Planning for Students' Career Success

Ellen Griggs ’77 jokes that she was not known for her academic prowess at Kenyon. Instead, she found a home playing field hockey and lacrosse. With her previous gifts, Ellen has celebrated her family connections to Kenyon and athletics, including supporting the new turf field at the Benson Bowl and dedicating the Field Hockey Coach office in the Kenyon Athletic Center in memory of her father, Alexander Griggs ’53, who died when she was just 10. Her uncle, niece and cousins all attended Kenyon and Ellen served as a member of the Board of Trustees for 15 years, continuing the affection.

Like many, Ellen began to take a longer view as she reached a certain milestone. “It’s amazing what happens when you turn 65: You start to think about Medicare and planned giving and another chapter of your life,” she says.

As she looked to her future, Ellen also began to think about the future for Kenyon’s students, specifically their post-college pathways. “Seeing the struggle in the job marketplace, it’s something that students really need to address early in their college experience to really help them gain momentum and access to the job market. Because it’s unbelievably challenging to find a job out of college,” she says.

With that in mind, Ellen has pledged a generous gift to establish the Ellen W. Griggs ’77 Career Development Suite, a home for the College’s career development office in the new Gordon Keith Chalmers Library. Locating career development efforts in this beautiful central location, as a full part of the academic heart of the College, reflects Kenyon’s dedication to post-graduation student success.

Ellen’s is a blended gift, combining a current cash portion with the remaining amount to be funded from her estate. This structure has allowed her to significantly increase the size and impact of her gift.

Despite her inclination for field hockey and lacrosse over more academic pursuits as a student, Ellen retired nine years ago after a successful career as a financial services professional. She now serves on several private company boards, including Trillium Asset Management; E. Ritter & Company, a family-owned agribusiness and telecommunications company; Evanston Capital Management Board, an alternative investment management firm and Market Street Trust Company, a New Hampshire State private trust company. She is also involved with nonprofits, including as a member of the Executive Committee and Board of the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and the New England Aquarium Board of Overseers Executive Committee as well.

The Ellen W. Griggs ’77 Career Development Suite, the gift made possible by her career, will soon be providing the resources to help Kenyon students launch careers of their own.