Denison University

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{{Infobox_University |name=Denison University |image=Image:Dulogo.jpg |established=1831 |type=Private school|Private |affliation=No Church Affiliation (formerly Baptist) |president=Dr. Dale T. Knobel |city=Granville, Ohio|Granville |state=Ohio|OH |country=United States|USA |undergrad=2,100 |postgrad=0 |staff=190 full-time faculty |mascot=Big Red |campus=Rural, 1,200 acres including a 500-acre biological reserve. |free_label=Athletics |free=22 varsity teams, NCAA Division III, Member North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), |colors=Red and White |website=www.denison.edu |}} Denison University is a private liberal arts and sciences college in Granville, Ohio, approximately 30 miles (50 km) east of Columbus. Denison was founded in 1831. It has a current enrollment of about 2,000 students. Denison is a member of the Five Colleges of Ohio, the Great Lakes Colleges Association, and the North Coast Athletic Conference.

1 History
2 About the University
3 Degrees and majors
4 Greek life
5 Alumni
6 External links

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History

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 1831 by Charles Sawyer. It was sold to Dr. Daniel Shepardson in 1861. It was renamed to Shepardson College for Women and became a part of Denison University in 1900.

Denison previously offered some graduate programs leading to a master's degree; however, Denison was made into an exclusively undergraduate institution in the late 1920s. The university offers 35 majors, each leading to a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, or Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. In addition to such traditional majors as history, mathematics, and psychology, students can focus on less common subjects like cinema and black studies.

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About the University

One aspect that makes Denison different from many other colleges is that it is entirely residential. This means that almost all of its 2,000 students must live in university-owned housing. This decision is popular with some students, but others, especially upperclassmen, get upset about this requirement. The university maintains that the residence requirement brings the campus together and gives the university a strong sense of community. Housing options include single, double, triple, and quadruple rooms, as well as suites and apartments.

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 total $448 million. Denison has 190 full-time faculty, making the student-to-faculty ratio 11:1.

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Degrees and majors

Denison offers three types of degrees: B.A., B.S., and 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.

Art History
Art Studio
Biochemistry
Biology
Black Studies
Chemistry
Cinema
Communication
Computer Science
Dance
East Asian Studies
Economics
Education
English Literature
English Writing
Environmental Studies
French
Geology
German
History
International Studies
Latin
Mathematics
Media Technology and Arts
Music
Philosophy
Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)
Physical Education
Physics
Political Science
Psychology
Religion
Sociology/Anthropology
Spanish
Theatre
Women's Studies

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Greek life

Denison has seven fraternities and six sororities. Fewer students participate in greek life than did during the early 1990s, but the culture is still relevant, with just about one third of all students joining a house.

The fraternities are:

The sororities are:

During the mid-1990's, 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. While sorority members had never been allowed to live in their respective houses, the trustee decision turned each 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).

Since the decision, many of the formerly purely greek houses were renamed:

The Delta Upsilon house became Taylor House, an all-senior "honors" residence hall
The Delta Chi house became ASH ("All Senior Housing") House
The Lambda Chi Alpha house became the Erma and Clark Morrow House, an all-first-year student "living and learning" residence hall
The Phi Gamma Delta house became the Chamberlain House
The Phi Delta Theta house became the Preston House

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