This year’s report, “Undermining Pell,” takes a long look at how higher education institutions are serving their students with the highest financial needs. Denison University, has a well-earned reputation for its commitment to accessibility and affordability, especially among high-achieving students from under-represented socio-economic backgrounds. In the latest report, Denison has been recognized for providing the lowest net price of any private, four-year college in Ohio. The report notes that 17 percent of Denison’s incoming class received Pell grants, along with university-provided grants that brought the average net price to $10,691 for those students. The current first-year class includes 23 percent of students whose economic circumstances qualify them as Pell recipients.
“Colleges have ethical obligations to our communities to stay affordable and accessible,” says Denison President Adam Weinberg. “Also, part of the purpose of college is to be exposed to the world of ideas and learning to live with people who may have very different views than you. You can’t do that unless your campus is diverse. For both ethical and practical reasons this is very important.”
“Undermining Pell” looks at data from 1,400 private and public colleges to answer the question of how well colleges and universities are addressing the needs of the country’s lowest-income students. The authors compared information about first-time, full-time students from families with less than $30,000 annual income in 2011-2012.
While economic diversity is important, a Denison education is a much broader experience. In a highly respected national survey, Denison students report that they are participating in a stimulating and personally satisfying education of depth and breadth in the liberal arts that equals or in some cases exceeds that of their peers at similar institutions.
In addition, as students prepare to transition to a working environment, they find that employers are searching for many of the same skills that they report achieving at Denison. According to an Association of American Colleges and Universities survey of employers, the top attributes employers look for in employees include the ability to think clearly about complex problems, the ability to write and speak clearly, and the ability to work in teams, all areas in which Denison students awarded top marks to their education.