Official Newsletter of the Marshall University Foundation and Alumni Association | February 2024

February 2024 Newsletter

The Marshall University family hit the ground running in the new year with preparations for Marshall Day at the Capitol on Jan. 31. This annual event showcases many of the university's successes from the past year, including innovation, economic development and technological advancements.

A few of our alumni chapters, including the 75 Family Alumni Chapter, the Capitol Alumni Chapter and Greater Kanawha Alumni Chapter, were on hand to help with the Marshall Day at the Capitol festivities. Also happening in January was the Southern Coalfields Alumni and Big Green Chapter's "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" fundraiser on Jan. 27.

February also proves to be an exciting month as the Marshall Foundation announced a $100,000 gift from Alpha Technologies for a cybersecurity scholarship. The Foundation has also announced the dates for Marshall's annual Day of Giving, which will be April 24-25 and will celebrate "1,837 Minutes for Marshall."

Also happening this month is a full shedule of Black History Month events, as well as a visit from New York Times best selling author and journalist Beth Macy who will speak at the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center on Feb. 22.

Read about all this, and more, in our February newsletter.

Marshall celebrates a year of

 successes at state capitol

The West Virginia State Capitol was adorned in Kelly green on Jan. 31 as Marshall faculty, staff, students and supporters celebrated the university's successes from the past year.

Nearly 50 participating offices and departments were present to greet visitors and engage with elected officials. Among those participating offices were the Marshall Foundation and Alumni Association.

“Marshall Day at the Capitol provides great insight for our legislators about Marshall’s many successes over the past year,” said Matt James, executive director of alumni relations. “We are fortunate to be joined by two of our alumni chapters this year who represent our state capitol region. It is imperative to showcase what we do on our campuses, but also the ways our alumni help support our state.”

Both the House of Delegates and the State Senate passed a resolution for Marshall Day.

Annual Day of Giving set for April 24-25

1,837 Minutes for Marshall!

Marshall University alumni and supporters will have an opportunity to make their mark on the university during the annual Day of Giving across two days April 24-25.

Hosted by the Marshall University Foundation, this event is an opportunity for the Marshall family to join together and make a lasting impact on the students of Marshall and to help shape the future of the institution. Beginning at noon on Wednesday, April 24, Marshall’s Day of Giving will highlight "1,837 Minutes for Marshall." Marshall University alumni and supporters are encouraged to participate in this transformational day by visiting givingday.marshall.edu.

Marshall announces Black History Month events

Black History Month Power Hour on WMUL

Friday, Feb. 9, WMUL Radio Station – www.marshall.edu/wmul, 12 p.m.

WMUL is celebrating Black Culture through music. Break out your bell bottoms, leg warmers or parachute pants as we take you on a musical journey on Friday afternoons in February. We will play R&B’s biggest and best hits of the 80s, ’90s, and 2000s. Sponsored by the Center for African American Students. For additional information, contact Shaunte Polk, polk4@marshall.edu or Stephanie Shaffer at stephanie.shaffer@marshall.edu.

I, Too, Sing America: An Evening of Music by African American Composers

Friday, Feb. 9, First Baptist Church of Huntington, 7 p.m.

“I, Too, Sing America: An Evening of Music by African American Composers,” presented by Dr. Carline Waugh, soprano and Dr. Johan Botes, piano, the School of Music.

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center trip

Saturday, Feb. 10, Cincinnati, Ohio, 7 a.m.

The Office of Intercultural Affairs and Housing and Residence Life invite you to this one-of-a-kind, day education excursion. Seating is limited. Please RSVP your request to Shaunte Polk at polk4@marshall.edu or Housing and Residence Life at housing@marshall.edu.

NYT best selling author Beth Macy heads to Huntington Feb. 22

The Marshall Health Network and City of Huntington present journalist and bestselling author Beth Macy on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, at the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. Macy will discuss the unraveling of rural America from the aftermath of globalization to the opioid crisis – the subject of her latest book Raising Lazarus: Hope, Justice, and the Future of America’s Overdose Crisis – as part of the new Masters at Marshall Distinguished Speaker Series.

