Professor Joe Klesner (third from right) with the two Resident Directors, Kenyon students and staff from the University of Exeter English Department.

Kenyon College Provost visits College of Humanities as impressive number of Kenyon students undertake popular Exeter-Kenyon programme

The College was delighted to host Professor Joe Klesner, the Interim Provost of Kenyon College, Ohio, on 7 October. Professor Klesner visited the English Department to meet the phenomenal number of Kenyon students taking part in the annual one year study abroad programme at the University of Exeter.

The programme, which was established nearly forty years ago, has seen a surge in participation this year, with twenty-two Kenyon students studying at the Streatham Campus.

As part of their degree, Kenyon’s English majors can spend a year at Exeter studying a combination of Exeter and Kenyon modules. The flexibility of the programme also means that they can choose a module from other departments within the College of Humanities, for example Drama or Film Studies.

The significant rise in the number of students taking part this year has meant that the students are accompanied by two Resident Directors, who facilitate the programme. Professors Sergei Lobanov-Rostovsky and Sarah Heidt from the Kenyon English Department have both acted as Resident Directors in previous years and have been looking forward to working together to shape the 2013-14 Kenyon-Exeter programme. As Resident Directors, they teach the students, organise visits to areas of literary importance and act as mentors. This year, students have already travelled to London on multiple occasions to watch plays at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, including Blue Stockings, a new play written and directed by Exeter alumna Jessica Swale.

Grace Hitzeman, a Kenyon student currently enrolled on the course, remarks, “I thought Blue Stockings was absolutely terrific. The play really reminded me of what a privilege it is to be allowed to learn. We are living in an age where women are not only allowed but also encouraged to pursue knowledge.”

Professor Klesner visited both the Streatham and Penryn campus during his stay in England. At Streatham, he met colleagues from English including Professor Jane Spencer, Head of English at Exeter and Dr Sinéad Moynihan, Lecturer in English and Internationalisation Officer for the Department.

Professor Spencer comments, “We were delighted to meet Professor Klesner and to celebrate our relationship with Kenyon. It is always a great pleasure to have the students from Kenyon in our classes and to work with our Kenyon colleagues, and this year, we are especially pleased to be welcoming an increased number of Kenyon students together with two Faculty members, Professor Sergei Lobanov-Rostovsky and Professor Sarah Heidt.”

Professor Heidt adds, “It was terrific to have Joe Klesner visit us in Exeter - both to see the university's campuses and meet some of our colleagues here, and also to get a chance to talk to so many of this year's students about their experiences so far. We have one of the largest groups of students ever for the Kenyon-Exeter Program, and it's exciting to feel that the program is a vital part of so many students' study of English at Kenyon.”

For more information on the Kenyon/Exeter program, please see the Kenyon College Kenyon Exeter web pages or the English webpage.

Date: 28 October 2013

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