Emerson Welcomes Marlboro College Students and Faculty to Campus

Marlboro College faculty and students had the opportunity to get to know Emerson’s campus and community on Sunday, November 24, marking Marlboro’s first official visit since the schools announced plans to explore an alliance earlier this month.

President Pelton invited the group, which included more than 50 Marlboro students, faculty, administrators, and Trustees­, to have lunch with members of the Emerson community at the Paramount Center before catching an ArtsEmerson performance of The Iliad.

Edward “Ted” Wendell, Life Trustee for Marlboro, an active philanthropist, and supporter of ArtsEmerson, and his wife Mary, sponsored the visit.

Wendell, who taught mathematics at Marlboro and served as the College’s first Dean of Students,­ joined Pelton in welcoming the group to Emerson. He assured Marlboro students that they possessed the creative thinking skills to thrive at Emerson after the transition. “How can I fit in here and how can the spirit of Marlboro carry on? This is problem solving 101—you all have it in you,” he said.

Echoing Wendell, Marlboro College President Kevin Quigley said, “Not only do we have to problem solve, we have to build relationships.” Quigley shared his hope that the alliance would “create something that’s exemplary for higher education.”

Related: Emerson, Marlboro College Look to Combine Creative Forces

Earlier in the day, Marlboro students joined campus tours led by Emerson students and attended an information session at the Lion’s Den presented by Emerson Vice President and Dean of Campus Life Jim Hoppe, Vice President of Enrollment and Campus Life Ruthanne Madsen, and Director of Admission Michael Lynch.

Madsen said it was wonderful to be able to interact with the Marlboro community, and get to know them. As co-chair of the Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Marlboro-Emerson Working Group, Madsen wants to build a seamless transition for Marlboro students.

“I spoke with excited students and faculty, and that just feeds the enthusiasm and desire to help develop their future success at Emerson,” Madsen said.

Marlboro faculty attended a meeting led by Emerson Provost Michaele Whelan, School of the Arts Dean Rob Sabal, School of Communication Dean Raul Reis, and Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies Dean Amy Ansell.

After lunch, the Marlboro contingent attended ArtsEmerson’s final season performance of An Iliad, made possible by the generosity of Ted and Mary Wendell. As part of his introduction to the show, Artistic Director David Dower offered a special greeting to the Marlboro students and faculty in the audience. “Welcome home,” he said.