Ananyaa Vaishnavi, Special to The Denisonian
More than a decade ago, Denison introduced Global Commerce with a clear distinction from traditional business degrees. “This is not a business major,” Associate Provost Catherine Dollard told The Denisonian in 2015. Currently, the university is discussing a proposal to add a business major of its own.
The proposal, however, remains under consideration. Conversations with campus sources suggest that faculty will not vote until near the end of the semester. No final curriculum, approval decision, or anticipated launch date has been publicly confirmed.
The discussion comes during a period of significant academic expansion at Denison as well. The faculty approved a standalone Finance major in September 2025, and students began taking its new curriculum this spring. The major replaced the Financial Economics concentration within Economics, offering more specialized coursework and opportunities to develop technical skills earlier in students’ college careers.
In February, the Finance major doubled its core finance courses from two to four and expanded the department’s capacity to offer electives. Ashwath Pratheep ’28, who switched to the major, described an important distinction.
“As a student interested in pursuing a career in finance, having it as a standalone major makes the degree feel much more intentional.”
That distinction helps explain the questions surrounding another potential addition. Denison already offers several routes into business-related careers, though each approaches the subject differently.
Economics emphasizes how markets and economies function through courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics. Finance concentrates on financial analysis, markets, and investment-related decision-making. Global Commerce, introduced in 2016, studies business in an international, social and cultural context; combining commerce courses with language study, regional specialization and an off-campus experience.
Denison also recently approved a minor in Organizational Strategy and Leadership, drawing from psychology and global commerce to examine organizational decisions and leadership.
A business major could potentially provide another path for students interested in areas such as management, marketing, entrepreneurship, or business operations. Whether such a program would offer distinctive courses or draw substantially on existing offerings remains unresolved.
This distinction between the majors matters because Global Commerce was deliberately designed as an alternative to a conventional business degree. Denison’s current Global Commerce website even poses the question, “Why is Global Commerce better than a business major?” Its answer emphasizes cultural awareness, ethical leadership, and understanding the broader social forces that shape commercial decisions.
Proponents of a dedicated business degree suggest it could create a more recognizable academic pathway for prospective students and employers. At the same time, faculty would need to consider how it would differ from established programs and what demands it might place on courses, staffing and resources.
Beyond academics, the Knowlton Center for Career Exploration and the newly rebranded Center for Consulting and Entrepreneurship (formerly known as the Red Frame Lab) have also participated in the development of these skill sets. Further integration or a collaborative curriculum along with these offices could be an enhanced approach that the new major might pivot towards as well.
When Global Commerce was approved in 2015, The Denisonian reported that faculty raised questions about resources despite strong support for the new major. That sentiment further underscores the practical decisions involved in introducing a degree. For now, those questions remain open. As faculty move toward a possible vote later this semester, the central issue is not simply whether Denison should teach business, but rather what a separate business major would contribute to a liberal arts education.