Denison University

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (March 2009)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2007)

Denison University
Established	1831
Type	Private school
Endowment	$642.8 million[1]
President	Dale T. Knobel
Staff	190 full-time faculty
Undergraduates	2,100
Location	Granville, Ohio, United States
Campus	Rural, 850 acres (3.4 km2) plus a 350-acre (1.4 km2) biological reserve.
Athletics	23 varsity teams, NCAA Division III, Member North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC),
Colors	Red and White
Mascot	Big Red
Website	www.denison.edu

Denison University is a private, residential liberal arts and sciences college in Granville, Ohio, approximately 30 miles (50 km) east of Columbus. Denison was founded in 1831. As of June 2009 its enrollment is 2,242 students.^[2] Denison is a member of the Five Colleges of Ohio, the Great Lakes Colleges Association, and the North Coast Athletic Conference.

Denison is listed in Loren Pope's Colleges That Change Lives.

Contents 1 History 2 About the university 3 Student body 4 Degrees and majors 5 Athletics 6 Fight song 7 Greek life 8 Student organizations 9 Notable alumni 10 Rankings 11 External links 12 References

[edit] History

Originally called "Granville Literary and Theological Institution"[2] Denison University was founded by Ohio Baptist Education Society in 1831. When it finally moved to a hill overlooking the city it changed its name to Denison University, renamed as a means of securing a larger endowment, offering the privilege of naming the institution with a donation of $10,000. A Muskingum County farmer named William S. Denison offered to donate this considerable sum. Although he ultimately donated only a portion of the total promised (using the excuse that with his recent marriage, he could no longer afford to surrender such a large amount), the college retained his name. Denison was an exclusively male college at the time of its inception, but has since become coeducational. This began with the Granville Female Seminary, which was founded in 1832 by Charles Sawyer. It was sold to Daniel Shepardson in 1861 and renamed Young Ladies' Institute. Finally in 1900 it was renamed for a third time to the Shepardson College for Women and became a part of Denison University. Founded as a Baptist institution, Denison for many years enjoyed the support of John D. Rockefeller, who sat on the college's board of trustees until the institution mandated that all trustees be Ohio residents. Among Denison's early distinguished faculty is William Rainey Harper, who later (with Rockefeller) founded the University of Chicago. A boys' preparatory school, Doane Academy, also coexisted on the hilltop campus for many years (of which Harper was principal); upon closing, the school building became the seat of the college administration.

Denison previously offered some graduate programs, including an early incarnation of the study of neuroscience, leading to a master's degree; however, Denison was made into an exclusively undergraduate institution in the late 1920s. The university offers 48 majors, each leading to a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. Denison also offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. English, communication, economics, psychology, biology, political science and history are among the school's top majors; however, Denison also offers an array of less traditional majors, such as cinema.

Dale Thomas Knobel is currently serving as Denison's nineteenth president and has been since 1998. He resides in Monomoy Place in Granville, the official home of Denison's presidents.

[edit] About the university

Denison is a strictly residential campus that features a mixture of historic and contemporary buildings. This means that almost all of its 2,000 students must live in university-owned housing. Housing options include single, double, triple, and quadruple rooms, as well as suites of six. However the eight and nine person rooms have been changed to six person suites. There are various apartments across campus and several satellite houses for seniors.

However, the Homestead is an alternative student housing option to dormitories and campus apartments. The Homestead is a student-run community with a focus on ecological sustainability. Twelve students live and work together each semester to promote a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. Students living at the Homestead are responsible for cooking weekly meals, sharing chores, attending weekly meetings, and more.

The campus size is about 1,200 acres (4 km²). This includes a 500 acre (1.4 km²) biological reserve just east of campus, where professors of sciences like geology and biology can hold class. Denison's annual operating budget is about $69 million. It also has other funds including endowments that surpass $600 million. Denison has 190 full-time faculty, making the student-to-faculty ratio 10:1. In 2008, 5,313 students applied to Denison University, lowering the acceptance rate to 38%.

