Message from Adam:
An academic community is at its best when it values the rich diversity of human experiences and perspectives. Universities should be places where every individual, regardless of background, feels a sense of belonging and has the support to flourish. To do this, a university should be a pluralistic community that cultivates intellectual curiosity, humility, and the ability to communicate and collaborate across differences.
In pursuit of this vision, we launched Denison Forward in 2020 to ensure that all members of the Denison community experience the welcoming, inclusive environment we seek to create. Our initial focus was understanding and addressing the experiences of historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups on campus. While that focus continues, our ultimate aim is to foster a culture of belonging and flourishing for every member of our campus community.
In the summer of 2020, we launched the first phase of this work by forming a committee to understand where Denison was strong and healthy and where we had work to do. In January 2022, we released the Denison Forward plan to broadly engage the campus community. The major focus of this plan was a recognition that every member of our community needs to proactively work to create the campus culture we aspire to have.
Since we launched Denison Forward, four interconnected commitments have emerged:
- Diverse: Cultivate a community rich in diversity (e.g., socio-economic, cultural, and intellectual) that recognizes that the interplay of varied backgrounds, viewpoints, identities, and experiences is essential to the education of our students and the work of our faculty.
- Welcoming: Create a campus culture where everyone feels welcomed from their first day on campus, recognizing that this is everyone’s responsibility.
- Belonging: Ensure that every member of our community feels listened to, valued, and respected and is an essential part of our campus.
- Flourishing: Foster a supportive environment where everyone has the tools and encouragement to do their best work and build the lives they aspire to live.
Our work has both broadened and narrowed. Our initial focus on race and ethnicity was the right place to start, and we have expanded the scope of Denison Forward to focus on inclusivity and belonging for all members of our campus community. Our work is also narrowing, as we have learned to focus on a few areas to ensure progress.
The next phase of our work is focused on four areas that cut across the college:
- Measurement: Developing an instrument that will allow us to measure and understand the experiences of different groups across our campus.
- Onboarding: Revamping how we onboard students, faculty, and staff into Denison to ensure that everybody is welcomed into the community and set up for success.
- Problem Solving: Creating better ways to respond to specific gaps and issues that prevent some community members from feeling a sense of belonging and flourishing.
- Skills Building: Developing the capacity to engage different perspectives, navigate complex social and cultural contexts, and build pluralistic communities where everybody can thrive.
As a liberal arts college, we need to prepare our students to develop the capacity to thrive in a diverse and interconnected world. As an employer, we are working proactively to provide all faculty and staff with the support needed to ensure that Denison is the best place they will ever work.
Denison Forward is critical to our mission and purpose as an academic community. I am proud of the progress we have made and grateful for the hard work so many have put into it.
Adam S. Weinberg
President
Denison University