Kenyon College Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier , Ohio , founded in 1824 by Bishop Philander Chase of The Episcopal Church , in parallel with the Bexley Hall seminary . It is the oldest private college in Ohio . The campus is noted for its Collegiate Gothic architecture and rustic setting , and it was named one of the most beautiful college campuses in the world by Forbes in 2010 . Old Kenyon Hall , built in 1827 , is believed to be the oldest Gothic revival building in the Americas , though it has burnt twice and been rebuilt . Kenyon College is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools . Kenyon is one of the Hidden Ivies and considered one of the most prestigious liberal arts colleges in the nation with distinctions such as being named one of Newsweek ' s " New Ivies " . Founding . After becoming the first Bishop of Ohio in 1818 , Philander Chase found a severe lack of trained clergy on the Ohio frontier . He planned to create a seminary to rectify this problem , but could find little support . Undeterred , he sailed to England and solicited donations from Lord Kenyon , Lord Gambier , and the writer and philanthropist Hannah More , and the College was incorporated in December , 1824 . Dissatisfied with the original location of the College in Worthington , Chase purchased eight thousand acres ( 32 km² ) of land in Knox County ( with the Mount Vernon lawyer Henry Curtis ) , and reached what he would name Gambier Hill on July 24 , 1825 . There is a legend that Bishop Chase exclaimed , " Well , this will do " upon reaching the crest of the hill . Academics . Kenyon ' s English department first gained recognition with the arrival of the poet and critic John Crowe Ransom in 1937 as Professor of Poetry and first editor of " The Kenyon Review " , a literary journal . Aside from English , other majors Kenyon offers are : Art ( Studio ) , Art History , Dance and Drama , Film , Music , Modern Languages , Philosophy , Religious Studies , Classics , Biochemistry , Molecular Biology , Biology , Chemistry , Mathematics , Neuroscience , Physics , Psychology , Anthropology , Economics , History , Political Science , Sociology , American Studies , International Studies , and Women ' s and Gender Studies . Kenyon offers concentrations , which are interdisciplinary minors . They are : African and African - American Studies , Asian Studies , Environmental Studies , Integrated Program in Humane Studies , Islamic Civilizations and Cultures , Law and Society , Neuroscience , Public Policy , and Scientific Computing . Kenyon also offers opportunities for synoptic majors based on a process of academic approval by the College administration . Kenyon requires students to take classes in each of the four academic divisions : Fine Arts ( encompassing the departments of Art , Dance and Drama , and Music ) ; Humanities ( Classics , English , Modern Languages and Literatures , Philosophy , Religious Studies ) ; Natural Sciences ( Biology , Chemistry , Mathematics , Physics , Psychology ) ; and Social Sciences ( Anthropology , Economics , History , Political Science , Sociology ) . In addition , students must show a basic competence in a foreign language , and also undertake a comprehensive senior exercise for their major during their senior year . Kenyon is also home to the Beta of Ohio Chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Society . Athletics . Kenyon ' s sports teams , which compete in the North Coast Athletic Conference , are referred to as the " Lords " and " Ladies " , and their colors are purple , white , and black with gold often added as an accent . The college ' s men ' s swimming team is considered the best in NCAA Division III , for winning , from 1980 through 2013 , an NCAA record 34 consecutive national championships . The women ' s swimming team is also considered among the best , winning 23 titles of its own ( not consecutively ) since 1984 . Swim Coach Jim Steen has coached the most conference titles in any sport in NCAA history . During the 1980s and 90s , Diving Coach Fletcher Gilders led his athletes to fourteen consecutive North Coast Athletic Conference championships and eight individual NCAA Division III titles ; Gilders would also earn NCAA D3 Coach of the Year honors on three separate occasions . In 2006 , Kenyon opened the $ 70 million Kenyon Athletic Center ( KAC ) , a 263 , 000 square foot ( 24 , 434 m² , 6 acre ) building that houses an Olympic - sized swimming pool , two basketball courts , eight squash courts , a weight room , a 200m track , four tennis courts and other facilities . Rankings . In 2006 " Newsweek " selected Kenyon College as one of twenty - five " New Ivies " on the basis of admissions statistics as well as interviews with administrators , students , faculty and alumni . In the 2013 " U . S . News and World Report " rankings , Kenyon is the No . 