Leading by Example:
Jim and Vanita Oelschlager

Jim is a graduate of the Class of 1964 and Vanita is a cherished member of the Denison family. Jim is president of his own investment firm, Oak Associates of Akron, Ohio, and Vanita is deeply involved in the business as well. They have presented Denison with the largest gift in our history, $18 million for the exciting new Samson Talbot Hall of Biological Science.

When asked to reflect on why they made this commitment to Denison's future, Jim said, "I went to Denison for four years, and I enjoyed my experience very much. It is incumbent upon us who enjoyed our experience to make sure the next generation has the same opportunity.

"As they say, you can't take it with you and the other thing is that, when we give we try to lead by example. It's hard to tell people what to do if you don't get there and do it in front.

"We think this is a bit of an example that might encourage some alumni to make some contributions to the school, too."

Vanita added, "We try to lead by this kind of example in our business, too. We encourage altruism from everybody in the office. If they see what we do, it's pretty amazing how many do the same thing."
 

Please also link to:

Giving — and Giving Back:
Christine Warner