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Denison University

Undergraduate School

Mailing Address
100 W College St
Granville, Ohio 43023
Phone
(740) 587-0810
Email address
admission@denison.edu
School Information
"As one of the nation’s leading liberal arts colleges, Denison University boasts generations of students who can attest to its effect on their lives. Each would cite a different reason. And they’d all be right because Denison’s liberal arts tradition and residential community create a college of endless personal possibilities." The university enrolls over 2,300 undergraduates, employs over 230 faculty, and has 54 academic programs. (Source: https://denison.edu/campus/about/fast-facts)
General Information
Denison University is exploring ways to "reimagine" training for both staff and incoming students. Additionally, it is "Working with academic departments to focus on classrooms and the academic experience" by engaging "our faculty as full partners in the work of antiracism." No Critical Race Training sessions are yet required of students. See developments below:

Actions Taken

Admissions Policies
  • The Center for Belonging & Inclusion at Denison states, "We recruit, retain, and support our diverse student, faculty, and staff members" and that "Diverse students, staff, and faculty ideas, perspectives, and backgrounds are supported to create an inclusive and innovative learning environment."
Anti-Racism, Bias, and Diversity Training
  • The university will be "Revamping our training and onboarding of new staff and ongoing training of current staff. Our Director of Human Resources will identify outside experts to conduct an audit of our current programing and help us make improvements to train all of our staff on what it means to work on a college campus like ours and what we expect from one other. HR will have a new staff orientation program ready by the start of the second semester."
  • The "Dean of First-Year Students will review our current programing and provide recommendations on how we can help those joining our community understand our values and give them the skills to act on them. He will share a draft plan by the end of the fall semester so we can implement any changes for next year’s incoming class."
  • The Center for Belonging & Inclusion at Denison University "Incorporate[s] initiatives for Denison community members to build their multicultural awareness and antiracism competency."
Political Actions and Support for Anti-Racism
  • The university actively enouraged students to get involved and support Black Lives Matter specifically.
Resources
  • The university will "...engage our faculty as full partners in the work of antiracism. Faculty play a unique role as educators. We need new partnerships and collaborations across the campus and in the larger community that help us realize our institutional commitment to antiracism. In particular, we need to utilize the intellectual expertise of faculty who have specialization in issues of power, privilege, inequity and injustice."
  • On October 4, 2022 the Global Studies Seminar at Denison presented a lecture titled "The Battle over Critical Race Theory in Ohio Schools” featuring Chris Crews, visiting assistant professor at Denison. The lecture was described as follows: "Like many other states in the country, Ohio is currently in the throes of a heated clash between proponents of racial justice and opponents who deny the realities of systemic racism. Over the past year, Ohio schools have become the focus of a concerted, national culture war being waged by white conservatives."
  • The 2022-2027 Student Life Strategic Plan states that it would "intentionally build awareness and competence using a lens of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-Racism in all aspects of our work, to better serve our diverse student population."
  • On October 9, 2023, Denison held a lecture titled "Antiracist Solidarity and the Problem of Ending Gender Violence" which is described as follows: "To end gender violence we need antiracist solidarity that crosses national, racial, and ethnic boundaries. It requires risky strategies that address political and religious traditions to which we cling..."
Symbolic Actions
  • The university created a task force named "Denison Forward: a forward-thinking diversity strategy."
Last updated October 10th, 2023
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