Category: Foundation News

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.

On Oct. 13, Michael Robinson, nephew of Matilda and Randall Robinson, posed for a photo with Michael Prewitt, dean of the College of Health Professions, which houses the Department of Communication Disorders; Pam Holland, chair of the Department of Communication Disorders; Sarah Clemins, associate professor and director of clinical education within the department; and Lance West, vice president for development for the Foundation.

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.

“His donation provided the financial support to renovate our clinic,” said Holland of Randall Robinson’s initial gift. “It is quite common that students from other universities select our graduate program because of how impressed they are with our innovative clinic. I know this would make Randall proud.

“The new endowment will continue to support our program in various ways including student scholarships, faculty development and purchasing materials for our clinic. We could not be more thankful for the Robinson family.”

Randall Robinson’s decision to give to the Department of Communication Disorders and the clinic stemmed from the care he received through the Speech and Hearing Center as he had a stutter, Michael Robinson said.

“Having been in public education, I know how important the work you’re doing is,” Michael Robinson said. “So many children and families can piece together from the glue you provide.”

Matilda and Randall Robinson saved their money and donated every cent to various nonprofits, Michael Robinson said. After graduating from Marshall, Matilda Robinson’s first teaching job was in Logan County, West Virginia. She later studied in Chicago at the Moody Bible Institute. Randall Robinson worked in the carpentry profession.

To learn more about planned giving, visit marshall.mylegacygift.org.

Marshall University, the Marshall University Foundation and the Marshall University Alumni Association are excited to announce Gary G. and Jo Ann White will serve as grand marshals for the university’s 2023 Homecoming activities the week of Sept. 25-30.

“It is with great honor and gratitude we welcome Gary and Jo Ann White as grand marshals for our Homecoming celebrations,” said Ron Area, CEO of the Marshall University Foundation. “Their steadfast commitment to Marshall University is unparalleled and we look forward to participating in our many Homecoming events with them later this month.”

Highlighting their role as grand marshals, the Whites will lead the annual Homecoming parade at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 29. The popular parade is set to make its way down Fourth Avenue in Huntington before ending on campus. The parade will be a part of a full week of activities for this year’s Homecoming, “Super Marco: Level Up,” celebrating the history of video games throughout the years, as well as celebrating Marshall “leveling up” in stature.

Gary White served as interim president of Marshall from December 2014 to January 2016. A Marshall graduate, White is a former member and past chair of the Marshall University Board of Governors, as well as an accomplished businessman and leader in the coal mining industry.

The Whites are eager to return to the Huntington campus as grand marshals having enjoyed their roles as president and first lady nearly a decade ago, as well as their many years of involvement with the university before and after their tenure.

“We have been blessed to have more than 30 years of service to the university in various capacities,” the Whites said. “To be recognized for that service is indeed an honor.”

Gary and Jo Ann White are both from Logan, West Virginia, and were high school sweethearts graduating from Logan High School. It was there they raised their daughter, Jennifer.

Gary White is the principal of JRW LLC, a consulting firm, and president and CEO of Gilbert Development Inc. The Whites have been active in many nonprofits and organizations. Jo Ann White currently serves on the board of directors for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Huntington, and the Whites also operate the Gary G. and Jo Ann White Family Charitable Foundation.

Gary White was previously the executive vice president of Blackhawk Mining LLC. He was president and CEO of International Industries Inc. from 1992 to 2007. He also previously served as president and COO of International Resource Partners LP, a subsidiary of James River Coal Company, president and CEO of the West Virginia Coal Association, manager of underground mining at Amherst Coal Company and corporate training coordinator at Island Creek Coal Company.

Gary White serves on the board of directors for United Bank. He is a former member and vice president of the West Virginia Board of Education, and former member of the University of Pikeville Board of Trustees. He also served on the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission from 2013 until his appointment as interim president.

