Top 10 Stories of 2009
The year has been exciting and rewarding for Marietta College—from marking a historic anniversary to achieving a milestone fundraising effort, navigating tumultuous economic times, continuing growth on campus and athletic success.
Here are the top stories of 2009 at Marietta College:
10. Five students collaborate to pick America’s Best Leaders
For the second year in a row, students from the McDonough Center for Business and Leadership collaborated with Harvard and U.S. News to select the 2009 America’s Best Leaders. Diana Hackenburg ’09 (Clyde, Ohio), Scott Burnham ’11 (Conneautville, Pa.), Alison Matas ’11 (Kent, Ohio), Joshua Maxwell ’11 (Malta, Ohio) and Emily McGinty ’10 (Dalton, Ohio), comprised Marietta’s contribution to the research panel. Dr. Robert McManus, McCoy Assistant Professor of Leadership Studies and Communication, served as the faculty leader for the project.
9. College moves up in US News/Forbes rankings
It has been an excellent two-year run for Marietta in the national rankings. While President Jean Scott appreciates the attention and accolades, she is always quick to point out that the rankings are just a small part of truly evaluating the College. However, it can’t go unnoticed that Marietta rose three spots to No. 6 in the U.S. News and World Report rankings for best Baccalaureate Colleges in the Midwest. The College also leaped 56 places in the Forbes.com rankings to 112th best college out of approximately 4,000 U.S. colleges and universities.
8. Softball coach Jeanne Arbuckle eclipses 400 victories
In more than two decades at Marietta, Jeanne Arbuckle has accomplished a lot on and off the field. But on April 4, she became just the third softball coach in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) history to reach 400 victories as the Pioneers swept a doubleheader at Otterbein. Marietta won 5-0 and 10-7 to give Arbuckle victories No. 400 and 401. She enters her 23rd seasons on the diamond with an overall record of 406-364.
7. Alumnus wins $1 million Super Bowl commercial prize
Dave Herbert ’99 has always been a big dreamer, but also a hard worker. Those two attributes collided in January when he and his brother, Joe, created the top-rated Super Bowl commercial for Doritos and claimed a $1 million incentive from Frito-Lay as the highest rated 30-second spot. The weeks and months that followed were a whirlwind, including appearances on “The Today Show” and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” The Herberts were also featured in USA Today and headlined a parade in their hometown of Batesville, Ind. Dave also returned to campus in April to meet with advertising students.
6. NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships held at Don Drumm
Don Drumm Stadium proved to be the ideal location to host the 2009 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championship in May. Nearly 1,000 student-athletes representing more than 100 institutions participated in the three-day event that went off without a hitch. Marietta’s two participants—Jayshon Irvin ’12 and Zach Gay ’11—each earned All-America honors. While the College was able to showcase Don Drumm Stadium and the campus, the community was also a real winner. Approximately 3,000 people were in Marietta for the nationals, shopping downtown, eating in local restaurants and lodging at area hotels.
5. Dedication of Legacy Library and Planetarium
On May 8, the campus was in the mood to celebrate. With dignitaries—Gov. Ted Strickland and U.S. Congressman Charlie Wilson—and major donors—Laura Baudo Sillerman ’68 and Dave ’78 and Brenda Rickey—joining hundreds of other special guests the College dedicated its two newest buildings ... Anderson Hancock Planetarium and Legacy Library. During both ceremonies, President Jean Scott recognized the hard work and generosity that alumni, staff, faculty and the community committed to these new buildings. NASA astronaut Dr. F. Story Musgrave ’60, and Drs. Les Anderson ’55 and Whit Hancock, whom the planetarium is named after, were among the other notable guests who attended the dedication ceremonies.
4. Physician Assistant program allowed to expand
News reports and lists for “hot jobs” these days almost always include physician assistants among the top professions. So it was good news in April when the College received an endorsement from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) that allowed an increase in the number of PA students Marietta could accept each fall. The College accepted 30 students (up from 24) in the fall of 2009 and Dr. Gloria Stewart, chair of the department, plans to accept 36 in the fall of 2010. To accommodate the increase the College purchased the former lodge for the Moose Loyal Order of 1823, located at 208 Third St. Renovations to the building were completed during the summer.
3. Student body grows through enrollment and retention
The student body is bigger, smarter and more diverse. All three are important parts of the College’s strategic plan and are real points of pride. When the fall semester began there were 1,417 full-time students (up from 1,394 in 2008) and the retention rate was up to 78.1 percent compared to 74.5 in 2008. David Rhodes, Vice President for Enrollment Management, also notes that the average ACT score of the incoming freshmen rose to 24, compared to 23.4 in 2008. The average grade point average—3.45—of the freshmen class was also at a 15-year high. The College is also excited to have more than 130 students from China as well as 11 from Saudi Arabia.
2. Legacy Campaign reaches $50 million goal
Fundraising in the current economic climate is not easy. But in December, the College concluded its three-year, $50 million Legacy Campaign. Among the notable achievements in this campaign include the construction of Legacy Library and Anderson Hancock Planetarium. Robert Dyson and Laura Baudo Sillerman, both from the Class of 1968, each gave $5 million lead gifts to kick start the library, while Dave ’78 and Brenda Rickey gave a $3 million gift toward the planetarium. The Rickeys also made a $2 million donation toward the library. Other notable gifts during the campaign include $2.6 million from the Chlapaty family for enhancements at Don Drumm Stadium, $2 million from Eric ’64 and Barbara Berman Dobkin ’65 for the Jack E. and Betty O. Prince Forum, and $500,000 from David ’66 and Beverly Worthington for the Worthington Center for Teaching Excellence. “The success of this campaign illustrates the excitement and momentum at Marietta College,” said President Jean Scott. “Thanks to the generosity of our alumni, donors and friends, the College is well positioned to offer current and future students an outstanding contemporary liberal arts education.”
1. Celebrating 175 years of higher education
On Aug. 20, the College officially began its celebration of 175 years with a flag raising ceremony that included President Jean Scott, Marietta Mayor Michael Mullen ’82 and Charlotte Keim of the Chamber of Commerce. Since that day the entire campus has embraced the anniversary through Pioneer Pride Day, special programs that were funded by a mini-grant fund, and Dr. Jim O’Donnell giving a lecture on the College’s history as part of the Perspectives Series. The celebration continues in 2010, but the first half of the celebration is clearly the top story of 2009 on campus.
TOM PERRY
