A Pride of Presidents

“Pride” is actually the term for a company of lions, but the word certainly fit the mood when Kenyon welcomed back former presidents Philip H. Jordan Jr. and Robert A. Oden Jr. last fall, to join President S. Georgia Nugent for a panel discussion on the College's accomplishments and challenges. As part of the extraordinary gathering, Jordan (1975-95) and Oden (1995-2002) also joined Nugent in presenting addresses at Founders' Day.

S. Georgia Nugent on the Challenge of Choosing Among Many Good Ideas, Given Limited Resources
"It's like Mae West -- so many men, so little time. In our case, it's so many ideas, so little money."

Rob Oden on Tough Challenges
"Toward the end of our years here, on an alumni survey, we asked, 'What's wrong with Kenyon?' The answer that came back was not a plurality; it was a majority. The answer was: February."

Phil Jordan on Moving Away from its Lingering All-Male Culture
"I came at a time when Kenyon was palpably male, and the male tonality of the place was very strong indeed....all-male colleges have a certain terriotiralism about them."