Villa Park native takes helm at Marietta College

A Villa Park native, Joseph W. Bruno, has been named the 18th president of Marietta College in southeast Ohio.

A former vice president for academic affairs and provost at Wesleyan University. he'll step into his new role July 1.

Bruno is considered an effectual and collaborative higher education leader who has worked with four Wesleyan presidents in his 27 years and has helped to shape academic initiatives at the university, school officials said.

A graduate of Augustana College and Northwestern University, Bruno is currently a professor of chemistry at Wesleyan. He also completed a thesis parts appointment at Argonne National Laboratory, and then conducted postdoctoral research at Indiana University.

A graduate of Willowbrook High School, his mother, Betty, still lives in Villa Park.

“It is abundantly clear that Marietta enjoys the support of outstanding students, faculty, staff, alumni and trustees and it will be my privilege to work with these talented individuals,” Bruno said.

Bruno will succeed Jean A. Scott, who has served Marietta College since July 1, 2000. Scott announced her retirement in February and will move back to her native Virginia once her presidency has ended.

Board Chairwoman Barbara A. Perry Fitzgerald announced the election and said she looks forward to introducing Bruno to the Marietta community in January at a campus celebration that will be attended by faculty, students and staff, as well as college trustees, alumni and others.

“He is a true leader in higher education and he has embraced and endorses the college's strategic plan,” Fitzgerald said. “We are also excited to welcome Joe's wife, Diane, to the Marietta College family. We know they will represent Marietta College well.”

Bruno's election follows a national search that began in June and drew what search committee members described as a large, diverse and competitive pool of applicants. Committee chairman Brent McCurdy said the search attracted more than 60 applicants “and it included sitting presidents and countless others who are accomplished vice presidents and deans.”

The search firm AGB assisted Marietta College's 15-member search committee, which included Marietta trustees, faculty members, administrators, alumni and a student.

At Wesleyan, Bruno supervised Wesleyan's 330 faculty members in 41 departments and programs from 2006-10 as vice president for academic affairs and provost.