Greetings from Denison — or as we say here, The Hill!
I feel very lucky to be back on campus. For those of you who do not know me, I began my enrollment experience at Denison in 1996, so this is a homecoming nearly 30 years in the making. So much has changed — both on campus and for me personally — since I was last at Denison. For one, I had hair when I was here previously, but perhaps that’s a post for another time!
While many things have changed, I am pleased to say that what I loved about Denison in the 1990s remains true to this day. This is a place where the entire community works together to help students identify and realize their hopes and dreams, whatever those may be. Our mindset comes from a place of “yes,” leading to collaborative, creative solutions to the different challenges our students face. Relationships between our students, faculty, coaches, staff, alumni, and administrators are foundational to the Denison experience, and we’ve invested in ways to make them more meaningful than just during a student’s time on campus. We are privileged to be resourced like few other places in higher education, and our financial health allows us the opportunity to be adventurous in matters that are important to both students and parents, like career preparation, financial aid, interdisciplinary learning, cutting-edge academic programs, and life-shaping educational experiences.
With an endowment of over $1 billion, we are positioned for sustained success, and we are constantly working on ways to leverage that point so every Denisonian may lead vibrant lives well beyond their time as students. While other places may be tasked with, “can we do it,” we are in constant search of “what can we improve next?” This momentum has led to some exceptional results, like meeting the full demonstrated financial need for all students for all four years and even eliminating the use of student loans for some populations. In the classroom, we’ve taken a pragmatic approach to the liberal arts, providing relevant, progressive academic programs — like global commerce, cinema, health, exercise, and sport studies, data analytics, and applied mathematics, to name a few — that prepare students for life beyond campus in ways that are uncommon at many institutions. Students pursue competitive internships, conduct research side by side with dedicated faculty, and experience off-campus education opportunities domestically and abroad to better prepare them for life after college. Denison is truly a remarkable, life-shaping place, and I’m thrilled to be back.
Thank you in advance for your work in guiding students to find their college match. If we can be of any assistance during the college application process, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I look forward to connecting with you over the next several months; in the meantime, I’ll keep in touch via this blog.
As I used to say to our prospective students — Think Denison!