Marietta Fund insert

It’s as true today as it was almost a century ago when Marietta College launched its first annual giving campaign.

When you contribute to The Marietta Fund, your personal involvement makes a direct and immediate impact upon students and faculty by providing support for such key components of a Marietta education as financial aid, internships, athletics, technology, building improvements, and study abroad experiences.

Put simply, your participation in The Marietta Fund underwrites much of what renders a Marietta College education distinctive and unique.

Just as recent projects such as the Legacy Library have transformed the learning environment and contributions to the endowment perpetuate teaching and scholarship, The Marietta Fund underwrites virtually every aspect of the student experience both inside and outside the classroom.

When you make the commitment to contribute a gift to the College’s annual giving campaign, You Are The Marietta Fund!

The Marietta Fund transforms your individual and unrestricted gift into action with immediate results where the support is needed most. Dollars raised through the Marietta Fund are directed to three major areas that include Student Aid, College Priorities, and the Pioneer Club. More specifically, defining differences occur in: Financial Aid/Scholarships – This coming academic year, the majority of Marietta College students will receive some form of financial aid. Because their tuition does not cover the entire cost of their education, the College invests in their future success by helping bridge the gap between their ability to contribute and the true cost of earning a contemporary liberal arts degree.

Faculty Development – Gifts to the Marietta Fund are more critical than ever as they are applied to the cost of both attracting and retaining outstanding scholars and teachers able to ignite the passion for learning in our students.

Academic Programs – The vitality and depth of the Marietta College curriculum

depend upon Marietta Fund gifts to fuel new initiatives and encourage creative collaborations across academic disciplines.

Technology – Twenty-first century students expect certain fundamental tools with which to pursue their education and fast, dependable technology provided by Marietta Fund resources remains a priority of annual fundraising initiatives.

Athletics – The student-athlete experience has long been an integral element of a Marietta College education and your gift to Athletics through membership in the Pioneer Club ensures it remains a cornerstone of a complete undergraduate experience.

In 2010-11, nearly 3,500 donors joined together to help reach the Marietta Fund’s goal of $1.65 million. Besides shattering the previous annual fund record, the landmark effort also allowed the College to maintain its margin of excellence ensuring that Marietta students continue to realize all the benefits and value added that comes with their education.

That’s not an easy proposition these days, but Marietta Fund gifts have a tremendous impact when you consider: A $50 contribution will provide: • Six hours of student tutoring services • 30 gifts of $50 will purchase a microscope for a science lab A $100 gift allows for: • The purchase of 10 pieces of sheet music • 8 gifts of $100 will buy a projector bulb providing 240 hours of illumination for programming at the Anderson Hancock Planetarium A $500 gift furnishes: • One electronic journal subscription for the Legacy Library • Will purchase a computer for student computer lab A $1,500 gift produces: • Royalties for 8 studio productions for the Theatre Department • 4 gifts of $1,500 will produce one piece of exercise equipment; a treadmill, stationary bike or elliptical machine A $5,000 gift funds: • A classroom Smart Board to enhance student and faculty interaction • One Charles Sumner Harrison ethnic minority scholarship In 2011, gifts under $100 made up more than $115,000 of the Marietta Fund total once again confirming that Pioneers understand contributions of any size help make all the difference.

Rhea Russell ’87 is the Marietta Fund Giving back has always been important to Rhea and shortly after she graduated from Marietta College with a degree in education, she made her first gift to the Marietta Fund. Beginning with that modest $20 contribution and long after going on to earn a Marietta Master’s degree, she has been a consistent donor never forgetting the helping hand that was extended to her and enabled her to realize her dreams and aspirations.

“I want to be a part of keeping Marietta College going. I want to be a part of what makes the Marietta College experience available to future generations and I want those students to have the same opportunities that I had,” she says.

“When you buy that Mother’s Day or Father’s Day card for your parent, it’s because you love them and you want them to know that you care. My gift to the Marietta Fund lets Marietta know that I’m still a part of the College, that I’m so proud to be a part of its family and that I love Marietta.”

Rhea is the Marietta Fund.

When you contribute to the Marietta Fund, you not only directly support the current student experience, you indirectly have an impact upon future generations of graduates as well.

When colleges fail in meeting their annual fund goals, it’s not uncommon for them to have to borrow against the endowment to meet expenses. Thanks to you, Marietta College has avoided such practices and as a result, the future has never looked brighter.

And, there’s one more reason to consider a gift to the Marietta Fund.

When you answer the call to participate, others are watching. Potential partners such as educational and corporate foundations often determine whether they will engage in supporting the institution based upon current levels of alumni giving. Alumni participation also factors into how the College is ranked in such national polls as U.S. News and World Report and Forbes.com.

In 2010, Marietta College was ranked as one of America’s Best Colleges Your annual fund gifts helped make that honor possible!

And it’s so easy to become a contributor to the Marietta Fund. There are three convenient ways to give: Give online at www.marietta.edu/Give Call toll-free with your credit card gift at 1-800-274-4704 Or mail your contribution to: Marietta College Office of Advancement 215 Fifth Street Marietta, Ohio 45750