While at Harvard University, Kenney was a member of the Signet society, President of the Spee Club, and Editor of The Harvard Lampoon. There, he was part of the first group of newcomers who restyled the college humor magazine. Another of these Writers was Henry Beard, with whom Kenney frequently collaborated, and who became a lifelong friend. Together with Beard, he wrote the short novel Bored of the Rings, which was published during 1969. Kenney graduated in 1968. Soon after, he, Beard and fellow Harvard alumnus Robert Hoffman began work on founding the humor magazine National Lampoon.