Category: Foundation News

Ohio Valley Bank recently made a $50,000 gift in support of Marshall University’s new College of Business facility, which will be constructed at 4th Avenue and 15th Street. Construction will begin soon, as the Marshall University’s Board of Governors recently approved the off-campus location, further expanding Marshall University into downtown Huntington and the local business sector.

Continuing their generous support of Marshall’s students and the university’s initiatives, Ohio Valley Bank has provided funds that encourage educational excellence across many disciplines and through scholarships for six consecutive years.

“Ohio Valley Bank’s mission is Community First. Our job is to help our hometowns thrive, and as a local institution of higher learning, Marshall University plays an important role in securing a successful future for our community,” said Larry Miller, president of Ohio Valley Bank.

“Too often we see talented young men and women grow up and leave home to pursue their dreams. We applaud Marshall University for their efforts to keep our ‘homegrown’ talent where they are needed most. Having a constantly improving campus with industry-edge technology and educators right here in Huntington signals to the next generation that they do not have to leave to thrive,” Miller said. “Keeping these youth local means more than sustaining the population, it also means more qualified job applicants for our area’s businesses and connected citizens to succeed leadership roles.”

Dr. Jerome Gilbert, president of the university, said he hopes others will be in inspired by the generosity of Ohio Valley Bank.

“When we announced plans to build a new College of Business building for our students, we knew we would need help from key players in our region who want to support the growth and advancement of our graduates,” Gilbert said. “We are grateful for business leaders like Larry Miller, Bryan Stepp and Mario Liberatore, and companies like Ohio Valley Bank who step up, and give back in a way that will make a truly positive impact on future Sons and Daughters of Marshall for years to come.”

The plan to construct a new College of Business facility was announced after a $25 million gift from Brad and Alys Smith in the fall of 2018. The facility will house Marshall University’s Center for Entrepreneurial and Business Innovation (iCenter), and accommodate two new degree programs, a Bachelor of Arts in General Business and a Doctor of Business Administration.

The Patricia “Patty” Green Graduate Strings Scholarship has been created in honor of Green, a past violin faculty member at Marshall University and beloved teacher to generations of Huntington residents.

The scholarship was established anonymously, and supports a graduate student who is a string major in the School of Music and in good academic standing. First preference goes to a violinist, and second preference goes to another bowed string (cello, viola) player. The award is renewable as long as the recipient maintains good academic standing.

Green graduated from Huntington East High School in 1947 before receiving a degree in music education from Marshall University in 1951.  She  left her home state to pursue a Master of Fine Arts degree at Ohio University, and for her first two years of teaching, she taught at St. Mary’s High School, in Pleasants County, West Virginia. She returned to Huntington to teach at Marshall’s Laboratory School for 17 years, where she taught and also trained student teachers. During this time, she became an assistant professor.  After the lab school closed in 1970, she moved to the music department at Marshall as an associate professor, where she continued to teach music education and offer violin lessons.

A 2016 recipient of The Herald-Dispatch Citizen Award for the Arts, Green was honored for her dedication to musical arts education and her lasting impact on generations of musicians.

With the creation of this scholarship, her hope is that the next generation can continue to keep music alive in Huntington.

“Music is a part of everybody’s lives, from the time we get up in the morning until we go to bed at night, whether it’s at a football game, grocery store, or restaurant. We need to support the arts, especially the classic arts,” said. “My string teachers were wonderful and I would not have been the violinist I am without them. It has affected my life, seeing students who have gone ahead with music and made it a part of their life, whether it be professionally or that it has just enriched their everyday life. Marshall has outstanding violin and cello professors now, Drs. Reed Smith and Şölen Dikener are fine performers and educators. It is important to support Marshall’s music department to continue strengthening the bowed string area of education.”

To contribute to the Patricia “Patty” Green Graduate Strings Scholarship, please visit www.marshall.edu/donate and include the scholarship name in the notes section, or mail a check to 519 John Marshall Dr. Huntington, WV 25703 and include the scholarship name in the memo line. To learn more about this scholarship, please contact the College of Arts and Media at 304-696-6433.

Marshall University President Jerome A. Gilbert today announced alumnus and Intuit Chairman and CEO Brad D. Smith and his wife, Alys Smith, have made a $25 million gift to the university’s Lewis College of Business.

Gilbert said the Smiths’ gift—one of the largest in Marshall’s history—is “transformational” and will provide new and dynamic opportunities for current and future business students.

