Denison University will welcome mat the Class of 2017 this Sunday, Aug. 25. First-year students will move into their campus residences beginning in the morning and will officially join the Denison student body that evening during the traditional Induction Ceremony to be held at the Reese¬~Shackelford Common. The class, some 590 strong and hailing from 38 states and 13 countries, will be welcomed by Denison President Adam S. Weinberg, who will officiate in his first formal celebration for the college. During the opening processional, the class will hear an original musical fanfare dedicated especially to their class, composed by Ching-Chu Hu, associate professor of music, and more than 200 members of the faculty will join to “clap the class in.”
Perry Robinson, Denison vice president and director of admissions, is enthusiastic about the Class of 2017. “This class has great diversity and potential in many arenas, especially in scholarship and leadership. They are an exceptionally talented group of individuals, with a proven ability to make the most of their academic life.”
The first-year students will continue their orientation to Denison's campus and culture with a series of special events that will take place over several days of August Orientation. The programming is designed to develop skills critical to success in college and facilitate a smooth transition from secondary school to college life. Members of fall varsity athletic teams have arrived over the last week for preseason preparation. In addition, various campus and residential life student staff members arrived early. Upper class students returning to Denison will arrive on Wednesday, Aug. 28, and classes will begin on Thursday, Aug. 29.
Nearly 50 percent of the Class of 2017 graduated in the top 10 percent of their secondary school class and the class has an average combined SAT score of 1270, an ACT composite score of 29. The median high school grade-point average of the incoming class is 3.5. Additionally, multicultural students comprise 34 percent of the class, making the Class of 2017 the most diverse in the college's history. This puts Denison in the company of the most diverse liberal arts and science colleges in the country. This class includes 40 class presidents, 42 school newspaper editors, more than 400 participants in the fine and performing arts, and 310 who have held full- or part-time jobs while attending school. The vast majority were leaders in community service and 119 were involved in student government. More than three-quarters of the members of the incoming class were involved in varsity athletics at their secondary schools. Among those athletes, 193 led their peers as team captains and 148 earned All-State recognition.