Denison Associate Provost Champions Diversity

Denison University Associate Provost Dr. Toni C. King is dedicated to supporting diverse leadership in the student body and faculty. With a career that includes teaching at a historically black college, an all-women’s college, two state universities, and, for the past 15 years, a liberal arts college, Toni believes that higher education should offer a transformative experience.

“Higher education can be such a model community for diversity and leadership,” says Toni. “Denison aspires to have a community that reflects the larger world around us. You are stepping into a living and learning community without stepping away from the world.”

“Since 2000, Denison has welcomed 21 Posses from two cities, Boston and Chicago,” says Posse Chief Operating Officer Matthew Fasciano. “It is such a vibrant place for Scholars to learn, engage and lead.”

According to Toni, Posse Scholars have added to the quality of classroom discussions and helped to strengthen the campus community. In the past decade, she estimates that the number of student organizations that focus on identity and culture has doubled.

“It’s not a surprise to have students who are effective communicators and who are astute in using themselves as change agents—that is a part of Denison,” says Toni. “But the leadership and world view of Posse Scholars brought some new dimensions to the kinds of things students talked about and how they responded to academic subject matter.”

In addition, Toni cites faculty leadership as one of the most significant effects of being a Posse partner.

“We have this core of faculty who have served as Posse mentors and have a deep and broad understanding of community,” says Toni. “That understanding makes them leaders, champions and advocates of policies that carry the broader community forward.”