Members of the Class of 2030 and transfer students were welcomed to the campus community during Opening Convocation.
The campus community marked the start of another year by welcoming 446 new students to Kenyon on Sunday, Aug. 23, during Opening Convocation.
Looking out at a sea of new faces — as well as faculty members dressed in full academic regalia — President Julie Kornfeld talked about the importance of Kenyon’s brand of liberal arts education in preparing today’s students to make a difference in the world.
“Our methods for teaching and learning have certainly adapted over the years — more than 200 and counting — but the end goal of a Kenyon liberal arts education has always been the same: to build strong foundations for lives of purpose and consequence,” she said.
Those skills involve cultivating curiosity, adaptability, ethical judgement, courage, humility and the ability to deal with complexity, Kornfeld told the crowd assembled in Toan Indoor Track in the Lowry Center.
“It’s impossible to say what tomorrow will look like, but I can promise you that you’ll be ready for it,” she said.
All together for the first time, this year’s group of new students represent 40 states and 15 countries. Coming from nearly 400 different high schools and colleges, they are academically distinguished, with an average weighted grade-point average of 4.0 and standardized test scores averaging 1425 on the SAT and 32 on the ACT.
Diane Anci, vice president for enrollment management and dean of admissions and financial aid, said those impressive accomplishments are only part of the reason that they ended up in Gambier, though.
“At Kenyon, our selection process is anchored in mission and purpose. It’s holistic. It’s thorough. We chose you deliberately,” she said. “And I promise you this: We didn’t simply review your accomplishments. We paid attention to you. We saw who you are, not simply what you’ve done.”
New provost Dianna Shandy, participating in her first Kenyon convocation, stressed that new students can expect to be shaped by Kenyon — guided by its talented faculty and dedicated staff — but that they will shape the College, too.
“I can’t wait to see what you discover, what friendships you build, what questions you ask, and what you contribute to this remarkable community,” she said.
Celestino Limas, vice president for student affairs, reminded students that in addition to a robust education, the campus promises to offer them “an eclectic set of experiences that will support and challenge as you discover yourself as students and citizens.”
Representing the Kenyon Board of Trustees, Chair Matt Voorhees ’95 called the College a “mash-up of the very best of everything in life.” He talked about what he took away from his own student experience: lifelong friendships, the ability to grapple with challenges, and an education that allowed him to achieve dreams not even dreamable at the time.
“You have to challenge yourself to be as special — in your very own way — as this place is,” he said.
Student Council President Abby Warshauer ’27 encouraged the newest members of the Kenyon community to take risks, whether by sitting with new people in the dining hall, trying an unfamiliar club, or exploring an unexpected class.
“After that leap of faith is when things really get good,” she said. “In that unexpected class, maybe you’ll find the subject you can’t stop thinking about. In that club, you may discover an activity that makes you happy and gives you purpose. And with those people, you will find the friends you love and want to celebrate. “
Immediately following the ceremony, new students gathered on the steps outside Rosse Hall. There they joined together in traditional College songs as part of the New Student Sing under the direction of Professor of Music Benjamin “Doc” Locke.