Over the past several years, Denison University has made great strides in attracting a diverse student population, and multicultural students now represent 20 percent of the current first-year class. The college's students, faculty and staff were honored in 2008 by the State of Ohio for "promoting understanding, racial unity and the appreciation of diversity."

Popular hangouts of the students include Brews and Whit's, two restaurants in downtown Granville.

There are many myths and legends that surround Denison University. Many nearby buildings claim to have hosted runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad, which was active in the area, especially the now vanished barn behind Bancroft House. Rumors of a tunnel between the Avery-Downer House and Monomoy Place are often told, possibly rooted in the actual tunnel dug from Cleveland Hall's original coal fired power plant for the campus, that ran under College Hill to an outlet on the north side of campus. One of the least plausible the belief that there is a treasure chest hidden at the bottom of Ebaugh pond, near Ebaugh Fields (the soccer fields). Some say that it was hidden there by the secret campus organization called the Wingless Angels. Attempts to dredge the pond to find the chest in the summer of 2006 were unsuccessful. The University has since ignored the myth and inquiries about it by local media.

Student Organizations

DCGA

The Denison Campus Governance Association (DCGA), Denison's student government body, has the authority to allocate funds to various student organizations. If funds have been allocated for computing equipment, or if a student organization receives donations or gifts or raises funds to purchase computing equipment, the organization has a right to purchase a machine of its choice. The current policies of Denison University Computing Services state that Computing Services will only provide computing support for computing equipment purchased through Computing Services. Computing Services will only purchase equipment for Faculty, Staff, and Lab areas. This page will provide information about how student organizations can get help, what equipment is recommended, and where to get the best pricing.

As the Denison Campus Governance Association (D.C.G.A.), we are charged to respond to the needs and desires of our fellow students. More specifically, as stated in the Denison Handbook, the purpose of this organization is to ensure the direct student participation in campus governance to protect the rights of the students of Denison University, and to mind the legitimate needs and desires of the students and manifest them in policy and institutional action. We do this by drafting legislation, preserving the student voice on campus committees, and working with staff, faculty, and administration to enact changes that will better our campus.

The D.C.G.A. is also responsible for financially supporting over 100 student clubs and organizations, which provide the Denison community with opportunities to participate in athletics, write for several publications, volunteer in the local community, learn about various cultures, and attend well-known speakers, among other endeavors.

2009 - 2010 Executive Board

President - Ryan Burandt Vice - Shavely Peralta Treasurer - Lauren Waters Public Relations Chair - Kimmi Oshita Speaker - Jordanne Snyder

Class of 2011

Senator - Nick Weiss

[edit] Student body

Total Enrollment - 2,048 44% Men 56% Women Students of Color - 19% International Students - 4% Origin of Students - 46 states, DC and 25 countries Four-Year Graduation Rate - 81.3%

Entering Student Profile(Class of 2013) Number Applied - 5,000 Number Accepted - 2,480 (49%) Number Enrolled - 650 Average SAT Combined - 1290 Average ACT Score - 28 Percent in Top Fifth of HS Class - 80% Percent in Top Tenth of HS Class - 54%

[edit] Degrees and majors

Denison offers three types of degrees: B.A., B.S., & the B.F.A. Students can create their own major (called an interdepartmental major) or choose among the following. A few of these subjects are concentrations only and are not offered as majors.

Arabic Art History Art Studio Astronomy Athletic Training Biochemistry Biology Black Studies Chemistry Chinese Cinema Classics Communication Computer Science Dance

East Asian Studies Economics Educational Studies English Literature English Writing Environmental Studies French Geosciences German Greek History International Studies Japanese Latin Mathematics

Music Neuroscience Organizational Studies Philosophy Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) Physical Education Physics Political Science Portuguese Psychology Queer Studies Religion Sociology/Anthropology Spanish Theatre Women's Studies

[edit] Athletics

Denison is a member of the NCAA and the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). Denison participates as a Division III institution which prohibits athletic scholarships. Denison has won nine (9) consecutive NCAC All-Sports Championships for a total of ten (10) since the founding of the conference in 1984-85. Denison's other All Sports Championship came in 1985-86, and both the consecutive championships streak and the total of ten represent conference records.

