Special Campus Memo: BOT Announces Contract Extension for President Kington

Dear Grinnellians,

The recruitment, evaluation and retention of the College’s presidential leader are among the most important responsibilities of the Grinnell College Board of Trustees. Likewise, a president’s long-term dedication to the College’s mission is often key to continued progress and success. Accordingly, the trustees have been steadfast in our commitment to continuing President Kington’s leadership which began when he was first appointed in August 2010. I am delighted to announce that at our recent Board of Trustees’ meeting, President Raynard S. Kington and the Board entered into a three-year contract extension, under which his service to the College will continue through June 30, 2022.

This agreement represents a dual vote of confidence. The Board clearly has tremendous trust in President Kington’s leadership which has resulted in the College’s demonstrable progress over his almost nine-year tenure. And I believe that by agreeing to the contract extension, President Kington is voicing his own vote of confidence in, and a renewed commitment to, the future of Grinnell College, and our faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

A priority of President Kington’s tenure has been strengthening the connection between academic excellence in the arts, humanities, sciences, and social studies, as well as graduates’ ability to go into the world and transform it. He has promoted innovation and entrepreneurship on campus, for example, creating the Grinnell Prize and the Innovation Fund, and has championed the development of Careers, Life, and Service, ensuring that Grinnellians are well prepared to thrive in their lives after College. He has helped lead us in investing nearly $140 million in campus renewal to provide Grinnell students with the best of 21st century teaching and learning opportunities, made manifest in the recent opening of the Humanities and Social Studies Center and the Admission and Student Financial Services Center.

Among President Kington’s most important accomplishments have been increasing diversity and inclusion efforts on campus, and providing greater access to education. He has been at the forefront of our commitment to need-blind admission and to meeting 100 percent of students’ demonstrated financial need. He has done so while encouraging philanthropic growth, and helping us to be thoughtful and prudent stewards of the College’s overall financial resources.

On behalf of all of our trustees, I want to say how profoundly grateful we are for President Kington's ongoing leadership and service.

Sincerely,
Patricia Jipp Finkelman '80
Chair, Grinnell College Board of Trustees