Gary White was one of four members of the Cabell Huntington Hospital Board of Directors who successfully negotiated Cabell’s purchase of St. Mary’s Medical Center. That purchase led to the creation of Mountain Health Network. He served as its interim CEO and conducted the national search to find its first CEO. Mountain Health Network and Marshall University recently announced an agreement in principle to form an academic health care system through the formal integration of Mountain Health Network, Marshall Health and Marshall University to form Marshall Health Network.

The Whites said they have long understood Marshall’s cultural significance in the Mountain State when it comes to higher education and economic development.

“We always felt welcome and at home,” Gary White said. “This atmosphere is the key to Marshall’s substantial contribution to the state of West Virginia, most particularly, southern West Virginia. Marshall is positioned to lead our state into the new economy. Under the leadership of President Brad D. Smith, I am convinced a transformation will occur over the next several years.”

In addition to the Homecoming parade, the Whites will also participate in other major events on and around campus leading up to the Homecoming football game against Old Dominion University on Saturday, Sept. 30. Other highlights of Homecoming week for alumni include the Unity Walk on Monday, Sept. 25; Party on the Plaza hosted by University Communications, the Alumni Association’s 25th and 50th Class Reunion, Marshall StamFEED presented by Jenkins Fenstermaker PLLC, and Marshall University Black Alumni’s Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 29; and the Marshall Alumni and Family Tailgate presented by Woodlands Retirement Community on Sept. 30.

In keeping with the spirit of the Homecoming theme and all the ways Marshall continues to “level up,” the Whites said in a time where some colleges and universities struggle, Marshall’s relevance continues to advance and set an example to others.

“Marshall continues to lead our state’s universities into the next generation of higher education,” the Whites said. “While this transformation began under the leadership of Dr. Stephen J. Kopp, President Smith has moved the bar exponentially to place Marshall at the forefront of responsible financial management and programmatic changes necessary to ensure our continuing success.”

More information about this year’s Homecoming can be found at www.formarshallu.org/homecoming.

The Marshall University Foundation has announced that transport and logistics giant FedEx has gifted a jet engine from its fleet of aircraft to the Aviation Maintenance Technology (AMT) program at Marshall University.

The engine, a General Electric CF6 motor from a retired McDonnel Douglas DC-10 aircraft, will be used in the daily classroom instruction of AMT students as they work toward their powerplant certification.

“Donations like the CF6 allow our students to have hands-on experience working on large transport category aircraft systems,” said Jim Smith, director of the AMT program at Marshall. “The CF6 is one of the most common large transport category engines in the world and will be what most of our students will work on when they enter the industry. Having a partner like FedEx provides our program with materials that we may not be able to acquire otherwise and helps provide our students with options in the industry which will enrich the overall student experience.”

FedEx provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. FedEx is world-renowned for its air delivery service, with a fleet of nearly 700 aircraft traveling to more than 220 countries and territories and a daily package volume of more than 6.3 million.

“FedEx is committed to supporting programs and aviation schools such as the fine one at Marshall University that enables students to explore the endless possibilities of careers in aircraft maintenance,” said Scott Ogden, vice president of aircraft maintenance at FedEx. “We need a new generation of technicians to keep the world flying, keep communities connected and keep the dream alive – that they, too, can soar with a career in aviation. FedEx donating retired aircraft, engines, and tools helps students have a more realistic approach to aircraft maintenance in their training.”

The Aviation Maintenance Technology program at Marshall, which launched in 2022 as a joint degree program with Mountwest Community and Technical College, provides training in aircraft maintenance technology where students learn to inspect, maintain and repair aircraft systems. The program, housed at Huntington’s Tri-State Airport, currently has 22 students, and is expected to grow to 30 for the fall semester.

The AMT program offers a two-year Associate of Applied Science degree through an 18-month, year-round program. Graduates receive an associate degree and are eligible to take the Airframe and Powerplant certification exams from the Federal Aviation Administration. The program is the first of its kind in the region.

Thanks to partners like FedEx, the program will only continue to grow to provide a strong workforce both regionally and around the world.

“Because FedEx has such a large presence with their daily aircraft operations, we knew it was vital to partner together to provide a talented workforce for the industry,” Smith said. “When we were developing this program, FedEx asked what they could do to help our program and they generously offered this engine. We are grateful to FedEx for helping make an impact on our students.”

