College’s Bicentennial recognized by state leaders

March 7, 2019

Maryville College’s Bicentennial was recognized and celebrated in Tennessee’s House of Representatives during the Feb. 25 session of the 111th General Assembly.

Rep. Jerome Moon of Blount County led the recognition and presentation of House Joint Resolution No. 14, which concluded with “… we honor and commend the faculty, staff, students, alumni, and supporters of Maryville College for their commitment to higher education, congratulate them upon their 200th anniversary, and extend our best wishes for every future success.”

Representing the College on the House floor were Maryville College President Dr. Tom Bogart, Chairperson of the Board of Directors Dr. Mary Kay Sullivan, Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge and MC Board member W. Neal McBrayer ’86 and the Rev. Dr. Anne D. McKee, Maryville College campus minister. Rep. Bob Ramsey, another legislator from Blount County, stood with the group.

“We’re excited to commemorate this 200th anniversary but even more excited to get started on the next 200 years of accomplishing the College’s mission: to prepare students for lives of citizenship and leadership as we challenge each one to search for truth, grow in wisdom, work for justice and dedicate a life of creativity and service to the peoples of the world,” Bogart said to legislators in accepting the recognition.

Prior to the recognition, McKee, Maryville College campus minister, gave the prayer of invocation.

Gubernatorial proclamation presented

During a Maryville College event held Feb. 26 at Nashville’s Woolworth on 5th restaurant, Judge Brandon Gibson, senior adviser to Gov. Bill Lee, presented a gubernatorial proclamation recognizing the College’s milestone.

“It’s an honor to be here tonight. Some of my favorite people are Maryville College products, so it’s an honor to be here and help you celebrate 200 years.  Noble, grand and true – I think that should be a motto for all of us as Tennesseans,” Gibson said, referencing the College’s Bicentennial theme. “Maryville College does an excellent job setting the stage for doing the right things for the right reasons. So, congratulations on 200 years, and here’s to at least 200 more.

“You do not just get a day. You do not just get a week. No, you don’t get just a month,” she continued. “This proclamation from Gov. Bill Lee is hereby proclaiming the year 2019 as ‘Maryville College Bicentennial Year,’ [in the state of Tennessee], and I’m honored to present this to you on behalf of Gov. Bill Lee.”

Mayoral proclamation presented earlier

The statewide recognitions follow a joint mayoral proclamation presented by then-Alcoa Mayor and alumnus Don Mull ’59 and Andy White, vice mayor of the city of Maryville at the Bicentennial kickoff celebration held Oct. 25.

The proclamation, commending Maryville College “on 200 years of service to the local communities” and acknowledging “the impacts that reach far beyond its home,” also designated Oct. 25, 2018 as “Maryville College Day” in the jurisdictions of Alcoa, Maryville and Blount County.

Maryville College is a nationally-ranked institution of higher learning and one of America’s oldest colleges. For more than 200 years we’ve educated students to be giving citizens and gifted leaders, to study everything, so that they are prepared for anything — to address any problem, engage with any audience and launch successful careers right away. Located in Maryville, Tennessee, between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the city of Knoxville, Maryville College offers nearly 1,200  students from around the world both the beauty of a rural setting and the advantages of an urban center, as well as more than 60 majors, seven pre-professional programs and career preparation from their first day on campus to their last. Today, our 10,000 alumni are living life strong of mind and brave of heart and are prepared, in the words of our Presbyterian founder, to “do good on the largest possible scale.”