Welcome to Marietta College’s one hundred and seventy-seventh Annual Commencement
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ith roots that reach back to the 18th century Muskingum Academy, Marietta College was officially chartered on February 14, 1835, by the State of Ohio as an institution charged with educating youth in all the various branches of the liberal arts and sciences. From the beginning, Marietta has been an independent, nonsectarian liberal arts college. Today’s graduates share a common foundation of courses in written and spoken communication and have been required to acquire a coherent experience in several fields of study. Moreover, each has pursued an in-depth study of a discipline in one or more of the nearly 50 undergraduate or graduate programs. Marietta College grants degrees to these individuals, confident they have been readied to exercise their callings with competence and to fulfill their civic and social responsibilities with understanding. The men and women receiving degrees today will join more than 25,000 living Marietta College alumni as members of The Long Blue Line.
Commencement Speaker Marcia Meyer
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arcia Meyer is the founder of The Be Kind People Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to thanking the nation’s teachers and delivering classroom kindness programs that equip students with tools to learn and practice relationship skills that can help them make a positive impact in their schools and communities. After retiring as a senior executive officer with the PetSmart Corp., Mrs. Meyer remained an active community advocate, including serving on the Boards of Arizona’s Children’s Association, The Cancer Support Community of Arizona, and The Committee of 200, which is a by-invitation only organization of America’s leading business women. She was also a U.S. delegate for the General Assembly of the World Kindness Movement in 2012 and was elected to its International Council. In 2008, she founded WishFULLS, a consumer brand focused on recognizing the positive attributes of others. In 2011, she founded The Be Kind Project, which was recently named by USA Today as one of the top non-profits making a true difference in America. More than 12 million character development supplies that help kids practice the attributes of kindness have been delivered to classrooms across the country through this organization. Before retiring in 2001, Mrs. Meyer had a 27-year career as an executive with some of the nation’s leading retail businesses. During her 11-year tenure at PetSmart, she held various senior management responsibilities, including the leadership of Corporate Marketing, Merchandising, and Services, and she also served as Chief Executive Officer of PETsMART stores in the UK. Prior to that, she worked with major department stores, including the Broadway Department Stores, where she was Senior Vice President and General Merchandise Manager and Vice President of Store Operations. She was trained and held management positions at The May Company and at Macy’s. Currently, Mrs. Meyer works as a full-time volunteer and Board member for The Be Kind People Project, and is shaping its nationwide vision and expansion. She also is a consultant and speaker and serves on the board for several start-up companies. She was a magna cum laude graduate in Spanish and Education from McPherson College, a liberal arts college in McPherson, Kan. She lives in Paradise Valley, Ariz., with her husband, Andrew Meyer. They have two grown children and three grandchildren.
As a courtesy to the graduates and those in attendance today, please turn your cell phones to vibrate. We also ask that all family photographers remain in their seats when taking photos or go to the assigned area off to the left of the stage.
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