Read all about Denison's 2008 Commencement Weekend, complete with photos and texts from the event's featured speakers.

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Julian H. Robertson Jr., a leading investor, environmentalist and philanthropist, was honored by Denison University in April with the establishment of an endowed professorship in his name. The $2.5 million professorship was funded through a collaboration of Robertson's Denison friends, as well as his professional colleagues in the financial world, to honor his guidance and careful stewardship of a significant portion of Denison University's endowment for many years and his close ties to the college. The professorship, the holder of which will be named at a later date, recognizes exemplary achievement in teaching and scholarship by Denison faculty.

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Erik S. Farley, assistant dean of students for multicultural affairs and director of the Diversity Center at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., will join Denison’s administration this summer as director of multicultural student affairs and assistant dean of students. Farley graduated from Denison in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in history. He earned a master of arts in educational leadership from Eastern Michigan University, where his experience included two years as an academic intervention specialist in EMU’s Holman Learning Center and an administrative internship in the Office of Multicultural Affairs at Ursuline College.

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Adele N. Gorrilla will join the administration of Denison University on Oct. 1 as chief investment officer, succeeding Michael Horst, who completed 11 years as director of investments in 2007. Gorrilla will be responsible for the oversight of the university's $700 million endowment. She will work closely with the Board of Trustees Investment Committee to define and implement a comprehensive investment strategy and select external fund managers. She also will play a role investing operating funds and in defining debt strategies.

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Denison University welcomes poet and translator Dick Davis as the opening speaker for the Beck Lecture Series at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 10, in the Barney-Davis Hall Board Room. Davis is professor of Persian and chair of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at the Ohio State University. He has produced more than 20 books as an author, translator and editor. His second book of poems received the Heinemann Award of the Royal Society of Literature; the British edition of his selected poems was chosen as Book of the Year by The Times (London) and The Daily Telegraph (London); and the American edition received the Ingram Merrill Award.

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bell hooks will open Denison's McGregor Connections Initiative lecture series at 8 p.m., on Thursday, Sept. 11, at Swasey Chapel. Her lecture will focus on personal identity and the urban environment. The convocation is free and open to the public. A scholar, activist and writer, hooks is known for her work on race, gender and class. She adopted her grandmother's name as her pseudonym to honor her legacy. According to hooks, her name's unconventional lowercasing signifies what is most important in her works: "the substance of books, not who I am." She is renowned for her audacity and her intellect and is considered one of the preeminent cultural critics of our time.

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Language students know the anxiety and satisfaction of putting classroom learning into practice with a native speaker. It feels like a great leap, but then a parachute opens as the skills and vocabulary learned over time start to materialize and provide support. With a partner in conversation, new vocabulary and conjugation develop naturally, and in the context of its native country and culture, a second language comes to life.

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In a ceremony held on April 15 in the Welsh Hills Room of Denison's Burton D. Morgan Center, Vice President of Student Affairs Samuel J. Thios presented the University's 2008 Distinguished Leadership Award to 42 deserving seniors. The honor is awarded annually to graduating seniors recognizing their "extraordinary commitment to excellence, leadership and dedication to Denison and surrounding communities." This year's honorees represent a remarkably broad and diverse range of interests and contributions.

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During its regularly scheduled spring meetings on April 18 and 19, 2008, Denison University's Board of Trustees approved plans for three important construction projects: a major overhaul of Ebaugh Laboratories, the college's chemistry and biochemistry facility for teaching and research; improved athletics and recreation facilities, including a new 50-meter natatorium, as well as expanded fitness and locker room spaces; and the renovation of Chamberlin Lodge to become an apartment-style housing unit for approximately 50 upperclass students.

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Over the past half decade, the number of national and international fellowships, grants and scholarships awarded to Denison University students has increased every year. This year is no exception. A record 13 awards, with prestigious names like Fulbright, National Science Foundation, Goldwater and Congress-Bundestag, have been granted to Denisonians, and several others were highly ranked finalists. Last fall, The Chronicle of Higher Education recognized Denison as one of the top producers of Fulbright awards for U.S. students.

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Denison University announces that Michael Eisner, class of 1964, has given the college gifts through The Eisner Foundation to create an endowment valued at $1.75 million. The gifts establish the Dominick Consolo Endowed Professorship, named in honor of one of Mr. Eisner's favorite Denison professors. Dr. Consolo is an emeritus professor of English at the college, having been an active faculty member from 1958 until his retirement in 1992. The professorship will recognize the "exemplary achievements in teaching and scholarship" of a current faculty member while funding a portion of salary, benefits and research at the college.

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The Class of 2012 is shaping up as the strongest, most talented and diverse in Denison University's 177-year history. In another record-setting year, the Office of Admissions received more than 30,000 inquiries from prospective members of the Class of 2012. With the help of scores of individuals, including DARTers (Denison Alumni Recruiting Teams), faculty, staff and current Denison students, the university was able to convert these inquiries into more than 5,300 applications, representing the largest applicant pool Denison has ever had. In addition, only 38 percent of those applicants received an offer of admission, matching the lowest acceptance rate in Denison's history.

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Once again, Denison students and members of the community gathered in the Mitchell Recreation and Athletics Center to raise money for the American Cancer Society's 'Relay For Life.' Last year, the students raised an impressive $71,000. According to Averi Frost '08, student co-chair of Denison's Relay for Life, the goal for 2008 was $80,000. Friday night's highlights included the Student Activities Council sponsoring a highly anticipated appearance by national rock act "Blessid Union of Souls," which was broadcast live on the campus radio station, WDUB-FM.

