Otterbein鈥檚 equine community came together in September to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Austin E. Knowlton Center for Equine Science. The 2024 Equine Gala was an inspirational evening that highlighted the impact of the program on students, alumni, and families, and the experiences that have created rewarding careers, lifetime memories, and friendships.

To say that Otterbein鈥檚 Equine Science program has changed the lives of many of its students would be an understatement. Greg Schmid 鈥�09, DVM, served as the event鈥檚 emcee, and shared, 鈥淚t鈥檚 really wonderful that we鈥檙e all here to support the health and wellness initiatives for all the amazing horses at the barn.鈥�

Schmid shared the influence that staff and faculty members had on him, including business manager Kari Briggs 鈥�03, MBA鈥�11, department chair Dr. Sherri Birmingham 鈥�01, and professor emerita Dr. Maria Calderone, who also received the inaugural Industry Leader Award at the event.

In addition, several influential alumni and donors were honored at the gala, including the Plaumann-Wilson Family, who received the Philanthropic Impact Award.

Rebecca Knopf 鈥�15 was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award and shared, 鈥淭he things I learned from the equine program at Otterbein, I use every day in my work at Square Peg … every horse has something to teach you.鈥�

John Lindberg, president of the Austin E. Knowlton Foundation, which named Otterbein鈥檚 facility 15 years ago and received the 2024 Mary B. Thomas 鈥�28 Commitment to 9i果冻制作厂Award, shared, 鈥淎ustin Knowlton had a passion for horses. This project always had a lot of synergy with our Foundation, and I think Mr. Knowlton would be very, very proud that the Center has his name on it, and that we鈥檝e been able to support Otterbein.鈥�

There was a spirit of appreciation and generosity in the air at the Gala, with attendees and supporters giving back to the program that made a difference in their lives. The event raised more than $90,000 through donations and a silent auction, which included a $25,000 gift from the Austin E. Knowlton Foundation. Equine artist Alexandra Lederman 鈥�18 donated a commissioned piece of art, and Jules Richter 鈥�24 served as the event photographer. Lifetime equestrian and 9i果冻制作厂trustee Karin Yaffe Stump 鈥�80 thanked the countless alumni, volunteers, donors, faculty, and staff who helped to build the program over the years. 鈥淲orking and living with horses is a special lifestyle. Horses teach discipline, resilience, determination, and grit 鈥� skills that are essential to navigating our lives.鈥�

To learn more, visit www.otterbein.edu/EquineCenter15.

Stay in the loop about Equine program news by updating your contact information at www.otterbein.edu/alumni/update.

9i果冻制作厂 has chosen Floyd Akins as its new vice president for institutional advancement. Akins will lead a team of staff in the offices of Development, Advancement Services, Engagement, Events & Conferences, and The Point.

Conferences, and The Point. 鈥�9i果冻制作厂has been in my sights for a while for its culture, the mission of the institution, and now because of its energetic and enthusiastic president who wants to take 9i果冻制作厂to the next level,鈥� said Akins. Akins has more than 35 years of experience in higher education. He most recently served as vice president for advancement for the University of Toledo, where he oversaw a team of more than 40 staff and led the foundation鈥檚 second largest fundraising year, bringing in $36 million for the university in FY23.

Akins impressed the 9i果冻制作厂community with his record of success in leading and mentoring teams to tangible results in fundraising and relationship-building. As associate vice president for advancement at Michigan State University, Akins led a team that raised $232 million in FY21. As assistant vice chancellor for development for The University of Tennessee Foundation, his team increased the Corporate and Foundation Engagement (CFE) fundraising total by more than 200% over three years.

He is familiar with the higher education market in central Ohio, having worked as senior associate vice president for university development and vice president of The Ohio State University Foundation from 2010-2012.

鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to find someone with a proven record of success in principal gifts, major gifts, corporate and foundations relations, and advancement services. Floyd Akins has all that. It鈥檚 exceedingly rare to find someone with that resume who shares Otterbein’s values. Floyd has that, too, and we are fortunate to have him join our leadership team,鈥� said President John Comerford.

We can鈥檛 wait to welcome our alumni, families, and friends back to the 鈥楤ein for this special annual tradition.

Visit www.otterbein.edu/homecoming to see the photo album from last year鈥檚 festivities.

