The Consortium for a Strong Minority Presence (CSMP) will gather at Denison University for its fall conference from Friday (Oct. 28) through Sunday (Oct. 30). The 37 member institutions of the CSMP have developed the Minority Scholar-in-Residence Program in order to meet the challenge of helping minority scholars in the early stages of their careers. During the conference, sessions will address various aspects of this program. Among those Denison staff members planning the conference are David Anderson, provost, Keith Boone, associate provost, and Lisa Scott, director of affirmative action and diversity programs at Denison.

The Minority Scholar-in-Residence Program grew out of the conviction that a strong representation of minority scholars on the faculties of liberal-arts colleges is essential. The presence of African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic-American and Native American scholars has a twofold effect: it provides greater diversity of experience and perspective within the faculty and in the curriculum, and the scholars provide necessary role models, especially for minority students. A further aim of the program is to produce a pool of minority scholars who will have firsthand experience teaching at liberal arts colleges and may, therefore, choose to apply for positions at member institutions of the consortium or at similar institutions as these become available.

The fall conference sessions will address: Making the Most of the CSMP Fellowship Year; The Culture of Liberal Arts Colleges; and Next Steps in Your Academic Career, as well as mock interviews and question and answer sessions. Dale T. Knobel, president of Denison University, will welcome the participants at a 6:30 p.m. dinner in the Welsh Hills Room of the Burton Morgan Center on Friday evening. Saturday evening's dinner at theInn will follow campus walking tours.

For more information about the program, link to the consortium's Web site at: http://www.grinnell.edu/offices/dean/csmp/

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

Position Title

Director, Media Relations

Primary Email

stambaughb@denison.edu

Business Phone

(740) 587-8575