By Erin Mershon
The trustees have an exceptionally full agenda for their October meeting this coming weekend. Rather than tedious negotiations, however, the Board will spend much of its time in celebration.
President S. Georgia Nugent and the College’s 39 other trustees will meet this weekend to mark the end of the College’s We Are Kenyon: The Drive for Excellence campaign, which concluded last spring. They will also commemorate the openings of the new Graham Gund Gallery and the North Campus Apartments and honor several retiring trustees.
“There’s not a whole lot of big business this time,” Nugent said.
The Budget Committee and Executive Committees will meet together, as they do every October, to overview the budget for the coming year, though it will not be approved until the trustees’ winter meeting.
The trustees will also address two major proposals from the Buildings and Grounds Committee. They will discuss the approval of the next phase of construction for North Campus Housing, as well as a proposal for the College to enter into an energy conservation program.
The program requires approval because Kenyon would be working with an outside company that “in essence guarantees you ultimate savings in energy, but there’s some upfront expense to it,” Nugent said.
The trustees will also hear a report on sustainability at Kenyon that Hildy Joseph ’13 put together during her sustainability internship last summer. Joseph worked with material gathered in an Environmental Studies Senior Seminar taught by Professor of Anthropology Bruce Hardy last spring.
Several College officials will also report on ongoing College developments. Student Affairs will hear a report from Career Development Office Director Scott Layson. Hillel Director Mark Bragin will speak on his efforts to study spirituality on campus, and Academic Affairs will hear a report from the provost concerning grants, projects and faculty appointments.
A new External Affairs Committee will also hear a report from an external consulting firm about how students, prospective students, faculty and peer institutions perceive the College. Kenyon conducted a similar report 10 years ago.
“This is going to be a packed weekend,” Nugent said.
[starbox id=”erin_mershon”]