GAMBIER, Ohio — Financial technology entrepreneur Matthew Voorhees has committed $25 million to Kenyon College, his alma mater and a leading liberal arts college in central Ohio. His gift will launch a new initiative that connects Kenyon’s interdisciplinary learning with hands-on experiences to equip graduates to lead in a complex and changing world.
“As an English major who went on to found a financial services software company, I know well that a Kenyon education prepares you to lead and innovate in any field. I am excited that Kenyon is working to codify these connections for today’s students,” said Voorhees, the co-founder of Anybill Financial in Washington, D.C., and a 1995 Kenyon graduate.
Kenyon’s new initiative will assist students in building a portfolio of experiences that connect their academic interests to the world beyond Kenyon. Students will choose from several cross-cutting themes, or pathways, to explore courses across majors and departments as well as to find related internships, research opportunities and field experiences. Anchored in real-world interests and concerns, these pathways will be interdisciplinary and action-oriented, exploring themes such as fostering resilient democracies, navigating global economies and cultures, sustaining a changing planet, or using data and technology to improve society.
The initiative builds on the College’s historic strengths. Kenyon faculty and students have always reached across disciplines and beyond campus to explore ideas and put them into practice. This initiative provides the advising, administrative and financial infrastructure to ensure that these opportunities are not just available to every student but integrated into their Kenyon experience.
“Long committed to our mission of building lives of purpose and consequence, Matt is a true steward of Kenyon’s future,” President Julie Kornfeld said.
Voorhees, a trustee, has been a dedicated supporter of Kenyon for decades, but the gift represents a significant increase in his philanthropy. “I am absolutely thrilled to be able to make this gift to Kenyon, a place that continues to mean so much to me.”
Voorhees’ investment also serves as the lead gift for a new Third Century Founders effort that seeks to raise $100 million for Kenyon’s endowment in two years. Voorhees is joined by seven other trustees, making gifts of $1 million or more. These and additional donors have already given more than $40 million to this effort.
Following the celebration of Kenyon’s bicentennial and the conclusion of the most successful fundraising campaign in its history last year, the College is now focused on its third century, with an emphasis on growing its distinctions and the resources to support and sustain them.
“As strong as our foundation is, we cannot stand still,” Kornfeld said. “We must continue to invest in what makes Kenyon Kenyon, just as we must carve out new distinctions that speak to the next generation of students and faculty.”
Since arriving in October 2023, Kornfeld has been a vocal champion of Kenyon’s strategic plan, Foundations for Kenyon’s Third Century, and has led an institution-wide process to implement it, engaging faculty and staff in setting the course.
Kornfeld’s vision has garnered enthusiastic support, including in central Ohio, a region that has experienced tremendous growth and business investment. In December 2024, the Wright family of Mount Vernon committed $5.8 million to endow funds for Kenyon students to intern in Ohio and for Kenyon students from Ohio to intern anywhere, among other investments to strengthen the College’s ties to the region. Alex Wright, Kenyon trustee and 2005 graduate, is CEO of the Ariel Corporation, Knox County’s largest employer.
“A Kenyon education is borderless,” Kornfeld said. “I’m excited to see the connections Kenyon students will make on campus, around the globe and right here in our backyard.”
“At Kenyon, when we say ‘interdisciplinary’ we mean it in the broadest sense,” Provost Jeff Bowman said. “Kenyon students and faculty are nimble and curious thinkers. They explore questions from multiple angles, bring together knowledge from different fields, and test ideas in different contexts. They like to put ideas into practice; our alumni are shining examples of what’s possible when these things come together.”
In addition to Voorhees and Wright, Kenyon alumni include entrepreneurs and changemakers in many fields. Among them are former U.S. Ambassador to the Ukraine Bridget Brink, co-founder of Bloomberg News Matthew Winkler, climate activist and lawyer Colette Pichon Battle, and bestselling author and public health advocate John Green.
View downloadable images of Kenyon and an aerial campus image.