The AMT program is part of Marshall’s larger Division of Aviation, which also includes a commercial pilot program through Marshall’s Bill Noe Flight School. For further information, contact Jim Smith, director of the AMT program, by e-mail at jsmith@marshall.edu or by phone at 304-696-4832.

Almost every spring for the last three decades, hundreds of scholarship recipients, donors and their respective guests, as well as university faculty and staff, have gathered for the annual Scholarship Honor Brunch. The weather, often unpredictable, has allowed guests to don their springtime Sunday best one year and required their winter coats the next; but the lightning that strikes when a donor and individual beneficiary meet is always guaranteed.

Started in 1993, the scholarship reception, or “Tea” as it was referred to for several years, was started by the development arm of Marshall University to bring together the beneficiaries of privately funded scholarships with the philanthropists who made their awards possible.

Dr. Carolyn Hunter, the vice president for development when she retired in 2003, recalled fondly the desire the donors had to meet the students.

“At the time, we were surprised at the extent donors would want to be involved with their scholarship recipients,” Hunter said, “but folks loved interacting with their students.”

Jean Augustine, an administrative assistant in the Office of Development for 12 years in the mid-90s to late 2000s, grew the event from more than 100 people in attendance to crowds of 300-plus by the time of her retirement in 2007. Participants today still remember the receptions that Augustine coordinated and how she often allowed folks in the audience to “pass the mic” around.

“People enjoyed sharing their history with the group in attendance,” said Augustine, who encouraged Marshall students to attend scholarship receptions as well as write thank you letters to those from whom they were supported. “It does matter when people say thank you.”

Hunter remembers paying $43 dollars a semester for tuition when she attended Marshall for her undergraduate degree in the mid-1960s, and understands that as the years have passed, scholarships have become increasingly more vital to students and the accessibility of higher education.

Dr. Ron Area, CEO and senior vice president for development of the Marshall University Foundation since 2007, delivered a special welcome to more than 400 students and donors who attended this year’s event in the Don Morris Room of the Memorial Student Center.

“The Scholarship Honor Brunch brings together scholarship beneficiaries and award benefactors and highlights our mission to maximize continuous financial support for Marshall University and its students,” Area said. “We are absolutely committed to increasing the accessibility of education for our students and are thankful for the benevolence of our donors who truly support their Marshall family through their donations as well as their presence at this event.”

Marshall President Brad D. Smith and his wife Alys established their family scholarship in 2014 prior to serving as the president and first lady of Marshall University. President Smith, who served as the featured speaker for this year’s event, spoke about the role scholarships play in Marshall’s past, present and future success.

“Education is the great equalizer, but we know that the cost of an education is becoming more burdensome on our students,” Smith said. “Together, we have already built a strong foundation at Marshall, and I cannot wait to see what we can do to ensure Marshall for all, Marshall forever.”

To Nikki Riniti, a rising senior and theatre major who grew up in Wayne, West Virginia, scholarships are not only economically important, but they are also motivational.

“My scholarships are important to me for numerous reasons,” Riniti said. “They bring such a financial relief for me, especially as a first-generation college student. They act as a reminder of what I am working toward and show that my dedication is acknowledged. Through scholarships, I know that I am not only recognized but also appreciated.”

As a recipient of the W. B. “Bart” and Doris Andrews Fine Arts Scholarship, Riniti enjoyed being able to spend one-on-one time with the donor of her scholarship, Mrs. Doris Andrews, who often attends art exhibitions, concerts, and for Riniti, theatre performances, to support her scholarship recipients.

“She never fails to congratulate me on my work,” Riniti said. “She sends me sweet letters including newspaper clippings about my shows I am in. With our busy schedules, it is rare that I can see her in person, so the brunch is a wonderful opportunity for us to chat. We even got our first picture together!”

