Letter from the chair of the Marietta College Alumni Association Board of Directors

Dear Fellow Pioneers,

As we prepare to welcome the newest members of The Long Blue Line into our ranks this coming May at Commencement, there is something important to ponder. The Class of 2012 will be the last to cross the stage under the watchful eye of President Jean Scott who will be officially retiring in June. Welcoming our new president, Dr. Bruno, to campus, there may be a sense of separation from our current alumni status. I would suggest that nothing could be farther from the truth.

Our pride in our alma mater comes from not only the special memories that we carry from our own individual experiences on campus, but also from our regard for what our alma mater has become long after our special afternoon in cap and gown. Under Dr. Scott's leadership, Marietta College has grown more substantial and respected than even we remember it and not just as a result of such projects as the Legacy Library or Anderson Hancock Planetarium either.

Beyond the bricks and mortar, the curriculum has become even more demanding and rigorous while maintaining a liberal arts breadth and scope that helped shape our distinctive Pioneer experience and remains the envy of many we have met along the way. While many of the faculty that we recall with such fondness and respect, have since retired, they have given way to new era of educators that continue to challenge the current generation of students the way we were once put to the test by such mentors and friends as Bernard Russi and William Shepherd.

Dr. Scott has often said that as she retires this coming year, she hopes that she will be remembered not for the buildings that were constructed during her tenure, but rather for what went on inside those walls. I believe I speak for a great many Pioneers when I suggest that her legacy in that regard is intact and we, as graduates of the College, can be proud of the preparation and achievement of the next generation of alumni.

For that, Dr. Scott, we extend our most sincere and special appreciation and thanks and wish you much sense of accomplishment and enjoyment in the next phase of your life. Proud to be Pioneers, we hope we honor you with our continued success and achievement just as you honor us by your dedicated service to all those who count themselves members of The Long Blue Line.

Terri Petras '88
Chair
MCAA Board of Directors