Ohio Wesleyan University announced a new major gift commitment from Carolyn Root Deibel, a 1967 alumna from Potomac, Maryland. Her contribution will support faculty members as they guide students through Travel-Learning Courses and other components of The OWU Connection program.
Deibel’s gift will create the “Terry Lattau Deibel ’67 Faculty Travel Support Fund for The OWU Connection” in honor of her late husband, a faculty member at the National War College in Washington, D.C., for more than 30 years. All of the couple’s three children also are educators, making her gift to support OWU’s faculty especially meaningful.
In his role at the National War College, Terry Deibel led trips with students each year that resulted in his visiting nearly every continent while he worked to provide his students with a global education, enhance international relations, and collaborate with other academics.
The couple met as freshmen at Ohio Wesleyan, Carolyn Deibel said, when both of their schedules included professor Libby Reed’s “American Image” class, a French class, and A Capella Choir. They began dating as seniors and married in 1974.
“I wanted to create a legacy for Terry at Ohio Wesleyan,” Carolyn Deibel said. “Teaching and travel both were such a part of his life that this is a perfect way to recognize him and the university that meant so much to both of us. I hope this gift also supports Ohio Wesleyan’s efforts to recruit new faculty.”
Ohio Wesleyan’s Travel-Learning Courses enable faculty to create classes that include short-term travel to provide students with off-campus and international experiences directly tied to their academic instruction. Examples of 2016-2017 Travel-Learning Courses include “East Asian Politics,” which includes travel to Korea, and “Choral Music of Central Italy and the Vatican,” with travel to Italy. University-funded Theory-to-Practice Grants also allow faculty and students to travel to explore areas and issues of special interest.
At Ohio Wesleyan, Carolyn Deibel majored in music education. She was a member of the Mu Phi Epsilon international music honor society, Alpha Chi Omega sorority, and the A Capella Choir, Quadruple Trio, and Madrigal Singers. She later earned her Master of Music Education Degree from The University of Michigan School of Music. Today, she is the director of music for St. Nicholas Episcopal Church in Germantown, Maryland.
Terry Deibel majored in history at Ohio Wesleyan, and was a member of several national honor societies, including Omicron Delta Kappa (leadership), Phi Beta Kappa (academics), and Phi Alpha Theta (history). He also was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity, and Music Orchestra.
After graduating, also in 1967, he went on to earn his doctorate from Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He worked as an examiner at the Office of Management and Budget during the Nixon Administration and then taught at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service before joining the National War College, where he worked as a professor of foreign affairs strategy and as the associate dean and chairman of the Department of National Security Policy.
He wrote four books, including “Foreign Affairs Strategy: Logic for American Statecraft,” outlining what became known as the “Deibel Model” for developing diplomatic strategies.
Terry Deibel remained connected to Ohio Wesleyan, serving three terms on the university’s Board of Trustees and earning an OWU Alumni Award in 1994. He died in 2010 at age 65.
Carolyn Deibel remains connected to her alma mater, having served previously on the OWU Alumni Board of Directors and currently helping to plan her Class of 1967’s 50th reunion. A portion of her new gift is in recognition of the upcoming reunion and will benefit the Ohio Wesleyan Fund, an unrestricted account supporting university operations.
Ohio Wesleyan Trustee Nicholas “Nick” E. Calio, Class of 1975, said Deibel’s gift sets a wonderful example for others to follow.
“We’re grateful for Carolyn Deibel’s vision in supporting Ohio Wesleyan’s faculty and The OWU Connection program,” Calio said. “By supporting faculty travel, the Deibel endowment also helps to ensure that students receive the globally focused education necessary for them to become tomorrow’s leaders. Carolyn’s gift sets a powerful example that we hope inspires others.”
Deibel’s gift is considered part of Ohio Wesleyan’s $200 million Connect Today, Create Tomorrow campaign – the largest single fundraising initiative in university history. The seven-year campaign, launched in its leadership phase in July 2014, already has raised more than $112 million. Its priorities include enhancing access and affordability for students through scholarship endowment; recognizing and rewarding faculty excellence and innovation; and improving the physical campus.
Learn more about supporting Ohio Wesleyan at www.owu.edu/give.
