The Giving Circle is an annual grant program benefitting Beta undergraduate actives with financial aid to fund life-enriching experiences based on membership, merit and need. The Giving Circle was formed in 2020 by Beta alumni to honor the lives and remember brothers who have come before us by facilitating undergraduate activities that are beyond the day-to-day academic experience that the University offers. The Giving Circle is administered through the Miami University Foundation to preserve its tax-deductible status and provide University structure and security for the contributions. The program is modeled after the Miami University Foundation’s existing M.I.A.M.I. Women Giving Circle has been in existence for several years.

The Miami University Foundation and the Giving Circle allow funding support for the following five categories of projects:

• Participation in conferences or leadership activities;
• Study off campus (including abroad);
• Participation in extracurricular research projects or learning opportunities;
• Entrepreneurial activities; and
• Development or utilization of technology

Following guidelines established by the Miami University Foundation, the Giving Circle cannot fund projects that are religious in nature, advocate for a political position or candidate, or could potentially be viewed as a “venture capital” enterprise.

Member/Donor Information: The Giving Circle is a collective giving effort that renews on a yearly basis. Contributions are combined to create an annual grant pool that funds undergraduate project proposals submitted by current Alpha Beta actives. All contributions are welcomed. Those contributors meeting a threshold amount are invited to vote on the proposals they want to see funded. The current threshold amount for voting members is $1000. Contributors of any amount will receive an annual report describing the grants awarded. A new Giving Circle will be formed each year with member contributions, grant submissions, awards, and recognitions.

Beta’s long history has always honored the generations of brothers who came before us and built and maintained the foundational Beta principles that influenced our lives and successes. Our Beta friendships are lifelong, transcending time and absence for many of us. The Giving Circle aims to provide new generations of Betas with an expanded Beta-driven experience for their times and needs while honoring the friendships and contributions of brothers departed.

Make a difference… contribute now!

If you need more information, contact us here: alphagivingcircle@gmail.com.

Zach Abrahms: researched psilocybin for the treatment of mental health disorders.
Connor Andrews: interned with Stryker Corp. at its headquarters office in Minneapolis.
Owen Burgess: interned with the David J. Joseph Co. in Cincinnati as a commodity markets analyst.
Stevie Hauer: interned with the Ernst & Young technology consulting firm in Cincinnati.
Ben Malek: took part in a draw medicine summer fellowship on campus.
Reed Porter: worked as a mate for Sail Caribbean in the British Virgin Islands.
James Kirchenwitz: attended a conference in Ft. Worth, studying the effects of injection-induced seismicity in earthquakes.

Riley Johnson: researched elephants and biodiversity in Cambodia
Brian Zetzer: interned with a London-based marketing firm studying inventory management
Isaiah Kohl: developed a software auditing program while interning with Northrop Grumman
Sam Asebrook: interned with L3Harris, working on armed forces projects
Connor Andrews: developed marketing materials for Stryker’s acute care team

Quinn Dunivan: performed research with the University of Cincinnati’s Department of Orthopedic Surgery
Alex Hauptman: interned with Tesla’s Power Electronics Team in Palo Alto
Duncan Fox: interned with Amazon’s Financial Rotational Program in Seattle
Lorenzo Franciosi: developed marketing operations program for Mettler Toledo

Thomas Finn: undertook biophotonics research with Miami’s Undergraduate Summer Scholars Program
Jack Hartwell: participated in Farmer School’s Wall Street Week program
Alex Hauptman: researched and developed entrepreneurship opportunities

Erin Ennis was born on November 3, 1966, in Dover, Ohio, and died on February 22, 2023, after a courageous battle with cancer. Erin spent his early years living in Japan and Okinawa, where his father was a naval aviator. After his father’s passing, the Ennis family returned to Ohio and settled in Upper Arlington. Erin developed a great passion for sports, participating in the football, wrestling, track, and lacrosse teams.

Following high school, Erin attended Miami University, where he studied architecture and joined the Alpha Chapter of Beta Theta Pi, where many lifelong friendships began. Erin played on the university’s club lacrosse team where his passion for the sport truly blossomed.

After moving to Wisconsin, Erin volunteered his time coaching and developing lacrosse youth programs for many years. This led to him becoming the Varsity Head Coach of both the boys’ and girls’ programs at Oconomowoc High School. Erin also served in many capacities with the Wisconsin Lacrosse Coaches Association and was instrumental in having lacrosse become a sanctioned sport by the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. He received many honors and awards for his efforts, including being inducted into the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

Erin was known for his resilience, positivity, dignity, creative spirit, and devotion to his friends and family.

Grant grew up in Canton, Ohio, where he excelled in every athletic endeavor he tried – from baseball to golf to swimming and tennis. Grant earned All-Federal League status his senior year at Massillon Jackson as a wide receiver.

He followed his older sister Barbara ’74 and brother Wick ’75, Alpha #1551, to Oxford, rushed Beta with the Class of 1978 and threw himself into enthusiastically representing the Alpha Chapter. Grant met his wife, Beth Naylor, at Miami during their freshman year and they married on October 11, 1980. They had two sons, Matthew and Tyler.

