Antiracism Planning & Implementation

Denison’s task force on antiracism was chartered by President Adam Weinberg to assess Denison’s living, learning, and working environment to ensure that all students, faculty, and staff benefit equally from its educational mission. The task force has been named, Denison Forward: a forward-thinking diversity strategy.

The planning and implementation of the work is being realized by a coalition of Denisonians: faculty, staff, and students. Working together, they assess the university from three core areas: our people, our practices, and our possibilities. Success in this effort will be signaled when every thriving member of the Denison community feels they have space for their evolving and intersectional identities, experiences, and perspectives to be valued and respected.

People

Invest in the people through training, development, improved skill sets and capacity-building

• Adopting inclusive recruitment and retention strategies
• Provide recognition and development for staff who champion anti-racist efforts
• Create intentional pipelines and succession plans to retaining talent

Practices

Invest in institutional infrastructure, policies, and practices to address historical, structural and institutional racism and other forms of inequity

• Assessment and reporting and responding of incidents of racism and other forms of bias
• Adopt a University-wide learning framework for diversity, equity, and inclusion broadly
• Reviewing university-wide policies, pedagogy, processes, and procedures through an equity-minded lens

Possibilities

Invest in campus-wide strategies and solutions for sustained institutional innovation, engagement and excellence

• A university-wide strategic plan for diversity, equity, and inclusion
• An institutional review of programs, partnerships, and spaces using an antiracist, equity-minded lens
• Cultivate strategic programs and community partnerships internal and external organizations and communities