GAMBIER – Following a semester unlike any other in history, Kenyon has received a once-in-a-generation gift that will help shape its future.
An anonymous donor has committed $100 million to fund construction of three apartment-style residence halls on South Campus, each with room for just over 100 students. The three new buildings will complement iconic Old Kenyon, Hanna and Leonard residence halls and will be designed to last a century or more.
Kenyon is one of only 10 national liberal arts colleges to have ever received a nine-figure gift.
The funding of the new residences allows Kenyon and its loyal supporters to renew focus on growing the endowment for scholarships and financial aid as well as continued support for annual funds, while fulfilling a critical strategic goal of improving housing.
“To receive this record-breaking gift during a pandemic that is still gripping our country and disrupting our academic year speaks volumes about the strength of Kenyon’s future,” Kenyon President Sean Decatur said. “With this gift, we are doubling down on the residential experience that is at the heart of a Kenyon education, the intrinsic value of which distancing and remote learning has only made more clear.”
The college also announced that, separate from the gift, it has met the $300 million goal of the Our Path Forward campaign five months ahead of schedule, thanks to the individual contributions of more than 17,947 alumni, parents and friends.
Building on this incredible momentum, the campaign will continue until June 30, 2024, as Our Path Forward to the Bicentennial, with a new goal of $500 million — including more than $200 million for scholarships and aid. Growing the size of Kenyon’s endowment — which at $419 million is modest compared to peer schools — was at the center of the Our Path Forward campaign when its public phase was launched in 2018.
“Raising our sights and achieving our new goal of $500 million will secure our place in the future by solidifying our financial position, allowing us to admit more talented and diverse students, regardless of need,” said Jim Parker, campaign tri-chair and 1981 Kenyon graduate.
