Ken Rosenfeld is something special—a teacher, well, not a teacher alone, but a history teacher, Dorm Head, Head Coach of WSC & VWS Swimming and Diving, Perry Teaching Award winner, and previously Lead Class Advisor, International Student Advisor and Assistant Director of Admission and Financial Aid. And though this is all true (and not a complete list), his list of responsibilities isn’t what makes Ken special. In fact, at Webb his list is not unique. Ken is special for two reasons—his positive energy and infectious enthusiasm for working with teenagers is unrivaled, and he is now the first Dean of Campus Life to open and lead programming for the New Hooper Community Center.
The New Hooper Community Center completed last year is now open for business—fully reimagined and renovated. A community hub for living and learning at the center of campus, it offers a space for the whole community to gather. The New Centennial Plaza extends programming into the great outdoors.
Blake ’68 and Andrea Brown were leadership donors to the project, and Blake is a member of both the Board of Trustees and the Executive Campaign Committee. Praising the community-wide response to supporting the project, Blake said, “We are so thankful for all the contributions made by donors, the Webb team, architects and contractors. What a wonderful job in integrating the past with today’s modern conveniences.”
Integrating the past with an eye to the future is the guiding philosophy of transforming our campus home. And since Webb’s beginning, philanthropy has played a major role in creating our campus.
When asked to describe how he felt about this generosity and how it has impacted his life personally and professional over the years, Ken Rosenfeld was effusive and unrestrained.
“There is no aspect of my life at Webb that hasn’t been touched by the generosity of the Webb community. My new office sits in the newly-renovated, beautifully-furnished, technologically-advanced Hooper Community Center. From my seat at my desk, I have a clear view of my Master’s degree that was partially funded by a Perry Award I received from the school in 2016, a picture of the Webb Swim and Dive team on the deck of a pool that is the envy of every team we host, and the screen of my Webb laptop that allows me to complete my work with ease whenever and wherever needed. And when I leave my office at the end of the day, I head to a recently renovated house on the north end of Alamo Lawn that I am proud to call my new home. Life at Webb is full, but Webb has done everything possible to ensure that our hearts are always as full as our lives in the Webb community.”
Ken’s hope is that the Hooper Community Center will serve as the hub for school spirit within the Webb community. Whether hosting an all-community event, serving coffee and treats from our new Cafe 1175, distributing mail and packages from our Concierge Desk, or simply giving students a place to hang out between classes or on the weekend, Hooper will be the place to go for all things fun and collaborative.
As The Centennial Campaign launches, there are a number of exciting capital initiatives that include new projects, renovations and reimagining of a variety of spaces on campus—academic, community, dormitories, faculty housing and more.
Ken continued, “I am beyond excited about all of the projects Webb has undertaken because all of them are inspired by the goal of bringing the community together. For decades, we have been “two schools on a single campus,” but many (if not all) of these projects are working towards the sentiment of one united community where all of its members feel welcomed, respected, and valued. I have been lucky enough to be a member of this school community for nearly half of my life, and have seen it grow and evolve over the years. It has never been more of a beautiful representation of what we value than it has become over these past couple of years and will continue to become as these projects are completed and the next ones begin.”
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