Since Adam Weinberg became Denison’s 20th president in 2013, he often has met with civic leaders and organizations and has expressed the desire for Denison to be a proactive part of Licking County’s future. As part of this effort, President Weinberg asked me to serve as a liaison with the community and to reach out to organizations, business and civic leaders, and entrepreneurs in order to gather ideas for how Denison could be a stronger partner.

Over the last year, President Weinberg and I have had the opportunity to meet with and learn about the incredible resources, organizations and forward-thinking companies in our community. Even though I grew up in Licking County, I wasn't fully aware of the innovation, entrepreneurial spirit and new investments that are happening all over the county.

This work has left me hopeful for Licking County’s future and Denison’s role in that future. Denison has a long history of being active in the community. We will continue those efforts and will do more by focusing on five areas:

  1. Community Service. Denison students dedicate nearly 35,000 hours annually to community service. Through the John W. Alford Center for Service Learning at Denison, our students tutor in schools, clean up parks, and work with area non-profits. We will continue our commitment to service, focusing on issues identified by the community to be the greatest challenges and highest priorities.
  2. College Access. Denison has been an avid supporter of A Call to College, a proven approach to help Newark High School students attend college. To that end, Denison should be accessible to Licking County’s best and brightest. Currently 97 percent of Denison students receive financial aid. This year, 1 out of 5 incoming students are the first ones in their families to go to college. 50 percent of our students come from the Midwest. We have made Denison affordable to a huge array of families. Now, we want to do more to make Denison a college of choice for local students.
  3. Non-Profit Capacity Enhancement. From the Yes Club and Big Brothers Big Sisters, to the Salvation Army, The Works, and the Licking County Coalition for Housing, our faculty and students have been given opportunities to partner on research and projects that support the efforts of these and other great organizations to improve their operations and expand their reach. Through an increased focus on experiential learning, we hope our students and faculty might continue to add even more capacity to these organizations.
  4. The Arts. The arts are a huge asset to our downtowns. Over the last year, we have developed new partnerships with Earthwork Recording Studio, The Sparta and others to develop arts events that bring more people into our downtowns where they will shop in our locally owned stores and restaurants. The recent Bluegrass Festival, with hundreds of attendees, was the first of many efforts.
  5. Economic Development. Jobs anchor communities. We are going to be more proactive in working with local government and other entities on economic development projects. To that end we’ve recently partnered with Mayor Hall, Licking Memorial Hospital and the Evans Foundation on a project to evaluate the feasibility of a Food Enterprise Hub as part of the overall Newark Market District project. This project could create significant economic activity and opportunities for entrepreneurial development.

Last year Denison spent nearly $15 million locally and we’re on track to increase that amount in the coming years. Denison plans to expand our sourcing of goods and services from within the county whenever possible. Denison will also continue to partner with civic leaders, community organizations, citizens and businesses to conduct research that helps us, as a community, make smart choices in defining future community development.

As someone who grew up in Licking County and also graduated from Denison, I am proud to see Denison forging new and renewed community-college collaborations. Licking County is a great place to call home.

Jeremy King is Denison University’s Campus Sustainability Coordinator.

January 6, 2015