2024 Alumni Award Recipients Honored

Every fall, we recognize a special group of alumni and friends with the University鈥檚 top honors and awards. The 2024 Alumni Awards were conferred at Homecoming and Family Weekend in September and the Athletic Hall of Fame inductees were honored in October. Hats off to these amazing alumni and friends:

Virtual Lifelong Learning Community Memberships Available

You don’t have to live near 9i果冻制作厂to participate in our Lifelong Learning Community. Our virtual membership allows you to watch classes live from the comfort of your home. You can also access class recordings to watch when it’s convenient for you.

Learn more and join today at www.otterbein.edu/lifelonglearning.

For more information, visit .

We want to sincerely thank the nearly 1,900 Cardinal community members who completed our 2024 Cardinal Survey this past spring. With your help, we have gained valuable insight into how we can better tailor our work in engagement and fundraising to suit the needs and preferences of our diverse Cardinal family.

Some key findings included:

• Cardinals are generally positive about 9i果冻制作厂and the current direction of the University.
• Our community feels we are effectively reaching them with our marketing and communications materials.
• There is strong interest in both virtual and in-person events to connect alumni, families, and students.
• Cardinals want to volunteer.
• Our community generally feels confident that their donations have an impact, and that 9i果冻制作厂is a good steward of those investments.

There were also some clear messages about how we should continue or improve our efforts:

• Continue to invest in Towers magazine as a primary method of telling 9i果冻制作厂stories.
• Continue to explore ways to connect alumni with students for career assistance and guidance.
• Streamline volunteer opportunities and eliminate paths that currently lead to unsupported areas.
• Improve donation impact reporting.

We look forward to incorporating these lessons and more as we plan for the months and years ahead, so be on the lookout for changes 鈥� large and small 鈥� to our events, communications, and volunteering opportunities.

We also want to congratulate our three drawing winners, selected randomly from those who entered after completing the Cardinal Survey:

• Shilah Alexander 鈥�21
• Debbie Janakiefski 鈥�84
• Iris Love 鈥�96

Each received a $50 gift card to the 9i果冻制作厂Bookstore.

Otterbein鈥檚 alumni advisory groups are comprised of a diverse selection of graduates who advise the Office of Engagement on topics related to the University, events, programming, and more. Their mission is to build and maintain meaningful, lifelong relationships that engage alumni and the University by creating new opportunities, fostering lifelong learning, building mutual support, and expanding the 9i果冻制作厂experience.

We鈥檙e pleased to welcome the following Cardinals to the Alumni Council and Young Alumni Board:

New Alumni Council Members:

New Young Alumni Board Members:

Phanawn Bailey 鈥�21, MBA鈥�23
Elijah McCutcheon 鈥�22
Madelyn Nelson 鈥�23
Kenzie Prickett 鈥�24
Perry Reynolds 鈥�15
Haylie Schmoll 鈥�19
Maria Slovikovski 鈥�17
Duncan Squillante 鈥�21

For more information on our alumni advisory groups and these members, please visit www.otterbein.edu/alumni/volunteer-give.

Homecoming & Family Weekend 2024 was a celebration like no other, as the annual event shifted from the Campus Center grounds to the beautiful, shaded canopy of trees on the lawn of our iconic Towers Hall.

The Class of 1974 celebrated its 50th Golden Reunion as well as the Class of 1969 coming home for its 55th reunion milestone. In addition, several other alumni groups came back to the ‘Bein this year, including the Alumni Choir, 鈥�80s Theatre Alumni, Greek Alumni, Equine Alumni, and more.

The Class of 1968 celebrated the dedication of its 50th reunion legacy gift 鈥� the restoration of historic windows saved by Dean Joanne Van Sant from the old Association Building 鈥� which are on display in Roush Hall, where the “Sosh” building once stood.

The Department of Communication celebrated the life and legacy of Professor Emerita Christina Reynolds (who also received Honorary Alumna recognition, posthumously) along with the 100th anniversary of the Speech and Debate program.

Eight exemplary alumni received awards from 9i果冻制作厂this year, along with the Austin E. Knowlton Foundation receiving the university’s highest honor, the Mary B. Thomas 鈥�28 Commitment to 9i果冻制作厂Award

2024 Homecoming Photo Galleries

Mark Your Calendar for Homecoming & Family Weekend!