This month’s newsletter features campus updates, upcoming events, and more!
Monthly Alumni Newsletter
Sept. 2025
Views from The Hill
Water polo to become Denison’s 27th varsity sport
Come next school year, women’s water polo will be Denison’s newest varsity sport. Newly appointed coach Tim Sherwood is assembling a club roster for this school year to prepare for the inaugural varsity season. Read more about the Big Red’s newest varsity sport.
ReMix: Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Disruption
Thank you to all who took the time to connect and meaningfully engage in conversations centered on creative problem-solving and leadership at ReMix: Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Disruption. More than 40 alums and 60 students participated in candid conversations and hands-on workshops. A special thank you to our incredible speakers, including Fortuna Bank CEO Ilaria Rawlins ’92 and New York Times bestselling author James Frey ’92 for sharing their valuable insights with Denisonians.
“As an early-stage business owner, I got so much out of ReMix. I left with a clearer sense of my pitch, a better view of the gaps in my narrative, and a stronger idea of where to go from here.” — Jackie Warner ’09, ReMix attendee
Denison celebrates outstanding recent graduates with new Young Alumni Impact Awards
Twelve Denisonians from the Classes of 2014 to 2021 are part of the college’sinaugural class of honorees of the Young Alumni Impact Awards. Their early career accomplishments in cancer research, investment banking, jazz music, artificial intelligence, and more demonstrate the promise of a Denison education, and their commitment to their communities make us proud to call them Denisonians.
Student taps ‘wonderful curiosity’ for Amazon data internship
Sophomore Julia Smith ’28 spent the summer as a software engineering intern at Amazon HQ2, the company’s east coast headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. Access to internships is a key component of Denison’s top-ranked career services model, and the experiences are invaluable to the students as they begin to decide what future career will resonate with them. In Smith’s case, the Amazon experience has fueled her desire to continue on the same path.
We are just weeks away from Big Red Weekend, your Homecoming on The Hill, and the excitement is building! Celebrate Denison connection with student organizations, cheer on the Big Red at a football tailgate, enjoy live music from student and alumni bands at Saturday’s concert, and so much more.
We’re hosting Welcome to the City events across the country to help newly graduated or recently relocated Denisonians feel more at home in their new city, and we need our long-standing residents to help them feel welcome! These fun, casual events are designed to help all Denisonians find more connections in their city.
Listen in as Megan Walrod ’95, women’s empowerment coach and founder of Live Your Yes, LLC, unpacks societal patterns of self-doubt and over-responsibility, and how you can reclaim your power and prioritize your dreams.
Defying Gravity: Wicked Across Page, Stage, and Screen
Before the November release of Wicked: For Good, explore the themes of this pop-u-lar story in all its forms, and how shifting cultural values have played into the evolution of the story as it has evolved from a novel, to a Broadway sensation, to a blockbuster film. Denison theatre and English professors will examine these themes in what is sure to be an insightful discussion.
How you can help
You can now increase your standard deduction via a cash gift to support Denison!
If you elect to take the standard deduction on your taxes, the new tax law, starting in 2026, allows you make an “above-the-line” adjustment up to $1,000 (for individual tax filers) or $2,000 (for joint tax filers) in cash gifts to qualified charities like Denison to effectively raise your deduction by the amount of your gift.
While these figures may seem modest, Annual Fund gifts of $1,000 or less contributed over $800,000 to Denison last year. It would make even more of a difference if all our alumni, families, and friends took full advantage of this new provision to support our students. Make your gift through our online giving site.
We thank you for your continued generosity! Please contact our Office of Gift Planning at 740-587-5023 or giftplanning@denison.edu for more information about how you can maximize the new tax law through your Denison support.
In other news
New chair of Denison Board of Trustees announced
Former president and CEO of Pitney Bowes, Marc B. Lautenbach ’83, is now chair of the board, after serving as vice chairman from 2020 to 2025. “Marc is an incredibly dedicated Denisonian and is a highly experienced leader for our Board and partner for me. He cares deeply about Denison and is committed to our continued success and momentum,” said President Weinberg. Learn more about Lautenbach’s Denison experience and career.
Sharpen your skills with an AI program from Denison Edge
Check out fall course offerings from Denison Edge, including a September and October workshop on AI. As a reminder, graduates from the last 10 years can leverage Denison Edge resources at no cost and all other alums can register for courses at half off. Learn more about the AI programs and other in-person course offerings.
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