Chlapatys pledge $55 million to Marietta College
Marietta College President Kathleen Dougherty discusses new masters programs coming to the college. (Photo by Gwen Sour)
Following the announcement of a $55 million donation to Marietta College, staff, students, alumni, faculty and government officials cheer. (Photo by Gwen Sour)
Joe Chlapaty shares his reasoning for making a $55 million donation to the college. (Photo by Gwen Sour)
Marietta College President Kathleen Dougherty discusses new masters programs coming to the college. (Photo by Gwen Sour)
Following the announcement of a $55 million donation to Marietta College, staff, students, alumni, faculty and government officials cheer. (Photo by Gwen Sour)
Joe Chlapaty shares his reasoning for making a $55 million donation to the college. (Photo by Gwen Sour)
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MARIETTA -- Joe and Linda Chlapaty have committed $55 million to Marietta College to renovate first-year student residence halls and build a new health sciences facility, President Kathleen Poorman Dougherty announced Friday during her State of the College address.
The announcement at Fenton Court in the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center came as Dougherty launched "More History to Make," a fundraising campaign supporting the college's academic programs, student experience, regional partnerships and financial stability.
"They have committed to Marietta College an astonishing $55 million," Dougherty said.
The commitment will support renovations to Elsie Newton, Mary Beach and Marietta halls, including a connecting facility between Elsie Newton and Mary Beach. Dougherty said the project will create a first-year residential quad intended to help students build community.
The Chlapatys also committed to a new health sciences facility to accommodate programs the college is developing to help meet regional health care needs.
"This will change the entire trajectory of our institution and the entire trajectory of the student experience here," Dougherty said.
Joe Chlapaty said the couple's decision grew from a longstanding connection to Marietta and a desire to help the college move more quickly toward its goals after several difficult years.
His son, Keith, graduated from Marietta in 1997. Chlapaty said attending his son's football games gave him opportunities to experience the campus and its support for students.
"He received a solid education, made friends," Chlapaty said.
Chlapaty joined the board of trustees in 1999 and served for six years. He said he later lost touch with the college but renewed his involvement after seeing social media posts questioning its future.
He contacted then-interim President Margaret Drugovich, who provided what he described as an "honest and sobering update." He subsequently rejoined the board as it worked to address the college's challenges and develop a strategic plan.
Chlapaty credited Dougherty and board Chairman Jim Wilson with helping establish a practical path forward. He said he and Linda wanted to provide resources to accelerate that work and encouraged alumni, friends and community members to participate.
"Marietta College is critically important for the city of Marietta and the southeast Ohio region," he said. "The city of Marietta needs the college, and the college needs the city."
Wilson thanked the couple on behalf of the board, saying their support would help the college reach its 200th anniversary and continue beyond it.
"They have a son that's an alumni, but more than that, they are stewards of our future," Wilson said.
Dougherty said the fundraising campaign sets a goal of $11 million annually for five years, with priorities aligned with the strategic plan launched a year ago.
"It is my privilege and honor to tell you today that the state of Marietta College is one of momentum, opportunity, and purpose," she said.
Her address outlined new graduate programs and plans to expand the college's health care offerings.
A master's program in reading science has received approval from the Higher Learning Commission and will soon be able to enroll students, Dougherty said. The college also has received permission to launch a Master of Business Administration program, while its clinical mental health counseling master's program is expected to enroll its first class in January.
Building on its physician assistant program, the college plans programs in nurse anesthesia and occupational therapy, along with an undergraduate program in communication sciences and disorders leading into graduate study in speech-language pathology.
"The idea is for us to be the destination for students who want to be healthcare professionals in southeastern Ohio," Dougherty said.
She also described plans to expand energy and engineering education and highlighted the Center for Appalachian Innovation, supported by a $1.5 million state investment. The center connects student research and college resources with the needs of regional communities, governments and businesses, she said.
Dougherty said a $3 million federal grant to strengthen the institution will support infrastructure improvements and include $1 million for undergraduate health sciences laboratories.
She credited faculty, staff, alumni and donors with supporting the college's progress and said every member of the board had made a meaningful contribution to the campaign.
"Together, we are going to make more history," she said.