Denison University unlocks the potential of our students. Through profound learning and lasting relationships, our graduates enter the world with the knowledge, skills, habits and networks that give them the foundation to succeed. Denison is building on that success, launching the college’s most ambitious and comprehensive fundraising campaign in its almost 200-year history.
The Unlocking Potential: Investing in Denison campaign supports strategic and visionary goals in six critical areas: scholarships for students; robust support for faculty and curricula; developing and implementing an industry-changing approach to career exploration; enrichment and enhancement of the performing arts; wellness and co-curricular learning in residence communities; and ongoing support for the college’s Annual Fund. The campaign officially launches with a reception at Denison’s Mitchell Center on Friday, Oct. 6.
“Denison has a proud history of giving our students an excellent education that prepares them for lives of personal, civic and professional success,” said Denison University President Adam Weinberg. “This campaign will propel Denison’s education to an even higher level. It is an exciting time to be at Denison and be part of the unfolding of a strategic plan that is changing students’ lives.”
Financial Scholarships
Financial scholarships help students who are most financially vulnerable — as well as those from middle class families who struggle to afford tuition amidst rising costs of living — to attain excellent Denison educations that connect them to unprecedented opportunities.
Breaking the mold in Career Exploration
Denison enables students to be the architects of their lives. Our Austin E. Knowlton Center for Career Exploration has vaulted over the old model of isolated career offices. Today, we help current students discover exciting and meaningful career paths through funded internships, student-alumni mentoring relationships, professional skills-building programs, and more. In fact, the college recently was recognized with a national award for innovative thought leadership in career exploration.
Academic Innovation
Denison’s rigorous academics and caring mentorship by faculty who are at the top of their fields have a lasting positive impact for our students. Denison is building on that academic success with innovation in four areas:
Academic majors: Denison’s majors in Global Commerce, Data Analytics, and Health, Exercise & Sport Studies, along with concentrations in Financial Economics and Narrative Nonfiction have been launched and are generating a great deal of excitement from both current and prospective students. By focusing these topics through a liberal arts lens, our students benefit from the depth and breadth of a Denison education, with exceptional strengths in critical thinking and communication skills.
Global Learning: International educational opportunities are strategically placed throughout Denison’s curriculum — more than 80 percent of our students take advantage of these life-changing experiences to study off campus in some capacity. Denison is strengthening its global offerings and maximizing the impact of international experiences for students through Denison Seminars, Global Scholar Residencies and International Internships/Research. Financial support makes these life-changing experiences available to all Denison students, regardless of financial constraints.
Transitioning to College: Denison’s popular Advising Circles program provides structured, yearlong advising to help first-year students successfully transition to life in college. Small groups of students are paired with faculty advisors and upper-class student mentors for regular meetings that connect the dots between the learning that happens inside and outside classrooms, labs and studios.
Faculty Innovation: Denison faculty are the catalyst for innovation, pushing boundaries in their respective fields and in the classroom. The Center for Learning and Teaching offers seminars and workshops that enhance the ability of Denison faculty to teach, advise and mentor students. The Lisska Center for Scholarly Engagement provides resources and opportunities to enhance the academic pursuits of faculty and students, including Fulbright and Gilman post-graduate fellowships.
Enhancing the performing arts
Our students and faculty are highly talented in the arts. We nurture their interest through rich offerings in music, theater, dance, cinema, art history, studio art, and creative writing. The stunning new Michael D. Eisner Center for the Performing Arts, scheduled to open in late 2018, will give our amazing students a superb facility to match their dreams and vision.
Investing in residential experiences and design thinking
Denison is a residential college where learning happens 24/7. Students extend their learning through thought-provoking programming, partaking in organizations, and conversation with faculty mentors and student leaders. Denison’s unique approach to residential education helps students apply classroom theory to real-world situations, practice team-building and leadership, and test and refine their worldviews.
As a 100% residential community, the college supports students in their personal wellness in an updated and renovated health and counseling services building, and with skilled and caring staff, who administer a comprehensive holistic health program. The Red Frame Lab is an exciting new space in the center of campus where students and faculty can gather to apply design-thinking skills to classroom assignments, organizational issues, and societal questions. Students examine problems and develop solutions using skills that are important in every walk of life.
Recent rankings by U.S. News and World Report, The Wall Street Journal and others indicate the impact that the strategic plan already is having in the college.
“Denison is a remarkable college. I feel proud to call myself a Denisonian,” said Weinberg. “Our new strategic direction and this funding initiative will propel us forward, assuring that Denisonians have the skills, values, habits, networks and experiences to unlock their potential. This is a place that is launching the dreams and visions of thousands of talented students. Now is the time to build on that momentum and secure Denison’s position among the very best private liberal arts colleges in the country.”