num_pages: 180
description: Introduction from the AuthorsWhen I go home to New York, people ask me where I go to college, and when I reply, “Kenyon,” I inevitably get one of two responses. The first is a puzzled expression, to which I have to add “it’s a small school in middle-of-nowhere Ohio.” The latter group, which is the majority, know Kenyon for what it is—one of the premier small liberal arts schools in the country. If recent years are any indication, the group that hasn’t heard of Kenyon is rapidly shrinking.They know it for English and swimming, which is the school’s traditional bread and butter, and while those areas remain strong, Kenyon is diversifying its strengths. Several years ago, the school built a state-of-the-art $30 million science quad that has increased the proportion of science majors at Kenyon. Recently, the school broke ground on a $60 million athletic facility that will be among the best in Division III, and rival some Division I schools. The word is out. In just five years, the admissions rate has gone from two-thirds to below 50 percent, and Kenyon is gaining the national recognition usually reserved for East Coast schools with billion dollar endowments.With all of these changes, one might think that Kenyon is a drastically different place than when Kenyon’s founder and first president Bishop Philander Chase first climbed Gambier Hill in 1829. However, nothing could be further from the truth. When walking down Middle Path into “downtown” Gambier, one still feels as though it is a college nestled in nature fit for a Robert Frost poem. Over 170 years later, the school has made some additions, namely women (including our first female president), telephones, and the Internet; however, the traditional feel remains the same. That’s what Kenyon students love about their school. Other schools claim they are unique; Kenyon actually is.I am here because my guidance counselor told me to go listen to a Kenyon recruiter. It was only when I made the trip to the place that maps forgot, and walked down Middle Path, that Kenyon’s beauty had me hooked. I can’t imagine life anywhere else. Kenyon is a school of learning and friendship. If this sounds like your cup of tea, hopefully this book can give you a few insights to life on the hill.Jay Helmer and Zack RosenAuthors, Kenyon College
language: English
title: Kenyon College Oh 2007
titlecomplete: Kenyon College Oh 2007
publisher: College Prowler