President Ruud announces his departure from Marietta College
MC's 19th President's final day will be on or before June 30, 2023
Marietta, Ohio (02/20/2023) — President Bill Ruud, who has led Marietta College for nearly seven years and helped reposition it as a student-ready institution, announced on Monday, February 20th, that he is leaving the College to pursue other opportunities. His final day will be on or before June 30, 2023.
Having led the College through the pandemic, Ruud is credited with leading fundraising efforts that have the College nearing the completion of the $100 million goal for the "This is the Time" comprehensive campaign by the end of 2023. Under his leadership, the College also invested in significant improvements to facilities to enhance the student experience.
"The Marietta College Board of Trustees want to thank President Ruud for providing valuable leadership at a time when we needed him. Under his leadership, we faced one of the most difficult times in the history of our beloved College - a pandemic and government-ordered shutdown. Dr. Ruud kept the campus informed, kept the campus safe, and worked with the entire campus to resume classes as quickly as possible for the benefit of our students," said Matt Weekley '81, Chair of the Board of Trustees. "We wish Bill and his wife, Judy, nothing but the best in whatever their future holds."
Ruud arrived at Marietta College in July 2016, and during his first three years, the College experience enrollment growth and invested millions in upgrading campus facilities. The College was positioned well for a fourth consecutive year of enrollment growth - bucking many of the national trends - before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down colleges and universities around the U.S. in early 2020. Like many other similar colleges, Marietta is rebounding from the impact of the pandemic; however, the decline of undergraduate enrollment coupled with the loss of international students during the pandemic continues to present a challenge for Marietta College.
"Judy and I profoundly love Marietta College and the Pioneer Family. Serving as the 19th president over the past seven years, we dedicated ourselves to this magnificent institution and the students, faculty, staff, and community we serve," Ruud said. "That said, after careful consideration and many long nights, Judy and I have agreed it is time for us to transition to the next phase of our lives - and watch and support the College and its faculty, staff, and students rise to new challenges under the leadership of the next president."
In a letter to campus, Ruud shared, "We, all of us together, the faculty and staff working as partners, have done so much over the past seven years to impact the experience of our students at Marietta that makes me swell with pride."
Prior to joining Marietta, Ruud served as the 10th President of the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa, from 2013 to 2016. Marietta is Ruud's third presidency, as he was the 15th president at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania from 2007-13.
Weekley said the Board will announce an interim president before Ruud's departure and will commence a national search for the next president.
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 back in 1797, the College was officially chartered in 1835. Today Marietta College serves a body of 1,200 full-time students. The College offers more than 50 majors and is consistently ranked 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. Marietta was selected seventh in the nation according to the Brookings Institution's rankings of colleges by their highest value added, regardless of major.
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Milestones during the Ruud era
Fundraising
- Endowment attained an all-time high of $104.5 million10-year highs achieved for Marietta Fund dollars, dollars raised, dollars produced, alumni participation rates, and overall dollarsFinish $100-million comprehensive campaign by close of 2023, if not earlier!
- Endowment attained an all-time high of $104.5 million
- 10-year highs achieved for Marietta Fund dollars, dollars raised, dollars produced, alumni participation rates, and overall dollars
- Finish $100-million comprehensive campaign by close of 2023, if not earlier!
Campus
- Successfully navigated a global pandemic with a special focus on student, faculty and staff safetyLed the institution in strategic planning to Support the Students of Today, Academics of Tomorrow, and the Campus of the FutureAdded the MLK Jr. Day of Service and we recognize it as a holidayBrought a strong sense of school spirit and pride (e.g., Navy Blue gowns for Commencement, improved December Graduation)Visible lift in the College's overall brand
- Successfully navigated a global pandemic with a special focus on student, faculty and staff safety
- Led the institution in strategic planning to Support the Students of Today, Academics of Tomorrow, and the Campus of the Future
- Added the MLK Jr. Day of Service and we recognize it as a holiday
- Brought a strong sense of school spirit and pride (e.g., Navy Blue gowns for Commencement, improved December Graduation)
- Visible lift in the College's overall brand
Academics
- Advocated for new majors in programs like Actuarial Science, Neuroscience, and Supply Chain Management, as well as starting the Sports Medicine graduate programSupported capital and technology improvements that helped update classrooms and labsEstablished the David and Rosalee McCullough Research Fellowship Endowment through a $250,000 grant from Bank of America, and started a relationship and conversation toward achieving the Center for Earth, Energy and EnvironmentRaised $150,000 for the Physician Assistant program providing it the necessary resources to expand future cohortsRaised $1 million from Peoples Bank to support academic and programmatic enhancements to the recently merged McDonough Center for Leadership and Business and Business & Economics departments
- Advocated for new majors in programs like Actuarial Science, Neuroscience, and Supply Chain Management, as well as starting the Sports Medicine graduate program
- Supported capital and technology improvements that helped update classrooms and labs
- Established the David and Rosalee McCullough Research Fellowship Endowment through a $250,000 grant from Bank of America, and started a relationship and conversation toward achieving the Center for Earth, Energy and Environment
- Raised $150,000 for the Physician Assistant program providing it the necessary resources to expand future cohorts
- Raised $1 million from Peoples Bank to support academic and programmatic enhancements to the recently merged McDonough Center for Leadership and Business and Business & Economics departments
Alumni
- Met with alumni and friends of the College from coast to coast and nearly everywhere in betweenPartnered with alumni to host events that build stronger relationships and a shared love of all things PioneerHosted virtual townhalls and virtual events to connect with Pioneers when we were unable to be in-person
- Met with alumni and friends of the College from coast to coast and nearly everywhere in between
- Partnered with alumni to host events that build stronger relationships and a shared love of all things Pioneer
- Hosted virtual townhalls and virtual events to connect with Pioneers when we were unable to be in-person
Athletics & Student Life
- Established a food pantry to address food insecurity on our campusEnhanced the counseling center resources available to our studentsAdvocated for the presence of comfort animals across campusHighly successful celebration of Title IX, which included the presentation of varsity letters to dozens of former female athletesWomen's basketball earned its first NCAA Tournament victoryFinal Four appearance by men's basketballAddition of women's lacrosse and restart of men's lacrosse programsElevation of esports to varsity levelEstablishment of an endowment for the rowing programs
- Established a food pantry to address food insecurity on our campus
- Enhanced the counseling center resources available to our students
- Advocated for the presence of comfort animals across campus
- Highly successful celebration of Title IX, which included the presentation of varsity letters to dozens of former female athletes
- Women's basketball earned its first NCAA Tournament victory
- Final Four appearance by men's basketball
- Addition of women's lacrosse and restart of men's lacrosse programs
- Elevation of esports to varsity level
- Establishment of an endowment for the rowing programs
Capital Improvements
- Invested in deferred maintenance to improve the facilities across campusTransformational investment in athletic facilities (boathouse, baseball complex, football turf, soccer and lacrosse fields)Raised $750,000 for softball field updates
- Invested in deferred maintenance to improve the facilities across campus
- Transformational investment in athletic facilities (boathouse, baseball complex, football turf, soccer and lacrosse fields)
- Raised $750,000 for softball field updates
Community
- Created new relationships with corporations, including IntelRenewed relationships with downtown businesses and local organizationsEnhanced connection with politicians (local, state and national)Strengthened relationships with the Chamber of Commerce, Peoples Bank and Memorial Health System
- Created new relationships with corporations, including Intel
- Renewed relationships with downtown businesses and local organizations
- Enhanced connection with politicians (local, state and national)
- Strengthened relationships with the Chamber of Commerce, Peoples Bank and Memorial Health System