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Official Newsletter of the Marshall University Foundation and Alumni Association | November 2023

Integrity - Respect - Diversity - Pride

November 2023 Updates

October was a busy month for the Marshall University Foundation as it hosted its 10th annual Donor Recognition Dinner on Oct. 20. This event celebrates the generosity of donors who have given $100,000 or more to Marshall University.


The Marshall University Alumni Association was equally busy with multiple tailgates, watch parties and events across various alumni chapters in West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, Georgia, Colorado, Maryland and South Carolina.


Last, but certainly not least, Marshall men's soccer dominated on the field and secured the Sun Belt Conference regular season championship, and will now advance to the conference championship this Sunday in Huntington against West Virginia University.


Read all about this, and more, in our November newsletter!

Marshall Foundation hosts annual Donor Recognition Dinner

The Marshall University Foundation hosted its annual Donor Recognition Dinner Oct. 20 at the Brad D. Smith Foundation Hall on Marshall’s Huntington campus. The event recognizes the generosity of donors with lifetime giving of $100,000 or more to Marshall University.


Over the past fiscal year from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, 37 new members entered the Foundation’s major gift societies and 22 moved into higher giving levels. There are also 495 members in the Foundation’s Old Main Society, which recognizes planned gift intentions.


“We are honored to celebrate our donors during our Donor Recognition Dinner,” said Ron Area, CEO of the Marshall University Foundation. “Their charitable giving toward Marshall University is not merely a financial investment; it is a testament to their belief in the power of education and its ability to shape a brighter future.”


READ MORE>>>

Herd captures regular season championship, advances to conference championship

Marshall University Men's Soccer team clinched the 2023 Sun Belt Conference regular season championship on Oct. 31. The team's 14th win set a program-record regular-season win total.


On Nov. 8, the team advanced to the conference championship after a 3-0 shutout against the University of Kentucky Wildcats in the semifinals. The Herd will play on Sunday against West Virginia University at the Veterans Memorial Soccer Complex in Huntington.


"It was a fantastic performance from the guys, they stuck with the game plan," Herd men's soccer head coach Chris Grassie said about his team's performance after the match. "Kentucky had the best turnaround in the nation. They've been very strong the last eight, nine games. They pressed pretty hard, but we ended up finding the free man. From the middle of the first half, I think everything started to go our way."


READ MORE>>>

Since 1968, Service Wire Co. has held a core belief that West Virginia’s greatest natural resource is our people. The company’s dedication to the mountain state is felt by generations that benefit from their commitment to West Virginia’s workforce, communities and schools. Marshall University is an exemplar of their dedication —founder Art Weisberg established a decades-long relationship with Marshall that continues to this day, reflected all around campus with locations such as the Weisberg Applied Engineering Complex and forthcoming Service Wire Company Transformative Sales and Service Excellence Center.

 

Service Wire’s Appalachian-made wire and cable products have been used in countless American industrial and construction projects – notably the Freedom Tower in New York and Chicago’s Wrigley Field. With facilities in West Virginia, Arizona and Texas, the company is strategically positioned to serve the United States and Canada with their dynamic workforce, 1 in 10 of whom are proud Marshall alumni.

 

While Service Wire’s employees take great pride in their contributions to the nation’s infrastructure, Service Wire is equally proud of their employees. “Our biggest asset is our people,” President Louis Weisberg said. “I am a second-generation employee myself and am proud to see so many father-daughter, father-son and brothers working for our company. Many employees have been part of the Service Wire family for over 20, 30, even 40 years. That type of longevity is a testament to the integrity and dedication of West Virginia’s workforce.”

 

Marshall Foundation & Alumni News, Chapters

and Member Benefits

ALUMNI CHAPTERS

From left: Raleigh-Durham Chapter hosts welcome reception the night before the Oct. 7 game against NC State; Central Ohio Chapter hosts a watch party for the NC State game; Atlanta Alumni Chapter hosts tailgate with Marshall Black Alumni before Georgia State game on Oct. 14; Alums gather in Myrtle Beach before the Coastal Carolina game on Oct. 28.

Alumni chapters stay busy with tailgates, watch parties and more

.

