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Welcome to Marietta College’s one hundred and seventy-eighth Annual Commencement
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
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John E. Beale ohn Beale has served as the ambassador of Barbados to the United States since January 29, 2009. Mr. Beale also has served as Barbados’ representative to the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States, honorary consul in Rio de Janeiro and Uruguay, as well as head of the Barbados Private Sector Trade Team from 2003 to 2007.
Mr. Beale is a Marietta College alumnus and completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1971. He holds an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona, which he earned in 1978. He has 26 years of experience in the international banking and project financing sectors. Among his positions are: president and CEO of RBTT Barbados Ltd. (2004-09), a leading pan-Caribbean banking group with assets of $7 billion; divisional executive chairman of Barbados Shipping and Trading Co. (BS&T) and director of BS&T and Neal & Massy (1995-2004); investment officer with the Business Advisory Service of the IFC (1987-95); general manager of the full branch unit at Banco Internacional; and deputy director of Chase. He speaks English, Portuguese and some Spanish. Beale and his wife, Leila Mol Beale, have three children. Mr. Beale will be introduced by Emeritus Trustee Henry J. Jelinek, Jr. ’68.
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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