The most successful teams are led by the Men's and Women's Swimming programs. In 2001, the women won the NCAA Division III national championship, unseating perennial champion and local rival Kenyon College. In 2006 and again in 2007, the men placed 2nd in the nation; the women's and men's teams each finished in 3rd in the nation in 2008 and again in 2009. Plans are currently underway to expand Denison's athletic facility to include a new state of the art natatorium. The squash program is also a perennial national contender. Other top ranked programs include lacrosse, soccer, baseball, softball, and women's tennis. The Denison women's tennis team finished their 2008 season ranked 3rd in the country. Also, for the first time in school history their #1 doubles team made it all the way to the championship match in the individual national competition. The women's softball team had a record breaking season in the spring of 2008 also. They advanced farther in the NCAA tournament than any other team has since softball became a varsity sport at Denison in 1997. They competed in the regional final against Muskingum College in Glassboro, NJ. and in the final D3 season rankings the softball team was ranked 22nd in the nation. The lacrosse and soccer games against Ohio Wesleyan University are the most widely attended "rivalry" games. Also, the Kenyon/Denison swimming rivalry is recognized in small-college sports.

Woody Hayes, later renowned as the head coach at Ohio State University, graduated from Denison in 1935, having served as captain of the football team the previous fall, and served as the university's head football coach from 1946 to 1948.

[edit] Fight song

"Denison Marching Song"

So let us cheer, cheer, cheer, for Denison.
And then our spirit we will show.
For ev'ry one will cheer to help our men go crashing through the foe.
Come, let us fight fight with all our might.
Hurrah for the Red and White!
So cheer cheer for old D.U.
Three cheers for Denison!

[edit] Greek life

Denison has seven fraternities and five sororities. Fewer students are currently participating in Greek life than they have historically. In the 1980s, over 60% of the student body belonged to a Greek organization. Currently, Greek participation by students is about 40%. Although 40% of the student body is involved in Greek Life, more women participate than men. Greek organizations are governed by an Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Council.

During the mid-1990s, in an effort to re-brand the college as more of an academic, and less of a party, institution, the college's trustees elected to make Denison a "non-residential" Greek system. The decision led to student and alumni uproar, with a low-grade riot erupting on the campus' "Fraternity Row" as a result with the administration calling in the National Guard to maintain order. The trustees' decision turned most of the formerly-residential fraternity houses into general college residential halls, and each chapter was given lounge space in the basement of each respective house for official fraternity functions (including chapter meetings). The change to a non-residential Greek system, combined with a reduction in the number of fraternities, accounts for most of the reduction in the student Greek participation between the current and historic levels. An underground chapter of Phi Gamma Delta still operates, despite expulsion in 2007.

The fraternities are:

• Alpha Phi Alpha
• Beta Theta Pi
• Delta Chi
• Kappa Sigma
• Lambda Chi Alpha
• Phi Beta Sigma
• Phi Delta Theta
• Sigma Chi
• Sigma Phi Epsilon

The sororities are:

• Alpha Kappa Alpha
• Delta Delta Delta
• Delta Gamma
• Kappa Kappa Gamma
• Kappa Alpha Theta
• Pi Beta Phi

Many of the former residential Fraternity Houses have been renamed and are currently used for student housing.

• The Delta Upsilon house became Taylor House, an "honors" residence hall
• The Delta Chi house became Sunset House
• The Lambda Chi Alpha house became the Erma and Clark Morrow House, an all-first-year student "living and learning" residence hall
• The S. S. Chamberlin Lodge of Phi Gamma Delta became the Chamberlin House
• The Phi Delta Theta house became the Preston House

Some of these former houses, such as the Sigma Chi House and Kappa Sigma House, are still owned by national fraternities and rented to the college.

