Dear members of the Kenyon community,
It is wonderful to welcome you back after a quiet wintery break here in Gambier and to see the campus lively once more. Like many of you, I was away for part of winter break, and it feels so good to be back. I hope you found time to relax and recharge. Small acts of active restoration — from practicing yoga to reading a good book to spending time in nature — can have such a positive impact as we prepare to push forward with our work this semester.
It’s a notable coincidence that the start of the new semester arrives shortly before Martin Luther King Jr. Day, one of the first campus celebrations of the year. This reminder of the important work in our world that remains unfinished — and so much does — comes as we make our own transition from recharging to charging ahead.
On campus, we will celebrate Dr. King’s legacy with Kenyon’s annual Day of Dialogue on Monday, featuring a thoughtful address by our own Patrick Jones ’93, associate professor of history and ethnic studies at the University of Nebraska. Events like this are vital to carrying on Dr. King’s vision — his efforts to challenge the status quo, provoke moral reflection and social action, and illuminate the path toward justice and equality.
These three actions — challenging, provoking, illuminating — are essential to changemaking. That was true 62 years ago, when Dr. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and it is true today. I believe they are at the heart of everything we do at Kenyon. To challenge, to provoke, to illuminate — that is the liberal arts at their best.
In a world that seems to be becoming more disrupted, more unreasoned and more violent, these qualities remain valuable guideposts for us. We must continue to study the way things are, and also imagine the way they could be. As we begin another term, I encourage each of you to lean into this opportunity. Think about how you can develop the intellectual skills and moral courage that will make you an effective citizen in a better, more just world.
Sometimes the impact of your work will be immediate. Some of you volunteer at local schools or help at area food pantries and see the results of your efforts in real time — in yourselves as well as those you serve. This is important and necessary.
Other changes take a bit longer, but they are equally important. In our labs, student researchers and their faculty mentors are hard at work unlocking scientific puzzles with implications for better understanding and addressing disease, climate change, hunger and more. Other students take lessons from the classroom and put them to work in the community, paving the way for long-term improvements by interning at places nearby like Food for the Hungry, Habitat for Humanity, Knox Community Hospital and the Mount Vernon City Engineer’s Office, or connecting with communities in Columbus or further afield.
When you look across a nation and a world full of injustices that seem impossible to resolve, it’s hard to see how small-scale contributions can make a measurable difference. But I assure you they can. Consider the work of Peter Haywood ’26 at the Knox County Board of Elections, where he is an intern. Peter spent a semester analyzing precincts and their population changes down to the census block level, then drew new lines designed to be resilient for the next decade. His proposals — which were all adopted and took effect just last week — will not only make the board more efficient and save money for local government, but will ensure that residents of Knox County maintain ready access to democracy’s most vital resource.
Of course, Dr. King reminded us that some change will take longer than this — more than a few semesters or even a few years. Still, he remained hopeful, saying, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” So don’t lose faith if the change you seek does not happen this spring, or even during your time here at Kenyon. There are many ways to make an impact in this world, and the skills you develop here — adaptability, creativity, tenacity, imagination — will allow you to challenge, provoke and illuminate in pursuit of that goal throughout your life.
My message then is to use your time here at Kenyon with purpose and passion. Learn more about yourself and your world. Hone your moral compass. Become an engaged global citizen. In that way, you can leave here better prepared to become an agent of change wherever you go next.
That’s how we become the kinds of citizens the world needs. That’s how we impact the long arc of justice. That’s how we continue to serve Dr. King’s vision — this semester, and always.
I look forward to a productive semester joining you in the important work ahead and in continuing to find moments of joy in all that we do together on campus.
Warmly,
Julie Kornfeld
President