Denison alumnus William T. McConnell '55 was inducted into The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges' Hall of Excellence on March 29 at a ceremony at the Westin Hotel in Columbus. The Hall of Excellence honors alumni of member institutions of OFIC whose lifetime achievements exemplify the traditions, ideals, strengths, and values of private higher education.

McConnell has had a distinguished career in banking since earning a bachelor's degree from Denison with an economics major and then completing a master's degree in finance at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. He joined Park National Bank in 1960, was named its president in 1979 and chairman in 1993. He served as CEO from 1983 to 1999. McConnell was elected chairman and CEO of the Park National Corporation in 1994 and continues to serve Park as chairman of the executive committee.

Widely respected in the financial community, McConnell was named by his colleagues to serve as president of the Ohio Bankers Association, and later the American Bankers Association, the national trade association of the banking industry. He served two terms as a Director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. In 1995 and 1996 he was among a small national group of executives named "CEO of the Year" by Financial World Magazine.

A Denison Alumni Citation recipient, McConnell has been a loyal supporter of his alma mater and served for 18 years (1986-2004) on the Board of Trustees; he was named a Life Trustee in 2004. In 1988-89, he chaired the Presidential Search Committee that selected Michele Tolela Myers as Denison's 18th president. He was a trustee of the Ohio Council on Economic Education, served as chairman of the Ohio Student Loan Commission, and since 1984 has been a trustee of the Ohio State University Newark Campus Development Fund. He has held leadership positions in numerous civic organizations and has been honored for his service to the local United Way and Chamber of Commerce. In 2002, he and his wife, Jane '56, were honored jointly by being chosen as recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Licking Memorial Hospital Development Council.

With his induction into the OFIC Hall of Excellence, McConnell joins six other Denison alumni previously selected since its establishment in 1987: David Daberko '67, Hal Holbrook '48, Senator Richard G. Lugar '54, James D. Oelschlager '64, Bobby Rahal '75 and Thekla Reese Shackelford '56.

The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges was founded in 1950 to conduct annual solicitations of companies and foundations to benefit private colleges in Ohio. OFIC today has 35 member institutions and more than 96,000 students. Solicitation is conducted annually with the help of some 500 corporate and collegiate volunteers calling on companies and foundations headquartered or doing business in Ohio. OFIC raises both unrestricted and restricted gifts including scholarships and endowments. Unrestricted gifts are largely used for student financial aid.

Denison University, located in, was founded in 1831 and is a privately supported, coeducational college of liberal arts and sciences, offering three different bachelor's degrees (B.A., B.S. and B.F.A.) among more than 40 majors and concentrations. Some 2,100 full-time undergraduate students represent 47 states and 34 foreign countries. Denison is fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and is a member of the Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) and a founding member of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). Denison's chapter of Phi Beta Kappa was established in 1910. Dale T. Knobel is Denison's 19th president.

For more information about the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges, link to its website at www.ofic.org

For more information about OFIC's Hall of Excellence, link to www.ofic.org/hall.htm

For a high-resolution portrait of Bill McConnell link to www.denison.edu/publicaffairs/images/mcconnell_ofic_1.jpg [jpg]

For a high-resolution photo of Bill McConnell speaking at the OFIC event link to www.denison.edu/publicaffairs/images/mcconnell_ofic_2.jpg [jpg]

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

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