for the 1976 bicentennial, Cole returned to her alma mater in 1976 in the newly created position of assistant director of alumni affairs. "Kenyon was just beginning to focus tightly on development and alumni issues, and it was adding staff in those areas," she recalls. "It was a very exciting time. There were only two of us in the alumni office, and I was encouraged to take initiative and be creative."

Cole was charged with, among other things, developing programs to involve younger alumni with the College, and she also worked toward making the reunion experience more meaningful--one that would instill excitement about returning to Kenyon. "The focus for the young-alumni effort was on the fourteen most recent classes," she says. "My own class and the Class of 1973 were especially responsive, and to this day they are exceptionally devoted groups, always willing to share their talents and energy with the College."

As a part of her job, Cole undertook extensive research on how to create effective programs. Her quest for knowledge led her to enroll in the M.B.A. program at Columbia University in New York City, where she hoped to delve more deeply into the theoretical aspects of marketing management. "Columbia's philosophy really meshed with my own interest in combining strategy with customer psychology," says Cole. "At Kenyon, we were always examining problems from the perspective of 'why' rather than looking at 'how.' This was valuable training for Columbia's sort of program."

With degree in hand in 1981, Cole embarked on a career in financial services. "It was a time of tremendous change as the banking and financial services industries were undergoing deregulation and their traditional ways of doing business were falling by the wayside," she remembers. "Many people at the tops of those organizations heard the call to strategic marketing, realizing it was not the same thing as advertising. It was particularly good timing to be a marketing person in that environment."

Cole held a series of increasingly responsible marketing management positions at Chase Manhattan Bank, Dean Witter Reynolds, Irving Trust, FMB Corporation, and Bank One. Since 2000, she has been working as a consultant.

In her work with the Kenyon Fund Executive Committee, Cole is especially enthusiastic about marketing Kenyon. Again, it is a moment of challenges and opportunities. In her view, the College remains one of the best kept secrets in academe. "We have such great momentum now from successful fundraising and good media coverage," Cole says. "The challenge is to translate that into something ongoing. It really takes a consistent effort over time from all of us."

Executive Director of Alumni and Parent Programs Lisa Dowd Schott '80 is grateful for Cole's contributions. "Cynthia brings such a breadth of experience to the committee along with her devotion to Kenyon," she says. "It makes her a very effective spokesperson for the College's mission and goals."

For her part, Cole is unstinting in her praise of the value of her Kenyon experience. "I know that my undergraduate training, which included not just a history major but also considerable work in political science and psychology, along with my work experience at the College in what was essentially a marketing job, got me into such a prestigious school as Columbia," she says. "My Kenyon experience has been instrumental in whatever success I have enjoyed in my career."

While the College treasures its dedicated volunteers, most of them admit to doing it for the sense of personal satisfaction it brings. "I know it sounds sappy," Cole says, "but it's a great feeling to give of your time and energy knowing that the next generation of Kenyon students will reap a tangible benefit from your efforts on behalf of the College. And I can't say enough about the rewards of working with the talented people on the Kenyon Fund Executive Committee."