Chaired by Aileen Hefferren ’88 H’12, the Kenyon College Board of Trustees convened in Gambier on Oct. 23-24 for its fall 2025 meeting. The meeting was touched with sadness: Two longtime friends of Kenyon died earlier in the month — Jim Finn ’70, who was a sitting member of both the College’s and the Kenyon Review’s boards, and former trustee Karen Buchwald Wright H’24 P’05,’09, whose son, Alex Wright ’05, currently serves on Kenyon’s board.
“Spending time with our students is the best restorative, and we have made sure to incorporate those opportunities into this week’s meeting,” President Julie Kornfeld said in her message to trustees. These opportunities included a speed-networking event with students on Thursday and lunch with students on Friday to hear about their internships and other learning experiences outside the classroom.
Professor and Founding Director of the Interdisciplinary Program in Computing R. Jordan Crouser was the featured speaker Thursday morning. He provided an overview of the goals of the program, which builds on computing strengths across the curriculum. His process for designing Kenyon’s computing curriculum is itself an innovation — in addition to engaging Kenyon faculty and other experts in the field, he is collaborating with students in his design thinking course this fall.
The Thursday afternoon plenary session was devoted to budget and enrollment planning. Trustees heard an update from Vice President for Finance Todd Burson on the College’s ongoing work to shape the 2026-27 operating budget, which will see less tuition revenue as larger-than-usual pandemic-era classes graduate. The budget also will have added pressure from the growing demand for financial aid and scholarships as competition for students intensifies in the face of shifting demographics and rapidly changing federal education policy.
“This is a challenging environment for all schools, even those with strong reputations,” said Mike Arbour ’89, chair of the Campus and Finance Committee. “The financial challenges of the day will not be solved by cost-cutting alone. We must re-engineer our economic model and invest to meet the evolving needs of this generation of students.”
Vice President for Enrollment Management Diane Anci reported on the strategies the College is employing to expand Kenyon’s reach in key markets, moving with speed and strategic precision to engage both prospective students and the people who influence their college search. In September, Kenyon hosted more than 400 high school and independent counselors, many of whom had never visited campus, in conjunction with the annual meeting of the National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC) held in Columbus this year. Anci reported that Kenyon made a strong impression: Surveys showed that, after visiting, 84% of respondents were highly likely to recommend Kenyon to their students.
Similar efforts are underway to engage current parents and alumni educators in carrying Kenyon’s message to prospective students and families. “I believe the strength and enthusiasm of our alumni network can be a real competitive advantage for Kenyon,” said Una Fogarty ’90, chair of the Kenyon in the World Committee.
Later that afternoon, trustees attended the dedication ceremony for Kenyon’s newest student residence, Winkler Hall, which opened this fall to 100 students. The hall is named for Emeritus Trustee Matthew Winkler ’77 H’00 P’13, whom President Kornfeld described as the ultimate champion for Kenyon.
“He roots for our success, contributes to it in no small measure, and maintains strong connections that support the College in ways that are almost too numerous to describe,” she said at the ceremony. “Winkler Hall is a literal testament to his efforts on behalf of Kenyon, as well as their endurance.”
Winkler is co-founder and editor-in-chief emeritus of Bloomberg News. He has given generously and broadly to Kenyon over the years, including to the Collegian Endowed Fund, which supported a two-day journalism conference coinciding with the board meeting. Thursday evening, trustees attended a panel discussion of alumni journalists and media professionals, opened by Winkler and moderated by the current editors of The Kenyon Collegian.
Friday morning, President Kornfeld provided an update on the implementation of the strategic plan. “Building interdisciplinary pathways, supporting student success, putting learning into practice, helping students link their experiences in and out of the classroom with their aspirations for the future — this is what students tell us they want and what I firmly believe Kenyon can provide in uniquely powerful ways,” she said. Vice President for Communications Janet Marsden reported on marketing plans to support the launch of new programs as they are developed.
President Kornfeld’s ambitious vision for Kenyon’s future has fueled a fundraising effort to raise $100 million for Kenyon’s endowment in two years. Those who give $1 million or more join a group of Third Century Founders. The leadership committee, led by seven trustees, met the Wednesday prior to the board meeting to celebrate the early momentum of the initiative, which has inspired 16 donors to make seven-figure gifts to date. An induction ceremony for the first cohort of donors is planned for April, around the board’s spring meeting.
Finally, the board heard reports from Chief Operating Officer Roger Wakeman, who reflected on the opportunities he sees stepping into this inaugural role, and from Vice President and General Counsel Jackie Holmes, who provided an update on new federal reporting requirements and other regulations.
In other business, the board:
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Approved the appointment of R. Jordan Crouser as professor of computing and founding director of the interdisciplinary program in computing.
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Approved the promotion of Celso Villegas, sociology, to full professor.
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Adopted a memorial resolution in honor of retired College historian, keeper of Kenyoniana and longtime Kenyon staff member Thomas P. Stamp ’73 H’22.
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Adopted resolutions of appreciation for trustees who completed their terms in June: Diane M. Elam ’80, Elisabetta Ghisini P’24, Densil R. Porteous ’02 and Susan Tomasky P’17.
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Approved the 2024-25 audited financial statements.
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Toured properties preserved by the Philander Chase Conservancy, which has protected 6,000 acres of land surrounding the College over 25 years.