Welcome to Homecoming Week!

After nearly two years apart due to the pandemic, we are so very excited to welcome many of you back to campus this week for the first fully in-person Homecoming since 2019. Back on the schedule are all of the events you know and love - the Homecoming Parade and Bonfire, Picnic on the Plaza, Stampede 5K, Unity Walk, the Alumni & Family Tailgate and, of course, the Homecoming game against ODU.

A lot of love and planning went into this year's Homecoming celebration, with you specifically in mind. We wanted to make this year an oversized celebration of all things Marshall and remind everyone that we are, in fact, "back and better than ever!"

While we will be celebrating in-person this year, we haven't fully abandoned the incredible virtual options we enjoyed last year. There are still opportunities to play virtual games, enjoy the Exploring Marshall video series, and watch the parade online if you are unable to make it to Huntington. And then there are all of the live events you have come to love and cherish through the years on Friday and Saturday. And at all of the events, we strive to make them as safe as possible.

We can't wait to see you at this year's #HerdHomecoming celebration! Visit herdalum.com/homecoming21 for complete details.

Enjoy reading this edition of Sons & Daughters. GO HERD!

Matt Hayes

Larry Crum

Kasey Stevens

Following a national search, Marshall University’s Board of Governors has announced a slate of five finalists who will be invited for campus visits as one of the final steps in the process of selecting the university’s 38th president.

The presidential search committee presented the slate of recommended finalists during a public meeting of the board’s executive committee on Marshall’s Huntington campus.

According to Board of Governors Chairman Patrick Farrell, who also chairs the search committee, the finalists were selected following a competitive search process.

“Marshall has an excellent reputation and our presidency is an attractive position,” Farrell said. “The response was even greater than we perhaps anticipated and we are thrilled with the quality of the pool. Forty nominations were submitted directly to the presidential search website. In addition, our search firm received a large number of nominations and identified a broad base of prospective candidates nationally and internationally.

“After a great deal of deliberation, the search committee narrowed the field and conducted face-to-face interviews with an extraordinarily diverse pool of 16 semi-finalists. From those interviews, we selected the five finalists announced today. I look forward to welcoming them to campus in a couple of weeks.”

The presidential finalists are, in alphabetical order: Bernard Arulanandam, vice president for research, economic development, and knowledge enterprise, The University of Texas at San Antonio; Bret Danilowicz, provost and vice president for academic affairs, Florida Atlantic University; Robyn Hannigan, provost, Clarkson University; Kathy Johnson, executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI); and Brad D. Smith, co-founder, Wing 2 Wing Foundation.

After a year apart due to the pandemic, this year’s theme, Back and Better Than Ever, celebrates the return of traditional Homecoming activities, while implementing all the necessary precautions to allow alumni and supporters to celebrate safely. The theme will also accompany the return of dozens of activities throughout the week including the annual parade, bonfire, Picnic on the Plaza, Homecoming Stampede 5K, Marshall Alumni & Family Tailgate, and much more.

Homecoming week will feature a fun mix of virtual and in-person activities for all to participate. The week will begin with virtual games and new episodes of the Exploring Marshall video series presented by the Marshall University Alumni Association, culminating with the usual slate of in-person Homecoming activities later in the week.

Want to win 4 tickets to the Marshall vs. Old Dominion Homecoming football game on Saturday, October 9?

Just submit a photo of you, your family, your pets, anything as long as they are decked out in Marshall green and white! We will select a winner during the week!

Marshall University and the Marshall University Foundation, Inc. are thrilled to announce the university’s first-ever day of giving titled One Day for the Herd which will take place online on Thursday, October 14.

This exciting one-day event is a unique opportunity for the entire Marshall family to come together and make a lasting impact on the students of Marshall University and to help shape the future of the institution. One Day for the Herd will feature 24 hours of giving thanks, with interactive elements throughout the day on the Foundation and Marshall University social media accounts, along with a giving wall, state-by-state participation numbers, giving challenges and much more.