Alumni chapters near and far gathered in the month of October to cheer on the Herd against North Carolina State University, Georgia State University and Coastal Carolina University (above). Not pictured, the Denver and Annapolis chapters also hosted watch parties ahead of Marshall's game against James Madison University on Oct. 19.


Here in the Mountain State, the Mid-Ohio Valley Alumni Chapter and Southern Coalfields & Big Green Chapter got into the Halloween spirit by participating in Trunk or Treats in Parkersburg (left, above) and Beckley (left, below).

ALUMNI CHAPTERS INFO

Hazel Shrader gifts $1.7 million toward COEPD


The Marshall University Foundation has announced a gift of $1,715,949.13 toward the College of Education and Professional Development bequeathed by Hazel Shrader, a three-time graduate of Marshall University.


“Hazel would like to help any student who is trying but needs help,” said Barbara Holesapple, a friend of Shrader’s. “She would be pleased to know she is helping someone.”


Shrader earned a normal teaching degree in 1942 from then-Marshall College. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, both in education, in 1943 and 1952, respectively. According to Shrader’s friends and family, her time at Marshall was her proudest moment and she decided to leave a gift so others would have a chance to go to college.


READ MORE>>>

Matilda Robinson gifts $150K toward Speech and Hearing Center


The Marshall University Foundation has announced a gift of $151,170.87 bequeathed by Matilda Robinson toward the Marshall University Speech and Hearing Center within the Department of Communication Disorders.


Matilda Robinson was a 1950 graduate of then-Marshall College. She and her brother Randall Robinson were Huntington natives. Randall Robinson endowed a gift to the Speech and Hearing Center in 1992. He also established the Randall A. Robinson Scholarship to benefit students in the Department of Communication Disorders the same year.


When Randall Robinson died in 2004, he left funds for Matilda to gift at her discretion, which she then used to provide additional funding for the clinic after her passing in March of 2022.


READ MORE>>>

MORE FOUNDATION NEWS

Alumni Awards

Nominate an awardee today!

You can be a part of Marshall's biggest night of the year for alumni!


Submit an online nomination today to recommend an outstanding member of the Marshall University family for an alumni award.


There are numerous awards including Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna, Distinguished Service to Marshall University, Outstanding Community Achievement and Distinguished Young Alumnus/Alumna.


Nominate someone today or learn more about the awards in the link below!

LEARN MORE

Get a head start on your Black Friday shopping and make the most of our special membership offer! Starting Nov. 20-27, you can buy two months and get one month FREE! You can purchase up to 16 months for a total of 24 months. For every two months purchased, you'll earn an entry for a chance to win a 65" Roku TV!


Stop by when the Rec Center is open during the promotion week to purchase. Visit our website here.

Around Campus

Marshall Grad Janna Hamrick receives Milken Educator Award


Janna Hamrick, a fifth grade teacher at Rock Branch Elementary School in Nitro, West Virginia, had quite the surprise when she was presented with a Milken Educator Award at a seemingly routine all-school assembly. Cheers erupted from students, colleagues, dignitaries and media when Hamrick laid eyes on her oversized check, realizing she would be taking home a $25,000 cash prize to be used however she chooses. 


Milken Educator Awards Vice President Stephanie Bishop was joined by West Virginia Governor Jim Justice and State Superintendent of Schools Michele L. Blatt to present Hamrick with the honor. Hamrick was completely unaware of her candidacy for the Award — often hailed as the "Oscar of Teaching." 


READ MORE >>>

Kinder named assistant director at School of Medicine


The Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine has named Amanda Kinder, MBA, assistant director of development and alumni engagement.


Kinder brings to the School of Medicine a wide range of project management experience including work for nonprofits, state and federal government agencies and the local school system. She helped create the Cabell County Substance Abuse Prevention Partnership (CCSAPP) through United Way of the River Cities. She has also worked for the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the U.S. Census Bureau and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. Most recently, Kinder provided services for WV Birth to Three, a statewide system of services and support for children with delays in development or qualifying medical diagnoses, including autism spectrum disorder, offered to families at no cost.


READ MORE>>>

#HerdHistory

It's almost time to register for spring semester. Today's students don't know how easy they have it. Did you register in person, like these students in 1968?



See more throwback photos and #HerdHistory on the Marshall University Foundation & Alumni social media channels.


@ForMarshallU

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