Joe and Linda Chlapaty’s landmark commitment marks a turning point for Marietta—and an invitation to make more history together.
When members of the Marietta College community gathered for the State of the College address on October 16, they heard an announcement without precedent in the institution’s nearly 200-year history.
Joe and Linda Chlapaty are making a $55 million gift to Marietta College, the largest single philanthropic commitment the College has ever received. Their investment will fund construction of a new graduate health sciences building and comprehensive renovations to Marietta Hall and Elsie Newton and Mary Beach Halls.
The magnitude of the commitment is extraordinary. It places Marietta among a small group of liberal arts colleges nationally to receive a philanthropic investment at this scale.
But this moment is about more than one number, a few buildings or even one remarkably generous family.
It is a declaration of confidence in Marietta’s direction and its future. It moves two priorities central to the College’s strategic plan from vision to reality. And as Marietta publicly launches The Campaign for Marietta College: More History to Make, it invites every alum, parent, community member and friend to help shape what comes next.
“Joe and Linda’s commitment fundamentally changes what is possible for Marietta College,” said Kathleen Poorman Dougherty, Ph.D., president of Marietta College. “It allows us to move boldly toward a future that expands opportunities for students, strengthens our connection to the region and reflects the enduring promise of a Marietta education. It is also a powerful expression of belief—one we hope inspires our entire community to imagine what we can accomplish together.”
“Joe and Linda’s commitment reflects extraordinary confidence in Marietta College and in the direction of its leadership,” said Dr. Jim Wilson ’69, chair of the Board of Trustees. “On behalf of the Board, I thank them for investing so generously in our students and in the College’s ability to serve this region for generations to come.”
A turning point grounded in confidence
Marietta College’s history has always been shaped by people who believed in what it could become.
Since the establishment of Muskingum Academy in 1797 and the official chartering of Marietta College in 1835, the generosity of alumni and friends has sustained Marietta’s mission, expanded opportunities for students and extended the College’s impact across the region and beyond.
That shared belief has kept Marietta deeply connected to its past while remaining responsive to the needs of each new generation. It is also reflected in the name More History to Make: an acknowledgment of all that has brought the College to this moment and an invitation to help shape what comes next as its bicentennial approaches.
Recent years have brought real challenges, but they have also brought clarity, resolve and progress. Marietta has adopted a strategic plan focused on innovation and access, student engagement and success, community partnership, and a strong financial future. The College has strengthened its academic offerings, deepened its regional connections and received historic philanthropic support—$16.1 million in FY25 and more than $19.3 million in FY26.
The Chlapatys’ commitment represents a distinct turning point in that work. It gives Marietta the confidence and capacity to accelerate its plans rather than simply imagine them. It shifts the conversation from whether the College can move forward to how boldly it will do so—and who will help shape the future it builds.
For Joe and Linda, that future begins with people.
Marietta first became part of their family’s story through their son, a 1997 graduate. Over time, their relationship with the College deepened. Joe became a trustee, and together, the Chlapatys came to know the faculty, staff, students and community members who give Marietta its character.
Joe’s own experience made that connection especially meaningful. Raised in a blue-collar family and educated at a college in rural Iowa, he recognized something familiar at Marietta: an authentic, welcoming community where people know one another, care deeply and take a personal interest in students’ success.
That is the kind of educational experience Joe and Linda want future generations to inherit—and the reason their investment in buildings is ultimately an investment in people.
“Linda and I believe deeply in Marietta College and the human-centered education it provides,” Joe said. “We have seen how much the people here care about students, one another and the future of this community. These projects are about creating the places where relationships will grow, students will discover what they are capable of and lives will be changed. We want to see that impact, and we hope others will join us in making it possible.”
Creating new possibilities for students and the region
The new graduate health sciences building will expand what Marietta can offer students and strengthen the College’s ability to respond to the needs of the region.
Designed specifically for health sciences education, the facility will include classrooms, laboratories, simulation spaces and collaborative learning environments. It will allow the College to strengthen existing programs and launch new graduate programs that prepare students for high-demand health care professions.
That expansion is important to Marietta’s future. New programs will allow the College to serve more students who will thrive here, advance enrollment goals and build upon an area of significant academic opportunity.
Its impact will also reach far beyond campus.
Communities throughout rural Ohio and Appalachia need skilled health care professionals who understand the people and places they serve. By preparing more graduates for those careers, Marietta can help address critical workforce needs while creating new pathways for students who want to build meaningful lives of service.
The facility will be more than a new building. It will be a place where students practice caring for patients, learn alongside faculty mentors and prepare to strengthen communities across the region. It will solidify Marietta College’s place as a regional asset and connect its academic future directly to the future of the people it serves.
Transforming where the Marietta experience begins
A significant portion of the gift will support comprehensive renovations to Marietta Hall, completed in 1965, and Elsie Newton and Mary Beach Halls, completed in 1957 and 1959 respectively. These first-year residence halls are central to recruitment, belonging and student success.
For prospective students and their families, residence halls are among the first places where they begin to picture life at Marietta. For students who enroll, they become much more: the setting for first friendships, late-night conversations, shared traditions and the gradual realization that a new campus has become home.
Renovating these halls will create modern, welcoming living environments that reflect the quality and care students experience throughout their Marietta education.
Together, the projects reach two defining points in the student journey. One helps students see themselves at Marietta and build a sense of belonging once they arrive. The other expands what they can study, who they can become and how they can serve others after they graduate.
Joe and Linda selected these priorities because they believe both are essential to the College’s recruitment, enrollment and future growth. They also want to see the impact of their philanthropy during their lifetimes—in the students living, learning and preparing for their futures within these transformed spaces.
The beginning of a larger story
The Chlapatys’ commitment makes two major priorities possible. Their generosity creates momentum as Marietta publicly launches The Campaign for Marietta College: More History to Make, inviting alumni and friends to help advance the full breadth of the College’s strategic plan.
The campaign is the philanthropic expression of Marietta’s strategic plan. It will advance academic innovation, expand access for students, create meaningful experiences inside and outside the classroom, cultivate partnerships, support the people who make a Marietta education possible and give the College the flexibility to pursue new opportunities.
“This historic commitment gives all of us reason to look ahead with confidence,” said Bethany McFarland Leslie ’12, vice president for advancement. “Joe and Linda are making changes possible that will shape Marietta for generations, and they are opening the door for others to join them. The campaign is how all of us—at every level of giving and through the areas we care about most—can help move Marietta forward.”
Not everyone can make a gift of this magnitude. No one is expected to.
Some will create opportunities through scholarships. Some will support academic programs, faculty, student experiences, athletics or The Marietta Fund. Some will make their first gift, renew a connection or choose to include Marietta in their estate plans. Each person’s place in the campaign will be different because each person’s Marietta story is different.
What matters is the shared belief that the College’s future is worth building together.
Nearly two centuries of Marietta history have been shaped by people who believed in the College’s future and stepped forward to help make it possible. Joe and Linda Chlapaty have done so at an extraordinary level, creating possibilities that will shape the College for generations.
But this is not the end of the story.
There are more opportunities to create. More students to welcome. More lives to transform. More communities to serve.
There is more history to make—and together, we can make it.
Learn more about The Campaign for Marietta College: More History to Make, make a gift or connect with the Advancement team at marietta.edu/morehistory.
HAVE QUESTIONS? We know a moment like this brings questions. Whether you’re an alum, a student, a parent, a neighbor or a member of our faculty and staff, so we've gathered answers to the ones we expect you'll ask most. Visit the Campus Transformation page to find a Q&A and architectural renderings of the news buildings that will transform campus.