[edit] Student organizations

• Denison Campus Governance Association (DCGA)
• Denison International Student Association (DISA)
• Denison Hilltoppers mens a Capella group
• Denison Homecoming Gala Committee
• Denison Frisbee Ultimate Club
• Denison Film Society
• Denison Ladies Ultimate Club
• The Homestead
• WDUB 91.1 FM
• Burpee's Seedy Theatrical Company
• Black Student Union
• Denison Gaming Guild
• Denison Religious Understanding
• Denison University Recycling Program (DURP)
• Denison College Republicans
• Denison Democrats
• Women's Emphasis
• Outlook (LGBT organization)
• Denison Community Association (Service organization)
• The Denisonian student newspaper
• BullSheet, a forum for community news and humor published daily
• Denison Independent Theatre Association
• The Bandersnatch coffee house
• Asian Culture Club
• University Programming Council

[edit] Notable alumni

Denison has some 28,000 alumni all around the world. Some notable alumni include:

• Theodore Adams (former President of the Baptist World Alliance)
• Homer Burton Adkins (Organic chemist)
• Joe Banner (current President and CEO of the Philadelphia Eagles)
• George Bodenheimer (current President of ESPN and ABC Sports)
• William G. Bowen (former President of Princeton University, current President of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation)
• Steve Carell (screen and television actor, best known as star of 40 Year old Virgin, The Office, and Little Miss Sunshine)
• John Canning, Jr. (Chairman, Madison Dearborn Partners)
• Roe Conn (radio personality, WLS 890AM, Chicago)
• Dan Daub (Major League Baseball player, 1892-1897)
• John Davidson (stage and television actor, game show host, including Hollywood Squares)
• Michael Eisner (former Chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Company)
• Christopher Edward Emery (poet and editor for Penguin Books)
• Sara Fritz (Writer, former Washington Bureau Chief of the St. Petersburg Times and former Managing Editor of Congressional Quarterly)
• James Frey (screenwriter and author - author of A Million Little Pieces which was featured on Oprah's Book Club)
• Jennifer Garner (screen and television actress, best known as star of TV show Alias)
• Eric Gurevich (screen and television actor, best known for work on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia)
• Tony Hall (Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture and former United States Congressman from Ohio)
• Woody Hayes (football coach of Ohio State from 1951 to 1978)
• Hal Holbrook (stage, screen and television actor, best known perhaps for portrayal of Mark Twain)
• Terrell Jones (founder of Travelocity)
• Sue W. Kelly (former member of the United States Congress from New York)
• Richard Lugar (Current United States Senator from Indiana, currently on the Board of Trustees)
• Nancy Lynn, (American aerobatic pilot, killed in Culpeper Airfest crash 2006)
• Johnny O'Connell (professional sports car racer)
• Bobby Rahal (Indianapolis 500 champion)
• José Rivera (first Puerto Rican screenwriter to be nominated for an Academy Award)
• John Schuck (screen, stage, and television actor)
• George Stibitz (American scientist, early pioneer of computer with Bell Labs))
• Jack Thompson (anti-video game activist)
• Erastus B. Tyler (Union Army general in the American Civil War)
• Alberto J. Verme (Co-Head of Global Investment Banking, Citigroup)
• Thomas M. Hyndman IV (Assistant Production Coordinator, Bad Robot Productions)
• Nina West (Andrew Levitt) (National Entertainer of the Year 2008, Drag Queen)
• Susan Whiting (Executive Vice President of VNU/Chairman of Nielsen Media Research)
• David Weinberg, American vocalist of The Suicide File
• Mark Haines, co-anchor of CNBC’s Squawk on the Street
• G. Duke Virca, Ph.D (Scientific Director--Inflammation Research Amgen Inc.)

[edit] Rankings

• 52 Best Liberal Arts College in the US (2008) [3]
• 48 Best Liberal Arts College in the US (2006) [4]

[edit] External links

• Denison University - official website
• Yesterday and Today: Denison History
• The Denisonian
• Granville, OH
• Denison Progressive Alliance
• Denison Film Society
• Todd DeFeo Photography Portfolio: Denison University

