March 30, 2004

The 2004 Evening of Excellence to Honor Four Distinguished Alumni from Ohio’s Independent Colleges and Universities.

The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges (OFIC) will induct four distinguished alumni from Ohio’s independent colleges and universities into its Hall of Excellence on March 31, 2004 at the Adam’s Mark Hotel in Columbus, Ohio.

This year’s inductees to the Hall of Excellence of the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges are individuals who have been pioneers and leaders in their fields, building on the educational foundation developed at a private college, to make meaningful contributions to society and pave new paths for the students that will follow in their footsteps.

William Thompson Dentzer, Jr. graduated from Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio in 1951 and went on to become the founding Chairman and CEO of the Depository Trust Company (DTC). As the world’s largest securities depository and clearinghouse, the DTC plays a critical role in bringing efficiency to the financial services industry. Throughout his career, Mr. Dentzer has contributed his skills to the national and international monetary arena, including holding various senior U.S. government posts concerned with international development in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.

Peter A. Neff, DDS, SCD, is an internationally known prosthodontist, researcher and author. As an immigrant from Egypt, he graduated from the Franciscan University of Steubenville in 1954. Dr. Neff has conducted extensive research on restorative dentistry and authored a best-selling textbook on temporomandibular joint function (TMJ). Through his research and teaching, he has alleviated the pain and improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals worldwide, including the late King Hussein of Jordan.

Judge William A. McClain graduated from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio in 1934 as the only African-American in his class. This would be one of many examples of Judge McClain’s leadership in breaking down barriers of race. Over his 65-year career, he was the first African American member of the Cincinnati Bar Association, the first African American lawyer to serve as the city attorney of a major American city, the first African American partner in a major Cincinnati law firm, and the first African American judge in the Court of Common Pleas in Hamilton County, Ohio.

Emily Taylor, Ph.D., a 1935 graduate of Urbana University, has dedicated her career to elevating the status of women in higher education. As Director of the Office of Women in Higher Education at the American Council of Education in Washington, D.C., Dr. Taylor developed a nationwide network called the National Identification Program to assist in the mentoring and advancement of women as leaders in higher education. In her role as dean of women at the University of Kansas for 18 years, Dr. Taylor introduced new ideas in student affairs such as specialized residential halls, minority affairs programming, and a university information center for women.

These honorees were selected from nominations from each of The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges’ 35 member institutions. A committee of OFIC board members selects Hall of Excellence inductees whose lifetime achievements exemplify the traditions, ideals, strengths and values of private higher education. Past Hall of Excellence inductees include Senator John Glenn Jr. and his wife, Annie Glenn, Coretta Scott King, and Ohio Congressman Ralph Regula.

The Evening of Excellence will also features:

The Evening of Excellence also honors the approximately 1,000 donors of the 2002-2003 OFIC Annual Campaign and 500 corporate and collegiate volunteer members of the campaign team.

OFIC is the primary corporate and foundation solicitation organization for 35 independent Ohio colleges and universities. OFIC member colleges collectively enroll more than 92,000 students, impact Ohio’s economy through their aggregated budgets of $1.5 billion and award one-third of all bachelor’s degrees in the state. For 53 years OFIC has worked to highlight the leadership, value and excellence of independent higher education and has provided unrestricted operating funds and scholarship commitments through funds raised in annual solicitations of businesses and foundations, thereby assuring continuation of excellence in private higher education. OFIC is governed by a Board of Trustees comprised of Ohio’s corporate leaders, as well as presidents of the 35 member colleges.

The member colleges are: Antioch College, Ashland University, Baldwin-Wallace College, Bluffton College, Capital University, Cedarville University, University of Dayton, Defiance College, Denison University, The University of Findlay, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Franklin University, Heidelberg College, Hiram College, John Carroll University, Kenyon College, Lake Erie College, Lourdes College, Malone College, Marietta College, Mount Union College, Mount Vernon Nazarene University, Muskingum College, Notre Dame College, Oberlin College, Ohio Dominican University, Ohio Northern University, Ohio Wesleyan University, Otterbein College, Urbana University, Ursuline College, Walsh University, Wilmington College, Wittenberg University and The College of Wooster.