Macy is a Virginia-based journalist who writes about outsiders and underdogs. Raised poor in a small Ohio community, she is the award-winning author of three New York Times bestselling books examining rural communities left behind by corporate greed and political indifference. Her first book, Factory Man, explored the aftermath of globalization and won a J. Anthony Lukas Prize. Her second book Dopesick was short-listed for the Carnegie Medal, won the L.A. Times Book Prize for Science and Technology, was described as a “masterwork of narrative nonfiction” by the New York Times, and was adapted into a Peabody- and Emmy Award-winning Hulu series. Macy was an executive producer and cowriter on the show.

READ MORE>>>

Herd celebrates Education Day, National Girls & Women In Sports Day with big win

Marshall's women's basketball team got a balanced scoring effort and limited Louisiana to its lowest scoring output of the season in earning a 74-42 win over the Ragin' Cajuns in front of 3,024 fans on Education Day at Cam Henderson Center.

With the win, Marshall maintains its stance in first place in the Sun Belt Conference, moving to 17-6 overall and 11-1 in SBC play.

"I'm happy with that win today," Marshall's women's basketball coach Kim Caldwell said. "That's a good team and a better team than what they looked like. It was a big game for us."

READ MORE>>>

ALUMNI CHAPTERS

Southern Coalfields hosts fundraising event

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On Jan. 27 the Southern Coalfields Alumni and Big Green Chapter hosted a special fundraising event that featured dinner, dancing, a silent acution, and special guest Morgan Zerkle, head coach of Marshall's softball team.

The Southern Coalfields chapter is based in Beckley, West Virginia. Proceeds from the event benefit the Marshall Foundation and Big Green Scholarship Foundation.

FOUNDATION NEWS

Alpha Technologies establishes cybersecurity scholarship

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The Marshall University Foundation has announced the establishment of the Alpha-Tech Scholarship. This scholarship is generously endowed for $100,000 by Alpha Technologies and will serve students studying cybersecurity.

In August of 2023, Marshall received $45 million from the state of West Virginia to establish a state-of-the-art Institute for Cyber Security, which will position the university at the forefront of cyber defense and research. 

“The Alpha-Tech Scholarship is more than a donation; it’s an investment in the next generation of cybersecurity experts. We look forward to seeing the impact these students will make, both at Marshall University and in the broader field of cybersecurity,” said Doug Tate, CEO and owner of Alpha Technologies. 

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Service Wire is proud of the half-century long relationship they’ve had with Marshall University 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. “Our biggest asset is our people,” President Louis Weisberg said. As proof, 1 in 10 of their employees are proud Marshall alumni.

Service Wire is always looking for Marshall Alumni to drive their expansion. 

Current West Virginia opportunities include:

- Quality Assurance Manager

- EHS Specialist

They know that top talent can be found amongst The Herd. You can explore career opportunities by visiting www.servicewire.com/Careers or contacting jeanette.tourville@servicewire.com.

Sixth annual TEDx event set for Feb. 27

Featuring more student speakers than ever before, Marshall University will host its sixth annual TEDxMarshallU event on Tuesday, Feb. 27, at the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Four students alongside five other speakers from around the world will deliver talks focused on this year’s theme, “Connecting Threads.”

Each talk will explore how and why different forces bind people together. Through these talks, TEDxMarshallU hopes attendees will gain a deeper understanding of themselves and others in ways that promote future meaningful connections. The event credits inspiration for its theme to the University’s Higher Learning Commission Quality Initiative theme for the 2023-2024 school year: “Building Bridges.”

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Marshall announces new major in filmmaking

Marshall University will offer a new major in filmmaking beginning this fall.

Administered by Marshall’s School of Art & Design (SOAD), the program will be the first of its kind in the state of West Virginia and will include a diverse range of hands-on courses in cinematography, photography, animation, video art, motion design, screenwriting, acting, audio engineering, and post-production.

“As the first Bachelor of Fine Arts in Filmmaking in the state, the program is happening at an exciting time as the West Virginia Film Office, under the direction of Dave Lavender, is working to get more productions to film here in the state,” said Tijah Bumgarner, an associate professor in the College of Fine Arts and Media. “Thanks to the the film production tax credit program, projects produced in the state must hire a certain percentage of West Virginia filmmakers.”

READ MORE>>>