Chaired by Aileen Hefferren ’88 H’12, the Kenyon College Board of Trustees convened in Gambier on April 24-25 for its spring 2025 meeting. Always a highlight for trustees is their time spent with students and faculty. This spring, trustees viewed senior projects in film and visual arts; they had lunch with faculty leaders; they met with members of Student Council and the LGBTQ+ advisory committee; and one trustee, Karl Slatoff ’92, shared his own professional journey in a career talk during Common Hour.
“Kenyon is fortunate to have trustees who are deeply committed to the College’s educational mission, and nothing could be more critical than a shared sense of mission when higher education is facing so many challenges,” President Kornfeld said.
In their sessions on Thursday, trustees discussed the forces creating uncertainty across higher education — disruptive federal and state policies, increased competition, and new market pressures — as well as Kenyon’s response and vision for the future. President Julie Kornfeld provided an update on the implementation of the College’s strategic plan, reporting on conversations with faculty and staff about opportunities to expand interdisciplinary and experiential learning. Three faculty members — Iris Levin in biology and environmental studies, Zoë Kontes in classics, and Katherine Calvin in art history — shared highlights from new travel-embedded courses.
“This is the most rewarding teaching experience I’ve had yet,” said Levin, who took her environmental studies class to the Galápagos Islands to do fieldwork over spring break. While courses with travel components have been offered at Kenyon before, recent generous donations provided funding to make such courses free to enrolled students this year and next.
Trustee Chris Eaton ’89 announced a new College fundraising effort to raise $100 million in investments in Kenyon’s endowment in just two years. The trustees celebrated a $25 million lead gift from Matthew Voorhees ’95. Voorhees was joined by seven other trustees, making gifts of $1 million or more, who are excited to grow Kenyon’s distinctions and the sustainable resources to support them. These and other donors have already given more than $40 million to this Third Century Founders effort, less than a year after the conclusion of the most successful campaign in Kenyon’s history.
The board hosted a reception on Thursday evening to honor Sean Decatur, Kenyon’s 19th president, and to unveil his official portrait. “My time at Kenyon was transformative, professionally and personally,” Decatur said. “I have so much gratitude for this community and excitement for its future.”
On Friday morning, author and journalist Jeff Selingo led a discussion about the future of higher education and the opportunities he sees for colleges like Kenyon.
The central business of the board meeting was to discuss and approve the operating budget proposed for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The budget strikes a difficult balance, prioritizing the educational program and the broader student experience; slowing the rate of tuition increases and providing critical scholarship assistance; making important investments in strategic initiatives to ensure that Kenyon remains a top choice in an increasingly competitive market; and holding other expenses steady where possible. Highlights of the $198,096,000 budget include:
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As announced in March, total charges for the 2025-26 academic year will be $89,600, inclusive of tuition, room, board and mandatory fees. A 2.8% increase, this is the smallest in several years.
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The financial aid budget will be $65,054,000 for the 2025-26 fiscal year, reflecting a continued commitment to affordability and meeting 100% of demonstrated financial need.
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Faculty and staff compensation will remain flat. The College will make contracted adjustments, including awards for tenure and other reviews where faculty are eligible for merit increases.
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Health insurance costs also will remain flat. Dental premiums will decrease by 20% and vision premiums will increase by 5%. Retirement contributions will remain the same at 9.5%, as will all other benefits.
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The maintenance of buildings, grounds and equipment will continue to prioritize health and safety, along with the routine repair and replacement of critical infrastructure.
In addition, the board:
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Approved the following tenure-track appointments: Chloe Cappuccilli, drama; Rebecca Clements, biology; Catherine Fahey, biology; Nathanael Hunter, chemistry; Julianna Johnston, art; Courtney Jones, psychology; Lea Rendell, economics; and Karan Shakya, environmental studies and economics.
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Approved the promotion to associate professor and the award of tenure to: Huachen Li, economics; Catherine Mauck, chemistry; Margaret Stevenson, psychology; Matthew Suazo, English; Orchid Tierney, English.
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Approved the Class of 2025 candidates for graduation.
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Approved the slate of honorary degree candidates to be awarded at Commencement 2025: Robert Alexander, retiring economics and environmental studies faculty member; Brackett Denniston ’69, past chair of the Board of Trustees; and Jacqueline Woodson, author and commencement speaker for the Class of 2025.
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Approved the appointment of James Clark ’88, Aasem Khalil ’96, Adrianne Kimber ’99 and David Olsen ’91 P’27 to six-year terms as at-large trustees; Gabriel Esbizaro Rodrigues ’05 to a four-year term as an alumni trustee; and Allaaddin Mollabashy P’28 to a four-year term as a parent trustee.
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Recognized the service of outgoing trustees: Diane Elam ’80, Elisabetta Ghisini P’24, Densil Porteous ’02 and Susan Tomasky P’17.
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Approved the appointment of Nina Freedman ’77 H'92, Judy Hoff Gilbert ’91, Matthew Winkler '77 P'13 H'00 as emeriti trustees.
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Heard an update from the Audit and Risk Committee and approved the engagement of Maloney + Novotny LLC to serve as the external auditors for the 2024-25 fiscal year financial statement audit.