Donald Keough, News Editor–

Students at Denison have likely seen the name “Reese” on campus. The name crops up everywhere, from the Reese-Shackelford Common to in the Eisner Center’s Martha Grace Reese Theatre Lobby. 

And soon, another building will be named after the Reese family.

David Reese ‘62 and his wife Weezie Reese have donated $7 million to help elevate Denison’s financial aid program. The building to be renamed is Beth Eden, which will now be called Reese House, honoring David’s father, Everett Reese who was a banker who worked with Bank One as a chair of the board in his later years. 

“This generous gift from David and Weezie Reese will allow Denison to continue expanding our no-loan financial aid programming,” Meg Huston Ulsh ’12, associate vice president of admission and marketing said in an email.

 “Denison is already providing no-loan packages for many of our lowest-income students, and this gift allows us to expand that support to more students in the coming years.”

The gift is aimed at supporting the university’s goal of meeting 100% of all students’ need-based aid, as well as reducing student loan debt. 

In addition to this donation, Denison is also expanding their financial aid program with the Midwest Initiative. This scholarship will be given to incoming first-year and transfer students from Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and West Virginia, and will provide $25,000 per year for four years. 

“This gift isn’t specifically tied to the Midwest Initiative, but both display Denison’s sustained effort to provide full financial support for our students,” Ulsh said. “Additionally, both are emblematic of the commitment that Denison has to ensure that our student body remains socioeconomically diverse.”

Everett and the rest of the Reese family have also helped impact other communities. For example, Everett helped establish the Licking County Foundation which is a public charitable organization that uplift the Licking community in various ways. 

Ulsh also wrote how these gifts impact the university.

“Gifts like these are incredibly important for Denison to continue to attract, enroll, and retain amazing students, regardless of their financial backgrounds,” Ulsh said.