A $500,000 award from a Cincinnati-based foundation will provide scholarships for students from around the region who are interested in science, technology, engineering and math fields.
Funded by the Austin E. Knowlton Foundation, the STEM scholarships will be available to students from Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan. The grant will provide $100,000 each year for the next five years.
“STEM education is an integral part of a modern liberal arts education, equipping students with crucial skills needed to make a difference in critically needed fields and careers,” said President Julie Kornfeld. “This support will help bring the best and brightest from Ohio and surrounding states to Kenyon and ensure that these students can have an important impact in the region when they graduate.”
Thirty percent of Kenyon students major in the sciences, where they can learn and pursue individual and collaborative research using the College’s modern teaching labs filled with sophisticated instrumentation.
The interdisciplinary nature of this work is reflected in the robust scientific research opportunities offered each summer on Kenyon’s campus. This year, nearly 50 students remained in Gambier pursuing scientific research under the guidance of faculty mentors from the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics. They were joined on campus by the newest cohort of STEM Scholars, who participate in activities that emphasize academic leadership, professional development, and STEM-focused community service.
The collaborative focus of these efforts can also be seen in the campus architecture itself, with the buildings of the Science Quad physically connected via bridges and lounges that encourage students and faculty members from different disciplines to gather informally.
The new STEM scholarships, which will be known as the Austin E. Knowlton Memorial Scholarships, are only the latest grants awarded to the College by the foundation. Since 2014 — when the Knowlton Foundation established an endowed scholarship fund providing aid for students from Ohio who are interested in mathematics and related fields — it has awarded grants supporting dozens of Kenyon students.
The Knowlton Foundation scholarships complement a concerted effort by the College to support students from Ohio with exceptional opportunities as they pursue their educational and professional paths. Last year, for example, the Wright family of Mount Vernon created an endowed fund to support internship stipends for Kenyon students from Ohio, plus an additional fund for students from anywhere who choose to intern in the state.
Austin E. “Dutch” Knowlton was chair and owner of the Knowlton Construction Company, which completed more than 600 significant construction projects throughout Ohio and the Midwest, including schools, hospitals, libraries and post offices. As an Ohio businessman and philanthropist, Knowlton worked to help Ohioans earn degrees from Ohio colleges and universities.