While the term March Madness is typically reserved for the opening weeks of the men's and women's NCAA basketball tournament, this year the term takes on a whole new meaning.

To say that a lot is happening on campus and in the community at the moment is an understatement. Internally, we are gearing up to bring hundreds of alumni, donors and Herd supporters back to campus at the end of the month for the spring MUAA board of directors meeting culminating with the 84th annual Alumni Awards Banquet on April 1. Earlier that same day, we will honor nearly 400 scholarship recipients and their donors at the annual Scholarship Honor Brunch. Lastly, we will be hosting calls with Marshall University President Brad D. Smith, Athletic Director Christian Spears and hundreds of alumni across the country over the next four weeks as we continue to grow and expand our network of alumni chapters across the country.

A quick drive around Huntington will also reveal the lighting-fast construction of the Brad D. Smith Center for Business and Innovation (photos and a video can be found below) and the new Thundering Herd baseball stadium. While not taking place this month, it was announced in March that Homecoming will return to campus on Sept. 30 and the extremely successful Community Cares Week will once again take place in May.

So yes, you could say that there is a bit of March Madness around town at the moment, but it is just a sign of the great things that are currently happening at Marshall!

Enjoy reading this edition of the Marshall University alumni newsletter. GO HERD!

The pageantry and excitement of Homecoming will return to Marshall University beginning Monday, Sept. 25, and culminating with the crowning of Mr. and Miss Marshall at halftime during the game against Old Dominion University on Saturday, Sept. 30.

Slotted between early-season matchups against Virginia Tech and North Carolina State, this year’s celebration will mark the earliest Homecoming has come to the Huntington campus since a victory over Toledo in the 1977 Homecoming game on Sept. 24.

“Homecoming is such an integral part of the Marshall University calendar for our alumni, our supporters and our student population,” said Matt James, executive director of Alumni Relations. “It is a unique time where the entire Marshall family comes together to celebrate the rich history and proud traditions of our university. And this year we are excited to shake things up a bit with an earlier date right in the heart of the schedule. So, mark your calendars and join us in September for as many events as your schedule will allow as we prepare for another wonderful week of Homecoming activities.”

Do you love The Herd? Do you want to help make our campus shine?

Calling all alumni, supporters, community members, faculty, staff and students…

We need your help!

We are in the planning stages for our annual Community Cares Week – and we want you to mark your calendar!

Join us for a little sweat equity…plus food, fellowship and FUN!

Details about this year’s event are coming soon…

Marshall baseball opened their home season earlier this month while construction continues on the new state-of-the-art baseball facility next to the Dot Hicks softball field! The new facility (pictured above) is being constructed on Third Avenue and 22nd Street next to the softball field and across the street from Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

Meanwhile, the Brad D. Smith Center for Business and Innovation is making great progress in the 1400 block of Fourth Avenue and is scheduled to open in January of 2024.

The Business and Innovation center will serve as a hub for the economic development of the region, as well providing Marshall University students with cutting-edge instructional facilities. The facility also features a unique design that provides flexibility for a changing academic environment and classrooms that encourage active learning of various types.

You can watch a video of the construction of the new business center below.

Marshall senior guard Taevion Kinsey broke the Thundering Herd's all-time career scoring mark in the second half, but it was not enough as the Thundering Herd fell 71-68 to No. 11 seed Texas State on March 4 at the Pensacola Bay Center.

With the loss, Marshall drops to 24-8 on the season and will have to wait to hear its postseason fate.

"I want to congratulate Texas State. I thought they played an outstanding ballgame," Marshall head coach Dan D'Antoni said. "They hit key shots when they had to. They played extremely well and we wish them the best of luck."

Kinsey came into the game needing 16 points to break Jon Elmore's record of 2,358 career points and did so with 7:25 left in the game when he knocked down two free throws.

The Columbus, Ohio, native finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists. His current career point total now sits at 2,641.

Marshall University and the Marshall University Alumni Association (MUAA) are set to host the 84th annual Alumni Awards Banquet on Saturday, April 1, beginning at 6 p.m. with a reception followed by dinner and awards at 7 p.m. at the Brad D. Smith Foundation Hall.

The Marshall University Alumni Awards Banquet recognizes outstanding alumni, university supporters and students during an evening of celebration and reverence of the great things being accomplished by the Marshall University alumni community.

In total, nearly two dozen awards are presented during the annual event including national awards, individual college awards of distinctions, scholarships and more.

Join us on social media @MarshallUAlumni on April 1 beginning at 7 p.m. to view the livestream. We will have a full recap of the event in the next alumni newsletter!

On behalf of all of us at the Marshall University Alumni Association and Office of Alumni Relations, we want to wish former MUAA Board Member Julian Sockman a very happy 100th birthday! Sockman celebrated that feat on March 3.

Sockman, who is from Moundsville, West Virginia, served in the United States Army, second division, during World War II. During his time in the Army, he was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge and received a Purple Heart. Sockman graduated from Marshall with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1949. After graduating, he relocated to Charleston, West Virginia, and began working for the West Virginia Department of Highways before retiring in 1989 after 33 years.

Sockman is involved with Meals on Wheels in Charleston, and is a founding member of Village Chapel Presbyterian Church, which opened its doors in Charleston in 1950. He also has generously donated to the Marshall University Foundation for more than three decades.

Sockman married his college sweetheart Rose Ellen Tully Sockman and together they had two sons, Roger and Dean, and three grandchildren, Ellen Ann, Chloe and Drew.

Dr. Darshana and Mr. Tushar Shah have called West Virginia home for nearly 40 years. As alumni, engaged citizens and community leaders, the Shahs are now giving back by endowing a scholarship to support future medical students from West Virginia at the Marshall University Joan. C. Edwards School of Medicine.

Alumnus J. Jeffrey McElroy, M.D., and his wife, Lori, have created a new scholarship at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine for students from Wood County, West Virginia, and surrounding areas.