Maintaining an edge in the rapidly changing field of data analytics requires diligence.
“Complacency kills innovation,” said Associate Professor Sarah Supp, chair of data analytics. “We can always learn. That’s why we need to stay in conversation with our colleagues across the country.”
Conference attendees
To contribute to the conversation and share its successes, Denison hosted a three-day Data Science at Liberal Arts Colleges (DSLAC) workshop, Oct. 14-16, 2026, in Knobel Hall and the King Center for Data & Innovation. The event attracted about 40 educators representing 23 liberal arts colleges across the country.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Denison’s data analytics program is one of the university’s most in-demand and fastest-growing majors, with graduates successfully launching into a wide range of career opportunities.
Its continuing innovation and leadership in the field made hosting the scholarly gathering on Denison’s campus an obvious choice.
“It’s gratifying to see Denison continue to lead the effort to integrate data analysis into more and more liberal arts curricula,” said Denison Provost Alisa Rosenthal, who addressed participants on Day 1 of the workshop. “As taught at Denison and at the other colleges represented at the conference, this is an area of study that cultivates the same intellectual virtues that are at the core of the liberal arts and Denison’s mission, most notably autonomous thinking and active citizenship in a democratic society.”
Visitors marveled at the new King Center — a dedicated hub for integrating data and AI literacy across the student experience.
“This building is just remarkable,” said Nicholas Horton, a professor of statistics and data science at Amherst College. “I’ve taken lots of pictures to bring back home.”
Denison’s data analytics program is believed to be the oldest among liberal arts institutions. Horton runs a data science initiative at Amherst for faculty and staff that’s four years old. Several educators attending the workshop were from colleges that launched their programs in the fall of 2026.
So it’s no surprise that Supp and fellow Denison colleagues fielded plenty of questions about how the university has built a powerhouse program with connections to almost every department and major on campus.
“This is a really interesting program at Denison,” said Valerie Barr, a professor of computer science at Bard College, where data science is offered as a minor. “Because it really does bring in a lot of interdisciplinarity, a lot of people from different fields.”
Supp was pleased that 23 liberal arts colleges — there are 54 DSLAC member schools — sent representatives to the workshop. It demonstrated what she calls “a real appetite” for examining how others in the data science community run their departments.
Educators had held several virtual meetings and a 2023 in-person conference, one of which was funded by a former liberal arts alliance. DSLAC, formed in 2024, is a larger, more inclusive organization.
Supp was among the catalysts for the 2026 workshop, receiving full support from the administration to host the event.
“Denison’s program has been used as a model for other universities to build on or modify for their own colleges,” Supp said. “Some other data science programs are a track within computer science or an existing math or statistics major. Either way, there’s often only one person or a small group of people teaching and running these programs. They don’t always have other faculty in their field to bounce ideas off. That’s why we’re doing this.”
The workshop’s objectives included:
- Facilitating dialogue and communication among data science educators to establish strong cross-organizational and interdisciplinary relationships.
- Collaborating on communication, instructional tools, and strategies.
- Planning for DSLAC’s future across the professional and educational landscape.
Discussions in the group and breakout sessions were lively and informative. Educators were interested in hearing about the challenges facing other institutions as well as their success stories. A common theme was showing how data science can benefit professors and students in all majors.
Horton, president-elect for the American Statistical Association, was impressed with what Denison’s data analytics program has achieved in 10 years and grateful for the university’s willingness to host the DSLAC workshop and share its wisdom.
“There have been programs established all over the country, but not one that’s been so tied in with the university’s mission and with the other departments and programs on campus,” Horton said. “There’s a real hunger to examine best practices, and they are really well enunciated here. This has been great.”
