About Marietta College
Marietta College traces its roots to the establishment of the Muskingum Academy, which was founded by pioneer settlers in 1797, in Marietta, Ohio. Accordingly, the College has been recognized as one of America's 37 "Revolutionary Colleges." The Academy became the first institute of higher education in the Northwest Territory. In 1835, the State of Ohio created Marietta College by granting a charter to offer college-level degrees. Marietta has always been a private, non-sectarian, co-educational (from 1897), residential college.
But antiquity guarantees nothing, and in its mission statement, the College professes to offer a contemporary liberal arts education, meaning that the College provides academic programs that are based on the best of the past and have a high relevance for today. The traditional liberal arts have always been the core of the College's intellectual life. For example, the College's Phi Beta Kappa chapter dates from 1866, making it one of the oldest in the nation. Examples of the College's ability to stay "contemporary" are the establishment some years ago of programs in petroleum engineering and in sports medicine, both of which were the first to receive separate professional accreditation at a private college.
The Investigative Studies Program provides opportunities for students, in any discipline, to undertake research projects within a mentoring relationship with a member of the faculty. Also, unusual teaching opportunities are being developed for students, again regardless of discipline, in China and Brazil. Marietta has also distinguished itself with the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center and Rickey Science Center. Both opened in 2003 and have provided an outlet for those seeking recreational activities or state-of-the art science labs. The College is also building a new library and planetarium, both will open in January 2009.
Adding distinctiveness to the programs at Marietta is the McDonough Center for Leadership and Business, the nation's first developed opportunity for undergraduate students to examine issues clustered around the theme of civic and corporate leadership. And so, the College invites students to explore the ideas of the past and discover their meaning for today while simultaneously providing a preparation for life after college. The College has consistently been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best private colleges in the Midwest.
The Fall 2007 enrollment at the College was 1,400 undergraduate and 120 graduate students. The students came from 42 states and 12 countries. The male-to-female ratio is close to 50:50, while the student-to-faculty ratio is an attractive 12:1.
