Ohio Northern University’s Dicke College of Business Administration dedicated its newest high impact learning space – the Haushalter Finance Lab on May 17, 2024. Named in recognition of donors David Haushalter, BSBA ’92, and Nikki (Bennett) Haushalter, BSPh ’92, PharmD ‘97, the lab is designed to simulate a trading room.
It features a video wall, 16 computer workstations, solstice pods to enable any user in the room to connect to monitors throughout the space, and two stock tickers – one in the classroom and another on the lab’s exterior in the college’s lobby. The space supports the college’s finance program, its fastest growing major, and other computer-based classes like data analytics.
According to Maneesh Shukla, Ph.D., ONU assistant professor of finance, the lab has elevated his teaching and the classroom experience.
“We’re incredibly thankful for the Haushalters support and their investment in the lab,” he said. “The technology allows me to make classes more engaging and exciting. Students can visually experience the reaction of various macroeconomic events to the stock market via the stock ticker, and we can do a range of in-class exercises, like an investment simulation game to make real-time investment decisions.”
The Haushalters met as students at Ohio Northern and were married in the University’s English Chapel. Nikki received a BS in pharmacy in 1992 and a PharmD in 1997 from ONU, while David graduated with his BSBA in accounting in 1992.
“The relationships you develop with the faculty at ONU last a lifetime,” said David. “That’s one of the things that makes ONU so unique and special.”
“We’re just happy to be able to give back and help provide the next generation of students with the education and opportunities we received,” Nikki added.
Nikki has worked as a pharmacist, pharmacy instructor, and full-time mom to the couple’s two children. David is chairman of the board and vice president of sales for Robinson Fin Machines in Kenton, which produces and sells highly-engineered products in markets such as aerospace, automotive, medical, energy and industrial. Working with people from across the globe, he collaborates on projects ranging from submarines, to the space station, to manned missions to the moon and Mars.