After finding a home with Jacuzzi Whirlpool and Bath in 1983, he was soon named Greater Chicago Regional Manager and settled in Crystal Lake, Illinois. In fifteen years with Jacuzzi, he was named Regional Manager of the Year six times. He was also Roy Jacuzzi’s hand-picked tennis partner at the annual sales meetings.

Following his son’s passion for soccer, Grant served as a volunteer coach and refereed for the Crystal Lake Park Soccer Federation from 1989 until 1998. With no indoor soccer available in Crystal Lake, he and his partners founded and built a first-class indoor soccer facility known as Kicks, Inc., with two indoor and two outdoor fields.

An exciting life was cut short at the young age of 42 by Angiosarcoma. This rare connective tissue cancer forms in the blood and lymph vessels lining. Grant had only nine months from diagnosis until his death. Accolades at Grant’s services used words like “honest,” “patient,” “thoughtful,” “driven,” and “compassionate” to describe him. A true example of the Beta Spirit!

Robert (“Hutch”) Hutchison of Sarasota, Florida, passed away after a brief illness on September 7, 2022. Rob, born in 1953, grew up in Kent, Ohio. He was a stand-out athlete during his school years, participating in basketball, football, and track and field, where he was a state champion in the high jump.

After graduating from Miami, he returned to Kent to serve his community and raise his children. Rob’s life centered around sports and kids. His career in public service to both is his legacy. He was the Recreation Supervisor for Kent Parks and Recreation from 1980-2000. During his career, he started the city’s first soccer program, opened its first preschool, and started the city’s annual Art in the Park. Rob lived life to its fullest. He enjoyed the beach and hated winter, so he retired to Florida. He loved playing sports until his knees gave out but was proud of hitting homers in his Roy Hobbs baseball league.

Beloved by his Beta brothers, Hutch was integral to many Alpha Beta intra-fraternity sports teams during annual Greek Week activities. He is dearly missed by his family, many friends, and hundreds of Beta brothers.

Gregg was born April 11, 1955, in Columbus, Ohio, and died June 12, 2020. After graduating from Eastmoor High School, he received his bachelor’s degree from Miami University in 1976. He was an active member of the Beta Alpha Chapter.

Gregg was a renowned high school football coach for many years in Central Ohio and profoundly affected the players, students, many friends and his Beta brothers. Gregg is best known for his tremendous impact on the Columbus community as a teacher, coach, and mentor for over three and a half decades. He never met a student he couldn’t reach, a player he couldn’t coach, or a person he couldn’t befriend. His purpose in life was to improve the lives of those he could, and he accomplished this through discipline, structure, and unwavering support and guidance for his student-athletes.

While he was a former Miami basketball player and then high school basketball coach, Gregg was tapped in the mid-80s as the successor to Brookhaven High School’s head football coach, Gary Carter. His initial response to Coach Carter was, “…but I’m a basketball guy…?” The tone changed quickly as Gregg built one of the all-time perennial Columbus City League football powerhouses, averaging nearly 8 wins a season for the next 17 years with a 130-58 record (69.1%) and 10 league championships. Discipline, structure, trust, respect, guidance, mentorship, brotherhood and resilience were his go-to plays, and the results spoke for themselves. His love for Columbus was rewarded in 2019 with his induction into the Central District High School Sports Hall of Fame.

Deck Murray, from Elyria, Ohio, attended Miami University from 1969 to 1973. In addition to being an Alpha Beta, he was a member of the varsity wrestling team.

Deck had a highly successful career in sales management, general international management, and management consulting in the consumer products market. Deck was always generous during his life. Deck invested time providing guidance and support to the family, children’s friends, colleagues and Beta brothers, who would regularly seek his advice and encouragement when finding themselves at a life, education or career crossroads. His wife of 40 years, Lois Ann, believes Deck would have been excited to participate in the Giving Circle and that he would have enjoyed, as she did, the diversity of the proposals that included entrepreneurial new ventures, research, international travel and business skill development opportunities.

Deck passed away on January 3, 2014, at age 63, after a journey with Pancreatic Cancer. His family feels deep gratitude that he is remembered and honored by the Beta Giving Circle.

After graduating from high school in 1969, Mike Wall, from Findlay, Ohio, followed his father’s lead, enrolling in Miami University and joining Beta’s Alpha Chapter. He was a fierce competitor in various interfraternity athletic victories. He proudly represented the Betas as the Homecoming King in his senior year. Perhaps most importantly, the fraternal relationships he forged as an undergraduate would last throughout his lifetime.

After a successful career as a corporate sales and marketing executive, Mike was in his element when offering encouragement and support whenever needed. As soon as he learned that a group of men at the College of New Jersey were interested in forming a new chapter of Beta Theta Pi, he became an integral mentor in taking them through the process, which was achieved in 2018. Mike died in January 2020.

Mike would be proud to be a part of the Beta Giving Circle, and his family is honored that he was chosen to be remembered. Without question, Beta Theta Pi and Miami University enhanced the course of Mike’s life. For that, he was eternally grateful. He recalled his years on campus often and fondly, and his loyalty to both seemed to increase with each passing day. Love and Honor to Miami forever and a day, indeed.