Strategic Planning Process

Launched at the February 2020 Kenyon Board of Trustees meeting, but delayed because of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the strategic planning process began in earnest in August 2020. This strategic planning process followed closely the completion of the reframing of the College’s Mission and Values Statement, adopted by the Board and the faculty in February 2020.

A 24-member strategic planning committee composed of trustees, faculty, students, and members of the College’s senior staff and other administrators guided the planning process. Cambridge Concord Associates provided consulting advice and support for the planning process as well as the earlier reconsideration of the mission. The committee initially engaged key Kenyon constituencies about their visions of Kenyon’s future, meeting (virtually, because of the pandemic) with the Faculty Executive Committee, chairs of academic departments and programs, the full faculty, Student Council, the Campus Senate, Parents’ Advisory Council, alumni volunteer leaders, and directors of the College’s affiliated organizations and centers. Identifying key ideas emerging from those conversations, the committee broke into working groups to further develop concepts and initiatives. The working groups also explored likely resource implications of their proposed initiatives and shared them with the financial working group, which developed a model of the budgetary and financial implications of pursuing them. In January 2021 the committee began drafting the text of this planning document, sharing early drafts with the Board, the faculty, and students through the organizations mentioned above. The final version of the document was reviewed in a “red team” analysis by a group of two faculty members, two trustees, and two senior staff members, none of whom were members of the planning committee. The faculty endorsed the plan at its April 26, 2021, meeting. The Board of Trustees adopted the plan at its June 3, 2021, meeting.

Planning Committee

  • Diane Anci, Vice President for Enrollment Management & Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid
  • Jeff Bowman, Provost, Professor of History
  • Todd Burson, Vice President for Finance
  • Sean Decatur, President
  • Brackett Denniston III ’69, Trustee
  • Siobhan Fennessy, Jordan Professor of Environmental Studies, Professor of Biology
  • James P. Finn ’70, Trustee
  • Colleen Garland, Vice President for Advancement
  • Tom Giblin, Professor of Physics, Chair of the Faculty
  • Judy Hoff Gilbert ’91, Trustee
  • P.J. Glandon, Associate Professor of Economics
  • Jazz Glastra ’11, Associate Director for Career Development
  • Hope C. Harrod ’98, Trustee
  • Aileen C. Hefferren ’88 H’12, Trustee
  • Pamela Hoehn-Saric ’80 P’10,’14, Trustee
  • Chris Kennerly, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion & Associate Dean of Students
  • Joseph Klesner (co-chair), Professor of Political Science & Senior Advisor to the President
  • Kíra Lancz ’21, Student
  • Susan Morse, Chief of Staff
  • Zachary Sclar ’22, Student
  • Reginald Sanders, Professor of Music
  • Shanti Silver ’22, Student
  • Wendy F. Singer, Wortman Professor of History
  • Barrett A. Toan ’69 (co-chair), Trustee