Joseph W. Bruno elected 18th president of Marietta College

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MARIETTA, OH (12/14/2011)(readMedia)-- The Marietta College Board of Trustees has elected Dr. Joseph W. Bruno, former Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at Wesleyan University, as the 18th president of Marietta, effective July 1, 2012.

Bruno is considered an effectual and collaborative higher education leader who has worked with four Wesleyan presidents in his 27 years and has helped to shape academic initiatives at the university.

A graduate of Augustana College and Northwestern University, Bruno is currently a Professor of Chemistry at Wesleyan. He also completed a thesis parts appointment at Argonne National Laboratory, and then conducted postdoctoral research at Indiana University.

"I am honored and delighted to join the Marietta College community as president. It is abundantly clear that Marietta enjoys the support of outstanding students, faculty, staff, alumni, and trustees and it will be my privilege to work with these talented individuals," Dr. Bruno says. "Diane and I were grateful for the hospitality shown during our visit and we thoroughly enjoyed the chance to meet with members of the community and to learn of their dedication to the College and its historic mission. I thank the Trustees for this exciting opportunity, and Diane and I look forward to our move to Marietta this summer."

Bruno will succeed Dr. Jean A. Scott, who has served Marietta College since July 1, 2000. Scott announced her retirement in February and will move back to her native Virginia once her presidency has ended.

Board Chair Barbara A. Perry Fitzgerald '73 announced the election and looks forward to introducing Bruno to the Marietta community in January at a campus celebration that will be attended by faculty, students and staff, as well as college trustees, alumni and others.

"The Marietta College Board of Trustees have enthusiastically agreed that Dr. Joseph Bruno is the most appropriate choice to lead Marietta at this crucial time in the College's history," Fitzgerald says. "He is a true leader in higher education, and he has embraced and endorses the College's strategic plan. We are also excited to welcome Joe's wife, Diane, to the Marietta College family. We know they will represent Marietta College well. We couldn't be more thrilled to welcome Dr. Bruno as our president-elect."

Bruno's election follows a national search that began in June and drew what search committee members described as a large, diverse and competitive pool of applicants. Committee chair Brent McCurdy '68 says the search attracted more than 60 applicants, "and it included sitting presidents and countless others who are accomplished vice presidents and deans."

The search firm AGB assisted Marietta College's 15-member search committee, which included Marietta trustees, faculty members, administrators, alumni and a student.

At Wesleyan, Bruno supervised Wesleyan's 330 faculty members in 41 departments and programs from 2006-10 as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost. In this role, Bruno says he recognized the value of collaborative approaches to educating students about science, and he supported faculty members who pursued collaborative and cross-disciplinary approaches to that aim.

His role was also broad in nature as it also included a partnership with the University Relations office in fundraising, and development and management of a $55 million annual budget. He secured numerous grants and significant gifts to the college in his career. He also is a lecturer and the author of more than 60 publications.

Bruno also built a reputation as an entrepreneur while at the campus in Middletown, Conn. He is the inventor of a number of patents and explored revenue-generating programs to alleviate budgetary pressures. One approach that he was closely involved with was the development of low-residency graduate program in the arts, and he helped design an undergraduate summer term.

Bruno has pursued leadership and development opportunities during his three decades at Wesleyan with organizations such as the Annapolis Group, the American Conference of Academic Deans, and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).

During his on-campus interview in November, Bruno talked about his interest in sustainable building practices and building maintenance, and he is accredited as a LEED Green Associate by the Green Building Certification Institute.

Located in Marietta, Ohio, at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, Marietta College is a four-year liberal arts college. Tracing its roots to the Muskingum Academy begun in 1797, the College was officially chartered in 1835. Today Marietta College serves a body of 1,400 full-time students. The College offers 44 majors and has been listed among Barron's Best Buys in College Education and Peterson's Competitive Colleges, and has been recognized as one of the top regional comprehensive colleges by U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review, as well as one of the nation's best by Forbes.com.

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