32 liberal arts college in the United States overall . " Forbes " magazine ranked Kenyon 39th overall , and 5th in the Midwest , out of the 650 colleges and universities on its list of America ' s Best Colleges 2012 . Admissions . For the Class of 2016 ( enrolled fall 2012 ) , Kenyon received 3 , 947 applications and accepted 1 , 421 ( 36 . 0 % ) . The number enrolling was 446 ; the yield rate ( the percentage of accepted students who enroll ) was 31 . 4 % . In terms of class rank , 52 % of enrolled freshmen were in the top 10 % of their high school classes ; 86 % ranked in the top quarter . The mean SAT scores for the Class of 2016 were 679 for critical reading , 650 for math , and 672 for writing , while the middle 50 % range of SAT scores were 630 - 730 for critical reading , 610 - 680 for math , and 630 - 720 for writing . The mean ACT Composite score was 30 . 1 ; the middle 50 % range was 28 - 32 . Traditions . As Ohio ' s oldest private college , Kenyon has upheld some traditions for more than 180 years . All students in each entering class are expected to take the Matriculation Oath and sign a Matriculation Book that dates back at least a century . Another tradition is the " First - Year Sing . " Each year , entering first - years gather on the steps of Rosse Hall to sing Kenyon songs before they are officially part of the Kenyon community . On the day before Commencement , seniors gather on the steps of Rosse Hall to sing the same songs again . Whenever a new president begins a term at the college , candles are lit in every window of Old Kenyon , as a sign of welcome . Kenyon has had twenty - five presidents ; current president S . Georgia Nugent was Kenyon ' s first female president , and president - elect Sean Decatur is Kenyon ' s first African - American president . Student organizations . Greek life . Kenyon is home to twelve Greek organizations , consisting of six international / national Fraternities , four local sororities and two local societies ( co - ed groups ) . The Fraternities are : Lambda Chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon ( Dekes ) ; The Kenyon Chapter of The Alpha Delta Phi ( ADs ) ; Chi of Delta Tau Delta ( Delts ) ; Beta Alpha of Beta Theta Pi ( Betas ) ; Phi of Delta Phi ( DPhis ) ; Theta of Phi Kappa Sigma ( Phi Kaps ) ; and a Phi Kappa Tau ( Phi Tau ) colony . The Sororities are : Theta Delta Phi ( Thetas ) ; Kappa Sigma Alpha ( Kappas ) ; Zeta Alpha Pi ( Zetas ) ; Epsilon Delta Mu ( EDMs ) . The Societies are : Archon Society ( Archons ) ; Peeps O ' Kenyon ( Peeps ) . 2004 presidential election . Kenyon College attracted national attention after the 2004 presidential election during which , because of a shortage of voting machines and possibly a large number of new voter registrations , some students remained in line for as long as 13 hours to place their votes . The incident received attention in mainstream national news outlets such as " The New York Times " . In spring 2006 , John Kerry delivered the commencement address at Kenyon College , stating that he was " honored " by the students who waited in line during the election . During the 2008 presidential election campaign , the events at Kenyon in the 2004 election were remembered and recounted in discussions of voting policy and predictions the outcome of the 2008 race . Sustainability . Kenyon College has undertaken a number of sustainability initiatives , including a recycling system upgrade , a biodiesel project , a computer lab conversion to double - sided printing , the distribution of green living guides , as well as the creation of a dining hall composting system that diverts 6 , 000 pounds of waste from the landfill per week . Students partnered with administrators and / or professors to complete a campus energy audit for the past three years , as well as a carbon footprint calculation . Kenyon Green Alumni was founded to connect graduates " with a professional interest in the environment . " The college recently received a " C " grade on the 2010 College Sustainability Report Card , compiled by the Sustainable Endowments Institute . People . Notable alumni . Notable alumni include author John Green , US President Rutherford B . Hayes , US Secretary of War Edwin M . Stanton , Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme , Academy Award - winning actor Paul Newman , comedian Jonathan Winters , Emmy Award - winning actress Allison Janney , National Book Award - winning novelist William H . Gass , American poet Saskia Hamilton , cartoonist Bill Watterson , actor Josh Radnor of the sitcom " How I Met Your Mother " , and chemist and writer Carl Djerassi . Notable faculty members . Visiting Faculty