Report from the Board of Trustees

Date

Chaired by Brackett B. Denniston ’69, the Kenyon College Board of Trustees convened for its spring 2021 meeting on April 23. The opening session was dedicated to two topics: a discussion of Kenyon’s next strategic plan and a working session on antiracism and racial justice. 

Over the past year, a committee of staff, faculty, students and trustees has led a strategic planning process to assess the external pressures Kenyon faces, imagine a vision for Kenyon’s third century, and establish priorities that will guide the College’s allocation of resources and institutional decision-making to advance that vision. The trustees reviewed and discussed a draft of the plan, which the College expects to finalize and adopt this summer. 

The trustees then broke into smaller groups to discuss selections from Julie Park’s "Race on Campus: Debunking Myths with Data" (Harvard, 2018).

The Board conducted its formal business meeting during the afternoon session, which included reports from the president, the Campaign Leadership Committee and the Nomination and Governance Committee. Following discussion, the Board:

  • Discussed proposed changes to the Board of Trustees committee structure, adopting three strategic standing committees (Student Experience, Campus and Finance, Kenyon and the World); five operational committees (Audit, Title IX and Non-discrimination, Investment, Nomination and Governance, Equity and Inclusion); and an Executive Committee.
  • Reaffirmed its policy that Board meetings are attended by trustees, officers of the Board and senior administrators, and, by invitation, other members of the Kenyon community, including students, faculty, staff and alumni.

In other business, the Board:

  • Approved the promotion of, and the award of tenure to, five faculty members: Piers Brown (English), Shaun Golding (sociology), Aaron Reinhard (physics), Les Wade (physics) and Madeline Wade (physics). 
  • Approved the Class of 2021 candidates for graduation and the 2021 slate of honorary degree nominations.
  • Adopted resolutions of appreciation for outgoing members of the senior staff: Meredith Harper Bonham ’92, vice president for student affairs, and Joseph Klesner, senior advisor to the president for strategic planning and former provost.

Other committees of the Board — Academic Affairs; Budget, Finance and Audit; Buildings and Grounds; Development and External Affairs; and Inclusion and Equity — met prior to the full Board meeting.