Riniti not only attended the 2023 Scholarship Honor Brunch as a recipient, she also performed in an interdisciplinary effort with the College of Arts and Media’s School of Theatre and Dance, along with the School of Music, put on as part of the program’s student entertainment; a sneak peek of a then, upcoming production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”

“The brunch also provided the theatre an opportunity to perform, which gives other people a look at what we do,” Riniti said. “We had so many people who had never seen a performance by us that were astounded by our work. That was the greatest gift of the brunch.”

With over 800 donor households and more than 1,600 individual students invited each year, Riniti recognized that the Scholarship Honor Brunch is a unique event with the diversity in the honors represented, the intermingling of different backgrounds and majors and the opportunity for students and donors alike to learn from one another.

“At the table with my donor were all types of different people and I got to hear about their programs,” Riniti said. “Amazing people got to share their talents with each other.”

As a coordinator for the event since 2013, Krystle Davis, senior director of donor relations with the Foundation, believes it’s the relationships that are formed between the donors and students that make this event unlike any other event on campus, and a highlight for participants who annually look forward to attending.

“Each table is thoughtfully curated with students and their specific donors, whenever possible,” Davis said. “With a list of thousands as possible attendees, it is truly a blessing when multiple donors and their specific students are both able to attend and be seated with one another. Our students are so very thankful for the impact scholarships have on the trajectory of their career as a student and beyond, and they truly enjoy being able to share a meal with the person who is directly involved in making their dream of an education, come true.”

At once a yearly letter, the Foundation sends bi-annual reports to the contacts of the scholarships that shares not only the financial status of the fund but the name, hometown, major, college and class year of the recipients. While the donors appreciate receiving those updates, Augustine believes there’s no substitute for the meetings over brunch.

“Nothing can take the place of face-to-face interactions between the student recipient and scholarship supporter,” Augustine said.

Dr. Hunter appreciated how the event has carried on and grown since its inception and echoed that, while the program and attendees of the event may vary from year to year, the importance of community fostered through this event has remained constant.

“Students and donors coming together to tell their stories is wonderful,” Hunter said.

To learn how to establish a scholarship to help students at Marshall, contact Krystle Davis at the Marshall University Foundation by phone at 304-696-6781 or by email at krystle.davis@marshall.edu.

To whom much is given, much will be required (Luke 12:48).

It is an adage as old as time, and one that has guided countless individuals throughout history to carefully assess their worldly deeds and accrued possessions, giving back to others whenever possible. It is a statement as complex as it is simplistic, one that reminds those who have been blessed in life to in turn do the same for others.

For John Rahal, he counts himself as one of the lucky ones.

A Huntington native and Marshall business graduate, Rahal aspired to one day take over his grandfather’s accounting practice and make a life for himself in the Appalachian region. What he didn’t expect was that his life journey would lead him to the boardroom of a Fortune 300 company as a corporate executive.

“My career journey has far exceeded anything that I ever thought possible while I sat at my Marshall graduation in the Civic Center,” Rahal said. “I never dreamt I would have gotten here.”

Rahal is a principal with the financial-services firm Edward Jones, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Marshall in 1991, and later earned his MBA from the Kellog School of Management at Northwestern University.

Rahal joined Edward Jones as a financial advisor in 1997. In 2000 he became a limited partner with the company and was named a general principal in 2007. He’s held many roles at Edward Jones, serving on the firm’s management committee from 2012 through 2017.

Today, Rahal is responsible for Edward Jones’ transformation. In that capacity, he is responsible for anticipating and identifying roles, capabilities and strategies to enable the firm to transform towards its vision of improving the lives of clients, their families and their communities. Edward Jones is one of the largest financial services firms in North America with nearly 19,000 financial advisors.

Throughout his burgeoning career, Rahal has remained grounded in his West Virginia roots, and counts his education at Marshall as a key cog in the wheel of his professional success.

“I become more appreciative every day of the grounding and hard work instilled in me by my Huntington upbringing and Marshall University,” Rahal said. “I was in Boston recently co-leading leadership courses for Edward Jones at Harvard University. In the financial services industry, we consult and prepare people for an intangible. That intangible is a vision of what retirement might look like,. what putting a child through college looks like, or what a legacy left to the next generation might look like.