Link to a story from the Newark Advocate.

Link to photos from the Advocate.

Ask students what's new these days on the Denison University campus, and what you hear may surprise you - it's innovation itself. Thanks to a grant from The Burton D. Morgan Foundation, Denison is launching a new program on the Liberal Arts and Entrepreneurship Education, and as a result innovation is becoming a hot topic on campus. The new program is kicking off with a week-long workshop on "Entrepreneurial Endeavors." The workshop, an intensive introduction to theory and practice of entrepreneurship, is coordinated by Dr. David Przybyla of Denison's Organizational Studies Program and Psychology Department. The program draws on Denison's alumni body to feature graduates who have gone on to careers in innovation.

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On April 18, Denison University's students, faculty, staff and trustees convened at the college's 2008 Academic Awards Convocation in Swasey Chapel to recognize the academic achievements of its students, honor its outstanding faculty members, and present medals to seven outstanding graduating seniors. The President's Medals were established in 1985 as Denison's highest and most prestigious honor, recognizing students who have demonstrated not only intellectual achievement, but also have made some other significant contribution to the community in such areas as global awareness, athletic fitness, leadership and campus discourse.

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Madeline “Mad” Mohre, a member of the Denison class of 2008 from Dewitt, Mich., won this year's People's Choice Award from the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Ohio. The awards for Excellence in the Visual Arts, or EVAs, are the nation's first online college art awards. Ohio independent college seniors were nominated by the chairs of their art departments. Students presented their work online and included explanations and a short video for judging by academic and artistic panels. The public was able to vote online for their favorite artists. Mohre's presentation won the popular vote to take the People's Choice Award.

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For the last 14 years, Denison University has been doing what Harvard and Yale are saying they will do for the first time this fall -- aggressively holding down costs for as many incoming students as possible. "We have long believed that part of our job is to do what we can to make Denison affordable for the students we admit," says Perry Robinson, vice president and director of admissions. "We're pleased that some of the larger universities have decided to come on board -- but we've been doing this for a long time, and we're stepping up our efforts."

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The Fulbright Program recently announced the complete list of colleges and universities that produced the most 2007-2008 U.S. Fulbright Fellows. The success of the top-producing institutions was highlighted in the Oct. 26 edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education. Three students from Denison University won Fulbright awards for 2007-2008 and a total of eight students won highly competitive scholarships toward graduate study, teaching, or major internships. Denison has a history of being one of the highest producers of Fulbright scholars among private liberal arts colleges in the nation.

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Make no mistake about it, senior Lauren Kendall is passionate about Namibia. Five minutes into a conversation with her, and her enthusiasm already has you in its grip. You find yourself casting about for ways to help this dynamic young woman. Kendall's drive was the force behind a special evening at Brews Café that raised more than $1,800 for Hope Initiatives Southern Africa.

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The Denison theatre department is presenting a work-in-progress of Arthur Kopit, one of America's leading playwrights. Kopit, Denison's Reynolds Playwright-in-Residence, is weaving a play called "Discovery of America," a fascinating story that examines the life of Cabeza de Vaca, the first European to sojourn across the American continent. Denison theatre students will debut their stage reading of the play from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, April 18, in Ace Morgan Theatre. A boldly theatrical work — sometimes comic, sometimes tragic, always entertaining — "Discovery of America," is a sharp-witted and thought-provoking exploration of memory and history and their tenuous relationship with objective truth ... whatever that is.

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Denison University's 167th Commencement Exercises are set for May, 11, 2008. The entire weekend schedule and helpful information for families of graduates are located here.

This year’s Kussmaul Award was presented to Laura Walker, Granville High School class of ’05 and Denison class of ’08, at the Granville Rotary Club’s luncheon meeting on Monday, April 21, at the Granville Inn. Each year, the Kussmaul Award honors the Denison University student “who has contributed most to the friendly relations between Granville and the college.” The award is presented by the Granville Area Chamber of Commerce (GACC) in cooperation with Denison University. Both Evelyn Frolking, president of the GACC, and Dale Knobel, president of Denison, were on hand to present the award. The ceremony featured an address by Laurel Kennedy, Denison director of service-learning, whose inspirational talk was titled “Service in Liberal Arts Education.”

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Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft will visit Denison University at 7 p.m., on Monday, April 28, in Slayter Hall Auditorium. The lecture, sponsored by the Denison College Republicans, is free and open to the public. Ashcroft, attorney general from 2001-05, will speak on the topic "Today and the Future of Homeland Security." Ashcroft's career of public service began in 1973 with his position as Missouri state auditor. He was Missouri's attorney general and governor before serving in the Senate from 1995 to 2001, when he was appointed U.S. attorney general.

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Over the last several years, Denison University has been diligent in developing and updating its Crisis Management Plan, covering a wide range of emergencies, from natural disasters and disease outbreaks to large-scale accidents and random violence. One facet of that plan is the development of Denison's Emergency Response Guide (found online at www.denison.edu/offices/security/). The guide includes basic information for students and employees in the event of a campus emergency. In addition to police, fire or medical crises, the plan has specialized instructions for flooding, civil disturbances, gas leaks, suicide threats, suspicious packages, power outages, weather emergencies and bomb threats. It also includes a campus map, crime-prevention tips and first-aid instructions.

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Author Loren Pope is a man on a mission -- to educate American parents and their prospective college student children about the cutting edge education that is available at four-year liberal arts colleges across the United States. Denison is included in his Colleges That Change Lives, 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges, published by Penguin Books in 2006.

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