Associate Professor of Economics Emily Marshall ’10 has been named the inaugural director of the new Emily Hauser King and Robert E. King Center for Data and Innovation.
Marshall joined the Denison faculty in 2024 as an associate professor and director of quantitative initiatives. Her work as director of quantitative initiatives will be incorporated into her new role as King Center director. Marshall will also continue to help launch the new Finance major and other business-related programs.
The King Center will be housed in the renovated and expanded Doane Hall, which has been renamed Dale and Tina Knobel Hall in recognition of a lead gift from the Sherman Fairchild Foundation. It honors President Emeritus Dale Knobel, who served the university from 1998 to 2013, and his wife, Tina Knobel. The Sherman Fairchild Foundation’s investment continues its legacy of supporting Denison’s academic excellence and innovation.
A second lead gift from Emily Hauser King ’63 and Robert E. King established the King Center, a new addition that anchors the expanded facility. The building will be home to computer science and data analytics departments and serve as a campus-wide resource for courses in applied mathematics, digital humanities, financial economics, and data for political research.
The renovated building positions Denison to be the first liberal arts college with a hub devoted to integrating data across the curriculum. Move-in will begin as early as May 2026.
Marshall joined the Denison faculty from Dickinson College, a liberal arts school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where she spent nine years as an associate professor of economics and director of quantitative initiatives. But she always dreamed of the opportunity to return to her alma mater.
Denison Provost Kim Coplin said Marshall has a passion for ensuring students across the curriculum have the data literacy and quantitative fluency to thrive after graduation.
“She loves curriculum building,” Coplin said. “And if you read her curricular proposals, you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is somebody who’s really well versed in how to think through putting together a curriculum program.’”
Marshall is excited about the wide array of opportunities the King Center presents.
“It will bring students together from across campus to collaborate in the newly renovated Knobel Hall spaces such as the virtual reality, data visualization, Linux, and robotics labs,” she said. “In partnership with existing campus initiatives, students will have opportunities to expand their learning beyond traditional classrooms, creating spaces for experimentation, creativity, and applied problem-solving.
“The Center bridges the gap between analytics, technology, and business, helping students develop technical fluency, strategic thinking, ethical reasoning, and communication skills that are demanded in today’s evolving workforce,” Marshall added. “Denison graduates will emerge not only technologically proficient, but career-ready, adaptive, and prepared to thrive in a rapidly changing digital and data-rich world.”