Donor Spotlights
Every donor has a story and a passion that inspires their support of Otterbein, our students and our campus community. But more than donors, the many alumni, students, employees, friends, and neighbors that help support Otterbein are part of a diverse community that stands behind the mission and values that our University represents. Their stories showcase the generosity, creativity, and desire to help others that our donors embody and inspire each and every day. Read some of them below.
2026 Graduating Seniors: Parent and Family Donors
Thank you to the following parents and family members who have supported Otterbein during their graduating senior’s time as a Cardinal. Your support has made a meaningful impact not only for your Cardinal, but for every student at Otterbein!
Joseph and Sarah Abouzeid
Robert and Heather Akred
Don and Jill Andrews
Steven and Susan Bachie
James and Dawn Barb
Jim and Susie Bibler
Joseph and Susan Breslin
Michael and Jessica Bruntz
Jacob and Jennifer Bryant
Michael and Catherine Cable
Gregory Cave and Kristine Scott Cave ’92
John and Jen Cleaver
John and Amanda Clendenning
Grant and Susan Cook
Michael and Tricia Cormell
Stephanie Corn
John and Mindy Crabtree
Walter and Brenda Davis
Michael and Tricia Dickerson
John and Shannon Dixon
Elizabeth Anne Domanik and Christopher Domanik P’23
Tim and Angie Drew
David and Constance Duning
Jeff and Jaime Endsley
John and Beth Ann Faber
Bryan and Renee Flannery
Brian and Meghan Fowler
Michael and Natalie Fraley P’22
Christopher and Jill Grimm
John and Rebecca Grubich
Jeffrey and Andrea Gyurko
Harold and Kristy Hale
Steven and Deanna Hart
Ken and Liliana Hartman
David and Elena Haub
Ryan and Jodi Hundt
James and Susan Irani
Carmen Irving
John and Samantha Jurcevic
Scott and Elizabeth Kain
Erich and Dana Keller
Kari Kern and Jarrod M. Kern ’98
Steven and Jennifer Kollar
Dave and Andrea Kulha
Robert and Maria Kusenberger
Dung and Ha Le
Michael and LeeAnn Lechnir
Ty and Monica Lewis P’25
Shamra VanWagoner
George and Amy Mergen
Erin Stewart Miller ’97 and Joshua S. Miller ’94
Craig and Cynthia Miller
Michael and Jessica Mottley
Chris and Jackie Mulligan
Patrick and Penny Newland P’25
John Otte and Alicia Trusley Otte ’97
Susan Patrick
Jill Patterson
Laura Pezzot
Carl and Tracey Pinkelman
Charles Preston
Jerry and Kristina Prucha
Roseanne Reed
John and Kim Roeder
Kristen Harting
Jason and Katrina Schwertfager
Dawn Scott and Paul Scott
Lisa Baumert and Garret Seevers
Shad and Jennifer Siddell
Clyde and Tammy Smith
Deborah L Stiglianese
Katherine Tuttle
Stephen and Kelli Uhl
Michael and Heather Vitaz
Braden and Sarah Wegesin
Russell and Nichole Wight
Scott and Wendy Woodward
Charles and Jill Wright
Donor Spotlight: Austin E. “Dutch” Knowlton
Otterbein University awards some form of merit and/or need-based aid to 99% of freshmen students. Some of this aid is provided through scholarships funded by The Austin E. Knowlton Foundation. Austin E. “Dutch” Knowlton (1909-2003) was a pioneer, entrepreneur and philanthropist whose profession was architecture and business but whose passion was education and philanthropy. Mr. Knowlton owned and chaired the Knowlton Construction Company,which was started by his father in Bellefontaine, Ohio, in 1937.Knowlton Construction was responsible for over 600 major…
I’m a Lifelong Learner – Annie Upper Ames ’86
I saw an ad in the paper for a course at Otterbein and thought that it sounded interesting. I ran over to Otterbein to sign up. In the middle of the course, I realized I was doing really well and would have an ‘A’ so I decided to become a student. It took me nine years to earn my degree. I was raising four children and helping run the family business while I would juggle taking a class or two. (Annie was…
Daugherty’s Promise for the Future
Coming from a long line of educators — both grandmothers and both parents went to college and became teachers — you could say Professor Beth Daugherty’s fate, a lifetime of teaching British and American literature, was sealed early growing up in Quaker City, a small town of about 500 located in southeastern Ohio. “I liked to read as a child,” Daugherty said. “But college surrounded me with the transformative power of words. I want future students to feel that expanding…
A Passion for Wildlife
Kyle Miller was a junior zoo and conservation science major at Otterbein when he died in a tragic kayaking accident in March 2014. During their time of loss, Pamela and Craig Miller, Kyle’s parents, discovered the support of the campus community — from his classmates who planted a memorial tree on campus to the administrators who helped them establish an endowed scholarship fund and plan the first Kyle Miller Memorial 5K. “Having gone to a larger university, we were both…
New Windows Light Up Battelle’s Future
Alumna Virginia Phillippi Longmire ‘55 made a $150,000 commitment during the Where We STAND Matters campaign toward the restoration of the Battelle Fine Arts Center, the current home of Otterbein’s Department of Music. “I am so happy that I have some resources to share in this way,” Longmire shared. “The restoration will dress up Battelle Fine Arts Center a bit and make it more compatible with other buildings in that part of campus. This campaign exemplifies what Otterbein has stood…
