Dear members of the Kenyon community,
Over the past year-and-a-half, I have had the opportunity to get to know Kenyon in wonderful detail, including the remarkable people who contribute so much to this community. Kenyon benefits every day from the dedication and expertise of many professionals, across many departments and teams.
A residential college, even one as singularly focused on the student experience as Kenyon, is a complex organization and is only becoming more so. This is something you all know well. I believe that Kenyon would be well served by a model that brings together in one division the critical but currently disparate operations that keep our campus running smoothly, safely and efficiently. These include the talented teams in human resources, information technology, auxiliary services, and facilities operations, planning and sustainability.
This new model requires leadership with the skills and experience to support and strengthen coordination across increasingly complex functional areas. I have decided to bring on a chief operating officer to lead this newly defined operations division, replacing the vice president for facilities, planning and sustainability position. The chief operating officer will play a critical role in ensuring that valuable institutional resources — our people, our physical plant, and the infrastructure that keeps them running smoothly and efficiently — operate not in silos but in concert with one another and continue to be firmly rooted in our academic mission. This position will work with the senior team and myself to seek operational efficiencies where we can, and to ensure that we use our financial resources to greatest effect.
In consultation with Provost Jeff Bowman, I have also decided to shift our library and institutional research operations to the academic division following Vice President Ron Griggs’ retirement in June. These teams have always maintained important ties to the academic program, and this reorganization will only strengthen them.
It is my belief that the restructuring of these divisions and the consolidation of the senior staff, while not an easy decision, will strengthen us as an institution. I am confident that bringing critical functions together will encourage collaboration and enhance coordination, serving our academic mission and our community in the best and most efficient ways possible.
Members of the chief operating officer search committee will be appointed in the coming weeks, with a target start date of July 1, 2025.
Sincerely,
Julie Kornfeld
President