Paul Bieniek
pbb001@marietta.edu
Despite bone-chilling 10 degree temperatures, MC students trekked out to the McDonough Auditorium on Monday night to hear President Bruno give the second annual State of the Campus address. Student Government Association organized the event.
Questioned why the address was held despite evening classes and activities being cancelled, student body President Taylor Myers said there were few excuses for students who live on campus not to attend.
“We advertised this address so extensively that moving the event would have been more harmful than holding it,” he said. “I just came from Gilman, and people are still working in the DBRC and the Library. If students can go to those places, they can make it to McDonough, unless they are sick or disabled. If you aren’t willing to bundle up and walk for five minutes to learn about the state of your college, I’m a little embarrassed to go to school with you to be honest.”
Roughly half the seats in the 280-seat auditorium were occupied during the speech.
President Bruno covered a broad range of topics in the address and subsequent question-and-answer session. In regards to current campus issues, he said a search committee for a new provost will begin meeting next week, and conclude the selection process by the end of the semester. He additionally highlighted the upcoming “One Stop Shop” in Irvine Hall that will allow students to take care of all business matters in one location, and extended weekend dining hours that resulted from “cooperative” negotiations with the SGA Culinary Committee and Dining Task Force.
Looking toward the institution’s future, the president reported that last week the Board of Trustees approved MC’s next 10-year plan, Vision 2025. Bruno claimed that in 10 years he hopes the college will have around 2,000 students from a broader demographic scheme, a more even distribution of students across majors, less “unsuccessful majors”, and more engaged alumni through a continuous fundraising campaign.
Questioned whether eliminating less successful majors will disproportionately affect the humanities and arts, Bruno said he is committed to a “liberal arts education.” He emphasized that every program is evaluated individually to see whether it is providing value to the students and school, and is not taking a disproportionate share of resources. He added that distinguishing between “non-liberal arts” and “liberal arts” programs is “not helpful” because he believes every program at MC provides students with a well-rounded education.
Interim Provost Dr. Mark Miller, in the audience, chimed in that students who are concerned about keeping liberal arts programs need to enroll in classes being offered by them.
Several times throughout the night, President Bruno touted a new entrepreneurship program the college is developing. He said the program would involve business-related minors in certain departments, and college-provided funding for graduates who seek to start businesses in the Marietta area. Bruno claimed this program has the potential to bridge the gap between the desire for successful financial outcomes and an education in the humanities, and to close the gender gap in enrollment which currently stands at 65 percent male to 35 percent female.
One audience member inquired into the overall state of enrollment. President Bruno said that for the first time in five years, retention has improved. Questioned on minority enrollment, Bruno conceded that students of color are “more likely to leave”. He said that cooperation between the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Office of Student Life will hopefully help to improve this situation, but that clearly more work needs to be done.
After the discussion ended, junior petroleum engineering major Aaron Dillon felt satisfied.
“It was important for the president to have some connection to the student body,” he said. “It was a good information session, and the questions that needed to be asked were asked and answered.”
On the other hand, political science major and freshman Jonah Mitchell questioned the desirability of one of President Bruno’s future goals.
“It’s great that we strive for more students coming here, but I think facility-wise we don’t have the resources to support a great increase in students,” Mitchell said. “The administration needs to improve facilities before expanding the student population.”
Before departing President Bruno reiterated that he is always open to student feedback. He holds office hours at 4:00 p.m. on Fridays when he is in town.
