Dear Marietta College Community:

Last week the College’s Senior Leadership Team and the Board of Trustees enjoyed two highly productive days in Annapolis, Maryland, during our summer retreat. We had important and valuable conversations that will continue to make Marietta College stronger.

We discussed innovative ways we will recruit future Pioneers and grow our enrollment over the next five to 10 years and reach an optimal enrollment. We also shared strategies that will allow the College to double or even triple its endowment, as well as ideas on how we can improve the overall student experience while providing a life-changing education.

For example, we added five new majors this fall in Entrepreneurship, Neuroscience, Supply Chain Management, Educational Studies and Middle Childhood Special Education Dual Preparation, as well as a Master of Arts program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

We are attracting bright, young students to campus during the summer through new programs such as the Women’s Inspirational Summer Experience (WISE) camp and the return of popular programs such as the Reading Camp. We are also enhancing the creative life of the community with our Pioneer Summer Theatre program, which gave visitors opportunities to experience Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet and the classic Bye Bye Birdie.

The summer months are also a perfect time to rejuvenate the campus, and we’ve done just that with beautiful updates to the landscaping. We’re also completing nearly $100,000 worth of gifted renovations to the Gilman Student Center, as well as adding a FieldTurf surface to Don Schaly Stadium and Musco Sports Lighting LED fixtures to Don Drumm Stadium.

I should also mention that the College is actively helping Marietta City Schools in the passing a $56 million bond levy that will be placed on the November 2019 ballot.

Marietta College has committed $10,000 toward the marketing and promotional efforts that are in favor of the bond levy. I have also recorded a radio ad (listen to it now at www.mcslevy.org/news) that is being used on local radio and on social media. We are also planning to share the positive impact the passage of the bond levy would have on the children and families of our community and on all businesses as we try to attract talented employees.

As you can see, even in the summer nothing slows down at Marietta College.

Bring Forth a Pioneer!

Bill Ruud