MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta College has received a $55 million commitment from Joe and Linda Chlapaty — the largest single philanthropic gift in the college’s nearly 200-year history — to build a new graduate health sciences center and renovate the first-year residence halls where most Marietta students begin campus life.
President Kathleen Poorman Dougherty announced the gift during her State of the College address on October 16, where it doubled as the public launch of The Campaign for Marietta College: More History to Make, a five-year drive aiming to raise $11 million a year in support of the college’s strategic plan. The Chlapatys’ son graduated from Marietta in 1997, and Joe Chlapaty later served as a trustee.
“Joe and Linda’s commitment fundamentally changes what is possible for Marietta College,” Dougherty said. “It allows us to move boldly toward a future that expands opportunities for students, strengthens our connection to the region and reflects the enduring promise of a Marietta education.”
The new graduate health sciences building is designed for health sciences education, with classrooms, laboratories, simulation spaces and collaborative learning areas. The college says it will strengthen existing programs and allow new graduate offerings aimed at high-demand health care professions — a direct response to the shortage of health care workers in rural Ohio and Appalachia, where many Marietta graduates go on to serve.
A significant portion of the gift will renovate Marietta Hall, completed in 1965, and Elsie Newton and Mary Beach Halls, completed in 1957 and 1959. Plans include a new building connecting Elsie Newton and Mary Beach, turning the three halls into a single first-year quad. The college says the residence halls are central to recruitment and to the sense of belonging that keeps new students enrolled.
“Linda and I believe deeply in Marietta College and the human-centered education it provides,” Joe Chlapaty said. “These projects are about creating the places where relationships will grow, students will discover what they are capable of and lives will be changed.”
The gift caps a run of historic fundraising for the Washington County college — $16.1 million in fiscal 2025 and more than $19.3 million in fiscal 2026 — and lands as Marietta approaches its bicentennial, having been chartered in 1835. College leaders say design and planning work on the health sciences building and the residence hall renovations will move forward under the campaign, with alumni and friends now invited to add their own gifts to the effort.
Photo: w_lemay, CC BY-SA