[edit] References

v • d • e Five Colleges of Ohio Oberlin • Kenyon • Ohio Wesleyan • Denison • Wooster

v • d • e Great Lakes Colleges Association Albion • Antioch • Allegheny • Denison • DePauw • Earlham • Hope • Kalamazoo • Kenyon • Oberlin • Ohio Wesleyan • Wabash • Wooster

v • d • e Annapolis Group Chair: Katherine Haley Will Agnes Scott • Albion • Albright • Allegheny • Alma • Amherst • Augustana • Austin • Bard • Barnard • Bates • Bennington • Berea • Berry • Birmingham-Southern • Bowdoin • Bryn Mawr • Bucknell • Carleton • Centre • Chatham • Claremont McKenna • Coe • Colby • Colgate • Saint Benedict • Colorado • Connecticut • Cornell • Davidson • Denison • DePauw • Dickinson • Drew • Earlham • Eckerd • Franklin & Marshall • Furman • Gettysburg • Gordon • Goucher • Grinnell • Gustavus Adolphus • Hamilton • Hampden-Sydney • Hampshire • Harvey Mudd • Haverford • Hendrix • Hiram • Hobart & William Smith • Hollins • Holy Cross • Hope • Illinois Wesleyan • Juniata • Kalamazoo • Kenyon • Knox • Lafayette • Lake Forest • Lawrence • Lewis & Clark • Luther • Macalester • Manhattan • McDaniel • Middlebury • Millsaps • Monmouth • Moravian • Morehouse • Mount Holyoke • Muhlenberg • Nebraska Wesleyan • Oberlin • Occidental • Oglethorpe • Ohio Wesleyan • Pitzer • Pomona • Presbyterian • Puget Sound • Randolph-Macon • Randolph • Reed • Rhodes • Ripon • Rollins • St. Benedict and St. John's • St. John's • St. Lawrence • St. Olaf • Salem • Sarah Lawrence • Scripps • Sewanee • Skidmore • Smith • Southwestern • Spelman • Swarthmore • Sweet Briar • Transylvania • Trinity College • Trinity University • Union • Ursinus • Vassar • Wabash • Washington • Washington & Jefferson • Washington & Lee • Wellesley • Wesleyan College • Wesleyan University • Westmont • Wheaton • Whitman • Whittier • Willamette • William Jewell • Williams • Wittenberg • Wooster

v • d • e Oberlin Group Albion · Alma · Amherst · Antioch · Barnard · Bates · Beloit · Bowdoin · Bryn Mawr · Bucknell · Carleton · Colgate · Colorado College · Davidson · Denison · DePauw · Earlham · Eckerd · Franklin & Marshall · Grinnell · Hamilton · Harvey Mudd · Haverford · Holy Cross · Hope · Kalamazoo · Kenyon · Lafayette · Macalester · Manhattan · Middlebury · Mount Holyoke · Oberlin · Occidental · Ohio Wesleyan · Pomona · Reed · Smith · St. Olaf · Swarthmore · Trinity · Union · Vassar · Wabash · Wellesley · Wesleyan · Wheaton · Whitman · Williams · Wooster

v • d • e Consortium of Liberal Arts Colleges (CLAC) Albion · Alma · Amherst · Bates · Beloit · Bowdoin · Bryn Mawr · Bucknell · Carleton · Colby · Colgate · Colorado College · Connecticut College · Davidson · Denison · DePauw · Dickinson · Earlham · Eckerd · Franklin & Marshall · Gettysburg · Grinnell · Hamilton · Harvey Mudd · Haverford · Holy Cross · Hope · Kalamazoo · Kenyon · Lafayette · Lawrence · Lewis & Clark · Luther · Macalester · Manhattan · Middlebury · Mills · Mount Holyoke · Muhlenberg · Nebraksa Wesleyan · Oberlin · Occidental · Ohio Wesleyan · Pitzer · Pomona · Reed · Rhodes · Scripps · Sewanee · Skidmore · Smith · St. Lawrence · St. Olaf · Swarthmore · Sweet Briar · Trinity (CT) · Trinity (TX) · Union · Vassar · Wabash · Washington · Washington & Lee · Wellesley · Wesleyan · Westmont · Wheaton (IL) · Wheaton (MA) · Whitman · Whittier · Williams · Wooster

v • d • e North Coast Athletic Conference Allegheny • Denison • Earlham • Hiram • Kenyon • Oberlin • Ohio Wesleyan • Wabash • Wittenberg • Wooster