GAMBIER — Mount Vernon and Kenyon College have been neighbors for two centuries, and new investments from the Wright family will soon bring them closer together.
The Wright family of Mount Vernon has created a new scholarship to allow a top Mount Vernon High School graduate to attend Kenyon College tuition-free for all four years.
In addition, the family has created new endowed funds at Kenyon to support internship stipends for Ohio students and five additional for students from anywhere who choose to intern in the state. The total value of the investments in Kenyon is $5.8 million.
According to Kenyon President Julie Kornfeld, the newly endowed initiatives strengthen the college’s commitment to Mount Vernon and aim to introduce more students to the many opportunities in Knox County, Columbus, and Ohio, both now and after graduation.
“Thanks to this generous new gift — a powerful continuation of all the great work that the Wright family has done in our community and at Kenyon — we will be able to do more to nurture exceptional students from this region and connect Kenyon students with the many opportunities available to them on and beyond campus,” she said.
It also sends an important message about the college’s strategic priorities.
“This important gift demonstrates that Kenyon is closely connected to this region and to Mount Vernon and hopes to be a vibrant partner in its success for years to come,” Kornfeld said.
Wright family ties to Kenyon
The Wright family’s ties to the college and surrounding community are strong. Alex Wright, Kenyon Class of 2005, grew up in Mount Vernon and now serves as a Kenyon Board of Trustees member and CEO of the Ariel Corporation.
Ariel is a leading manufacturer of compressors used in the natural gas industry and Knox County’s largest employer.
“Our family has experienced firsthand the immense benefits of a Kenyon education. We’re excited to create a permanent pathway for a talented student from Mount Vernon, our hometown, to share in that same rich experience, while also helping other students explore the many opportunities in this region,” said Alex Wright.
His spouse, Libby, also attended Kenyon, as did his late brother, Hunter, and Hunter’s spouse, Katherine. Their mother, Karen Buchwald Wright, is a former Kenyon trustee and former Ariel CEO.
Karen Wright established the Ariel Foundation in 2009 to improve the quality of life and increase opportunities in her hometown of Mount Vernon.
The new Wright Family Scholarship will be awarded to a top Mount Vernon High School graduate who is not eligible for tuition remission through a Kenyon family member. This will further strengthen an existing enrollment pipeline and affirm that Mount Vernon families have an exceptional educational opportunity in their backyard.
The stipends to support experiential learning through internships and research in Ohio will showcase the region’s thriving business and professional climate. They intend to involve Kenyon students in supporting the area’s economic development and expose more students to all the state offers post-graduation.
These initiatives are the latest in a concerted effort by the college to support students from Ohio with exceptional financial aid opportunities. Others include the Ohio Promise Scholarship and the Governor’s Merit Scholarship Match.
Five full-tuition scholarships are also awarded annually to the top applicants from the state, and the Kokosing Scholarship is available for high school graduates from Knox County.
Successful fundraising
Kenyon recently concluded the most successful fundraising campaign in its history. Early in the campaign, the Wright family made a gift to allow for the creation of Kenyon’s first satellite space in Mount Vernon, the Wright Center, in the renovated Buckeye Candy and Tobacco Company building.
The center houses the college’s film program, the Office for Community Partnerships, and SPI, a nonprofit for local families specializing in science-based play.
The family also endowed a faculty position in the economics department to explore the traditions and values that have built American democracy and free enterprise.
During the six-year Our Path Forward to the Bicentennial campaign, 22,886 people gave over $532 million, which was used to transform the campus and the educational experiences of current and future students.