Marshall University alumni, students, staff, supporters, and fans can participate in this transformational day by visiting givingday.marshall.edu.

Marshall University is set to dedicate a statue of trailblazing athlete Harold Everett “Hal” Greer at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 9. The ceremony will be held outdoors at the corner of 3rd Ave. and 18th St. in Huntington, adjacent to the Cam Henderson Center, and is open to the public.

Greer, who is credited with breaking the color barrier in West Virginia collegiate sports, played basketball at Marshall from 1954-58, where he averaged 19.4 points and 10.8 rebounds per game in three varsity seasons. In 1956, he led Marshall to a Mid-American Conference Championship and the school’s first appearance in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. He was named an All-American Honorable Mention in 1958, and was inducted into the university’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 1985.

It has been a busy couple of weeks for the Marshall men's soccer team.

First, the Thundering Herd set a Veterans Memorial Soccer Complex attendance record during its game with West Virginia University on September 17 as more than 3,000 fans packed into the stadium to watch Marshall play to a 1-1 draw with the Mountaineers.

Less than two weeks later, the No. 5 ranked Thundering Herd blanked the Butler Bulldogs 2-0 at Hoops Family Field, giving head coach Chris Grassie his 50th win at Marshall as he becomes the fastest to 50 wins in program history.

Coming off of a historic run through the NCAA Division 1 Men's Soccer Tournament in 2020-21 ending in the first Division 1 national championship for the school, Marshall is currently 6-1-3 entering the heart of conference play over the next month.

If you are joining us for the Alumni & Family Tailgate, don't forget that it is in a new location this year!

All are invited to join the Marshall University Alumni Association for the Marshall Alumni & Family Tailgate on Saturday, October 9 beginning at 11:30 a.m.

This year the tailgate will take place in a brand new location in the Joan C. Edwards Stadium East Lot, beside the Chris Cline Indoor Athletic Facility.

Tickets are $10 and includes food, drinks, entertainment, tailgating games, plus appearances by the Marching Thunder, cheerleaders, coaches and other special guests! CLICK HERE to register today!

The Marshall University Alumni Association is excited to offer a brand new perks program available to all alumni of Marshall University called MU PerksConnect!

The MU PerksConnect portal opens alumni up to a bounty of savings on a variety of offerings, both locally and nationally. Simply register your free account at http://marshall.perksconnection.com and immediately start saving on everything from food to travel. MU PerksConnect will use your location to bring you specific savings at stores, restaurants, and more where you live, or visit the national deals to find savings on travel, theme park and event tickets, and much more!

The MU PerksConnect portal also offers handy access to insurance benefits for auto, home and pet and long term care resources.

If you want to save even more, you can sign up for a free cash back program called Koiyn! Koiyn provides cash back offers at places you already love. Cash back offers are tied directly to your card from participating popular national brands, plus your favorite regional and local retailers too!

Sign up for MU PerksConnect today and start saving!

Hey Herd fans, listen up!

The Marshall University Alumni Association has officially unveiled One of the Herd, the official podcast of the MUAA featuring news, updates and alumni interviews!

Do you know an alum that would be a great guest on our show? Let us know at alumni@marshall.edu and stay tuned for more information about how to listen!

CLICK HERE to listen!

The Marshall University Foundation has announced the creation of the Gullickson Family Endowment for the Society of Yeager Scholars. This scholarship fund, created by John and Dianna Gullickson Canfield, honors the long history of the Gullickson family at Marshall University, spanning four generations over the past 90 years.

The endowment is named in honor of Otto “Swede” Gullickson, who served as a physical education professor and the director of intramurals at Marshall from 1930 until his retirement in 1963. During his tenure at Marshall, Gullickson developed the most extensive college intramural program in the nation. He served as Marshall’s track and field coach and cross-country coach from 1947 until 1952. Gullickson was an infamous fixture at campus pep rallies, leading the cheers for many decades. Gullickson also founded the Marshall chapters of Alpha Phi Omega and Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Gullickson Hall on the Marshall campus was named in his honor in 1964.