“It is with great excitement that the university announces this magnificent gift from Brad and Alys Smith,” he said. “Their generosity will provide a strong foundation for the redesign, reorganization and reenergizing of our college of business.”

In announcing the gift, Gilbert said the university is proud of its alumni, like Smith, who have built outstanding careers with the education they received at Marshall.

“The commitments Brad and Alys have made to Marshall over the past five years are changing the lives of our business students for generations to come,” he added. “They are setting a prime example of career and philanthropic goals for our students.”

Brad Smith, who graduated from Marshall in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, said he and his wife are enthusiastic about aiding the school and its students through continued education and academic expansion.

“Alys and I are passionate about education and economic empowerment in West Virginia, Ohio and the surrounding Appalachia area,” he said. “We believe in supporting programs that are strategic, enduring and making a lasting impact on students. We appreciate the opportunity to continue to work with Marshall leaders to bring new insights in business programs to reality.”

Dr. Avinandan “Avi” Mukherjee, dean of the Lewis College of Business, said the gift will allow Marshall to rework its business curriculum and build new facilities.

Mukherjee said, “In addition to redesigning our programs through experiential learning and close industry-academic partnerships, we will build new facilities with spaces to nurture collaboration, creativity and entrepreneurship. In appreciation for the Smiths’ vote of confidence, we will name our new business building the Brad D. Smith Center for Business and Innovation.”

“In this new building intended to promote teamwork and hands-on learning, students will find creative ways to apply problem-solving strategies, which will be invaluable to them in the workforce,” he continued. “The new iCenter space will allow our students’ and community members’ dreams to come to fruition. This generous gift is truly a game-changer for our business programs, as we can now aspire to the next level of excellence. Today will be recognized as a pivotal moment for the university, as well as for the entire region.”

Mukherjee said the location of the new business building will be announced at a later date.

In recognition of the Smiths’ gift, the college of business also will name its undergraduate and graduate schools the Brad D. Smith Undergraduate School of Business and the Brad D. Smith Graduate School of Business, respectively.

Dr. Jaime R. Taylor, Marshall’s provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, said, “Upon meeting Brad and Alys, I understood why everyone at Marshall values their friendship. Their vision to help our students lies in the belief that, with a good education, anything is possible.”

The Smiths previously established the Brad D. and Alys Smith Family Scholarship at Marshall for West Virginia and Ohio students, with preference for first-generation college students. Their past support was recognized by the Marshall University Foundation Board of Directors in 2015, when the board named the foundation’s building the Brad D. Smith Foundation Hall.

Brad Smith has been intimately involved in a number of Marshall projects over the years, including 2017’s Design for Delight challenge, which included Intuit leaders visiting Huntington to help Marshall students create business plans. The program culminated in a competition judged by Smith, actress and West Virginia native Jennifer Garner, and former Marshall and NFL quarterback Chad Pennington.

Dr. Ron Area, chief executive officer of the Marshall University Foundation, said he hopes the Smiths’ leadership gift inspires others.

“Brad and Alys are caring individuals who fervently champion the success of students,” Area said. “The fact that Brad believes Marshall prepared him for the business world and is willing to allow us to propose that our undergraduate and graduate schools be named for him truly represents the quality of our curriculum and our programs. We are honored this fine couple continues to invest in Marshall students and are excited for this new phase of educational excellence.”

Brad Smith, who has led Silicon Valley software giant Intuit for 11 years, and Alys Smith, an attorney, live in California. They have two daughters, Payton and Devon. Brad Smith was born in Huntington and grew up in the nearby town of Kenova. After graduating from Marshall in 1986, he received his Master of Business Administration degree from Aquinas College in Michigan. Alys Smith graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Arts in biology and then graduated with a law degree from the University of Akron School of Law.

During Brad Smith’s tenure as CEO, Intuit has grown and thrived, while consistently being recognized as one of the world’s best places to work. Intuit has placed on the Fortune Best Companies to Work For list each year, ranking #13 in the United States in 2017, as well as being ranked the #1 best place to work in India, Singapore and Canada in 2017. He is ranked among the top executives in the United States by Fortune, coming in at #6 on their list of top CEOs.

In 2011, he was inducted into the Lewis College of Business Hall of Fame. He was inducted into West Virginia’s Business Hall of Fame earlier this year.

Marshall’s Lewis College of Business is among only one percent of business schools worldwide to be accredited in both business and accounting by AACSB International. The college boasts more than 12,000 alumni around the world.