Carrollton graduate retires after Denison career

A 1981 graduate and valedictorian of Carrollton High School who spent more than 40 years helping lead academic achievement at Denison University in Granville has retired after a distinguished career.

Kim Mallarnee Coplin was among seven retiring faculty members honored during Denison's 185th annual commencement ceremony May 16. Coplin earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in physics from Denison University in 1985, graduating as class valedictorian. She later earned a Master of Arts degree in physics from Johns Hopkins University and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in physics from The Ohio State University.

She joined the Denison faculty in 1993 as a professor in the physics department before serving as associate provost and later provost.

As provost, Coplin presented the Class of 2026 during commencement exercises May 16.

A 1981 graduate of Carrollton High School, Coplin was awarded the DeFord Memorial Scholarship the same year. She graduated as valedictorian of Denison University's Class of 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in physics, earned a Master of Arts degree in physics from Johns Hopkins University in 1988 and completed a Doctor of Philosophy degree in physics at The Ohio State University in 1993. That same year, she joined the Denison faculty as a professor in the physics department. Coplin was inducted into the Carrollton High School Alumni Hall of Fame in 2008 and served as Denison's associate provost from 2006 to 2013 before being named provost, a position she held from 2013 until her retirement June 30.

As she looks toward retirement, Coplin said she plans to spend more time with family and pursue personal interests.

“While I don't have definite plans for retirement, we do plan to spend more time in Greenville, S.C.,South Carolina with our grandson Liam. I also want to do more reading for pleasure instead of work and spend time outdoors.”

Coplin and her husband, Rick, also a member of Denison's Class of 1985, live in Granville. They have three children.

Dan Coplin is married to Megan Beal and lives in Dublin. Jake Coplin is married to Jessica Nix, and they have a son, Liam, who is 18 months old. They live in Greenville, South Carolina. Lia Coplin lives in Granville.

Coplin noted that Dan and Megan graduated from the College of Wooster in 2017, while Jake, Jessica and Lia all graduated from Denison University. Jake graduated in 2020, Jessica in 2018 and Lia in 2026.

“Also, interesting that other family members who have graduated from Denison include my sister Karolyn in 1991, Karolyn's daughter, Jillian, in 2019 and Karolyn's son, George, in 2025.

“Denison has been an amazing place to have a career. It meant a great deal to me as a student, which is one of the reasons why I was so excited to be hired there as a faculty member after I finished my Ph.D. in physics,” Coplin said.