“Our roles, as financial advisors, is to create the pathway to fulfill someone’s purpose in life. I am sure there are a lot of people with a lot of purposes in West Virginia that far exceed what they might know of. That is unleashing human potential, unleashing dreams. There is just something about West Virginia that I love. I think if you are born and raised there, you get it. I want to see the people of West Virginia prosper and realize that potential, which is why I give back.”

Holding tight to that same adage about personal responsibility, Rahal has made a commitment to his alma mater and to future students that will one day call Marshall home. He established the Rahal Family Education Fund in 2016 to support the College of Business and its most pressing needs. In 2021, he donated $1 million to support the Rahal Center for Strategic Engagement within Marshall University’s Lewis College of Business.

Rahal also remains an active member of the Marshall community, contributing to the growth and success of the Lewis College of Business as an advisor, as well as supporting the Thundering Herd athletic programs and other initiatives at the university. He has also supported the new business facility being built adjacent to campus and looks forward to seeing the great things that will come from the new building.

“I look forward to seeing what great ideas, concepts, theories, businesses and entrepreneurship comes from those four walls,” Rahal said. “I love that we have brick and mortar, but what I can’t wait to see is what is produced within its walls.”

More recently, Rahal included Marshall in his estate plans with the hope that future contributions to the university will help impact the region in profound ways.

“Marshall University is an opportunity factory,” Rahal said. “I have always been intrigued by the NCAA’s advertising campaign about how many student-athletes there are in America and how few will turn pro. Almost all of them, however, will earn a degree and have an opportunity to do something amazing with their lives. I want those that go to Marshall to think in terms of what is possible.”

When speaking about the limitless potential of a Marshall education, Rahal is quick to point to another West Virginia product who has done great things in the world – current Marshall University President Brad D. Smith. Smith, from Ceredo-Kenova, spent 11 years as CEO of Intuit, transforming the company’s business model and earning high marks as one of the top CEOs in the United States.

He, too, has made his impact on Marshall through philanthropy, and Rahal noted that his vision for the university and leadership-by-example has been an inspiration to him and many others.

“It is hard not to be inspired by Brad’s commitment to our university. And for those of us who can, we need to help him by stepping up and meeting that commitment,” Rahal said. “A kid from CK that goes on to be the CEO of Intuit and a kid from Huntington being on the executive leadership team of a financial services firm, there are not too many stories like that.”

Smith recently announced the Marshall For All, Marshall Forever program at the university, placing students on a path toward a reduced or debt-free education through a unique combination of scholarships, grants and work opportunities. The program will begin this fall with a pilot program of 100 students, and Rahal said that innovative ideas like this are exactly why he continues to be engaged with the university.

“If you look at some of the most successful people in the world, I bet you will see that many left unincumbered by student debt,” Rahal said. “With that burden lifted, it allows for them to take risks and allows for them to have a growth mindset of what is possible. Student debt, on any level, limits the growth mindset and forward thinking that needs to happen to move ahead.

“Lifting student debt sounds grandiose, but it really is not. By others knowing that I, or whomever else, made the opportunity present itself for a free education through giving, hopefully they will pay it forward as well. When I hear Brad talk about Marshall For All, Marshall Forever, I think what he is saying is that the opportunity for greatness should be available to everyone and no one should be limited with a debt load that prevents them from realizing their full potential. At Marshall, we know what we do well, and we know what we don’t do, and we need to leverage that to position Marshall as a global leader.”

From a bright-eyed accountant fresh out of college, to his current role as a leading voice in the global financial services industry, Rahal lauds what Marshall has meant to his life and is eager to pay that forward to impact future generations.

“I never saw myself in a role like this, and I certainly didn’t see myself as a corporate executive,” Rahal said. “Obviously my mother and father and my grandparents had a lot to do with the molding of who I am as a businessperson, but it was Marshall that gave me the skills. I can tell you that I wouldn’t trade my time there for the world. That is why I give back to Marshall.”