Kenyon’s faculty are central to the experiences of its students, and endowed positions play a key role in attracting, retaining and developing top talent. In addition to a faculty member's compensation, an endowed professorship supports their professional growth and research endeavors.
The following faculty members became new holders of endowed positions beginning on July 1.
Robert J. and Paul G. Himmelright Professorship in Economics
Professor of Economics Jay Corrigan
Jay Corrigan, who joined the College in 2002, focuses his research on the value people place on new products. He has estimated the premium American shoppers are willing to pay for “Fair Trade Certified” products, the value Filipino consumers place on genetically modified “golden rice,” and the impact graphic warning labels have on smokers’ demand for cigarettes. His research on the value of Facebook was named in The Washington Post as one of the 10 best works on political economy of 2018.
Corrigan is a winner of Kenyon’s Trustee Teaching Excellence Award, and the Princeton Review named him one of America’s best college professors. He has a bachelor of arts from Grinnell College and a doctorate from Iowa State University, both in economics.
The Himmelright Professorship was established in 1986 by Robert J. Himmelright Jr., Class of 1950 and an emeritus trustee of the College, together with his brother, Paul G. Himmelright II, and sister, Nancy Himmelright Hoyt, in honor of their father (Robert) and uncle (Paul). The professorship encourages excellence in the teaching of economics.
James P. Storer Professorship in Asian History
Assistant Professor of History Lin Li
Lin Li is a gender historian of East Asia who comes to Kenyon this year from the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. Adopting a transnational and intersectional methodology, she is interested in the dynamic interactions among structural injustice, historical memory, and popular culture. Li’s research and teaching center on two main themes: One is the production of structural violence along the lines of gender, ethnicity and disability across the Japanese empire. The second is the representation of this violence within historical memory and popular culture in the Asia-Pacific from the Cold War onward.
Li has a bachelor’s degree in history from East China Normal University and a master’s degree and doctorate in East Asian history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a minor in gender and women’s studies. She also was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University’s Clayman Institute for Gender Research.
The Storer Professorship was established in 1985 and aims to encourage a fuller understanding of Eastern civilizations and their impact on the Western world. The College’s first endowed professorship, it was established by the late James P. “Jim” Storer ’49 H’85, a broadcasting executive, philanthropist and former trustee for whom Storer Hall is named.
The following faculty member became the holder of an endowed position effective Jan. 1.
Harvey F. Lodish Faculty Development Professorship in the Natural Sciences
Assistant Professor of Biology Peter Kropp
Peter Kropp, who joined Kenyon in 2022, uses genetic, pharmacological and organismal techniques to understand the intersection of metabolism and cellular identity and function. His research is focused on using the microscopic nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to investigate mitochondrial diseases and dysfunctions.
Previously, Kropp was a postdoctoral fellow in the Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. He has taught at the University of Maryland and the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences. He has a bachelor of arts in molecular biology from Colgate University and a doctorate in molecular physiology and biophysics from Vanderbilt University.
The Lodish Professorship aims to attract and retain promising young faculty members. The position was endowed in 2000 by Harvey Lodish ’62 H’82 P’89 GP’21, an emeritus trustee, biotechnology entrepreneur, and professor of molecular cell biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.