MARIETTA - Making his first visit to campus as Marietta College's president-elect, Joseph Bruno on Wednesday said the institution is in great shape but cannot rest on its laurels.
"I think that any institution that's really serious about its mission can't stand in one place," he said.
Bruno, who will take the reins at the college on July 1 after spending 28 years in various positions at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., said he believes Marietta College is serious about providing a liberal arts education, which goes beyond simply preparing students for careers, and helps them develop as human beings and lifelong learners.
"My concern right now is this is such a great institution that I think more people should know about it," he said.
Bruno arrived in the area Tuesday night and had dinner with current President Jean Scott and board of trustees Chairwoman Barbara Fitzgerald. He spent Wednesday meeting with students, faculty and city officials, capped off with an introduction at Ban Johnson Arena prior to the men's basketball game against Mount Union.
Today he will have breakfast with administrators and staff, meet with the transition team and have lunch with the president's cabinet.
"It's really an opportunity to appear on campus, get to meet more people ... and answer questions they may have," Bruno said.
Sophomore Emma Burger said she enjoyed speaking with Bruno and his wife, Diane, over lunch in the Gilman Dining Hall.
"They're very interested in the campus," she said. "They're not just interested in administrative tasks. They want to get to know students, which is lovely."
This week won't be the only time that Bruno plans to interact with a wide array of people on campus.
"As a president, I think one of the mistakes one can make is limiting the flow of information through just a few pathways," he said.
Once he comes to Marietta for good, Bruno plans to make himself available to meet with various departments to learn about what they do and get their visions for the future direction of the school, he said. It's something he did when he became vice president of academic affairs at Wesleyan in 2006.
"It was invaluable," he said.
Bruno said from what he's seen so far, the college's faculty and staff have the right priorities of doing what's best for the institution and the students over the long term.
"As I like to say, presidents come and go, but it's really the faculty and staff that keeps the institution going from year to year," he said.
Also impressing Bruno is the college's student body and their willingness to be active in the community and leadership opportunities.
"It's really what all of us, including students, bring to campus that makes this the vibrant learning community that it is," he said.
Bruno has recently been spending more time with students after returning to the classroom as a professor of inorganic and organometallic chemistry at Wesleyan following five years as vice president of academic affairs and provost. He said he made the move because he was looking to become a college president and did not want to leave as the school's chief academic officer in the midst of its upcoming re-accreditation process.
Now that he is a president, though, Bruno isn't ruling out a return to the classroom. After taking the vice president and provost position at Wesleyan, he taught an advanced organometallic chemistry class after a number of chemistry majors requested it.
"Maybe the opportunity will present itself some time in the future," he said.
In addition to faculty, staff and students, Bruno knows alumni will be another important group with which to interact. He said he's impressed with the alumni support the college receives, both financial and otherwise.
"I would love to think about a very broad network of Marietta alumni across the country, telling the story ... and recruiting the next generation," he said.
Colleges tend to recruit regionally but Bruno said Marietta will need to cast its net wider going forward. Having alumni who can share how their experience at the school benefited them is an asset to that goal.
Diane Bruno said she's looking forward to moving to Marietta. She said she plans to be active in the college and community, drawing on her skills as a human resources professional to assist students as they prepare to enter the workforce. She's been a supporter of the United Way and the arts in Middletown.
"I see a lot of energy," Diane Bruno said of her impression of the college.
Tom Perry, director of college relations, said Bruno will return to campus a few more times before July 1. His next scheduled trip will be in February, when he will attend the college's monthly board of trustees meeting.
