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Marshall University’s Robert C. Byrd Institute (RCBI) has announced Friday, Oct. 6, as the date for the 10th annual West Virginia Makes Festival, the state and region’s largest maker fair. Officials say this year’s event will be bigger and better than ever thanks to a sizeable STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) grant from the American Water Charitable Foundation.

The Foundation, the charitable arm of American Water, parent company of West Virginia American Water, has awarded $14,000 to the Marshall University Foundation to support RCBI’s annual community-based event that promotes innovative West Virginia-based STEM entrepreneurship.

“Our future leaders in West Virginia are significantly better off and will be more prepared for their careers with strong STEM skills thanks to access to the outstanding programming provided by community partners such as RCBI,” said Robert Burton, president of West Virginia American Water.

The annual Makes Festival attracts hundreds of students and innovators of all ages from across the region, providing them the opportunity to demonstrate their own creations, compete for prizes and engage in STEM-focused activities during the annual celebration of creativity and ingenuity in all forms.

“Thanks to the tremendous generosity of the American Water Charitable Foundation, people of all ages will have the opportunity to demonstrate their creations and ingenuity, engage in hands-on STEM activities and revel in the joys of discovery during the 2023 West Virginia Makes Festival – our 10th anniversary – set for Oct. 6 on the campus of Marshall University,” said Derek Scarbro, RCBI deputy director. “This support is another example of the American Water Charitable Foundation’s and West Virginia American Water’s commitment to strengthening our communities by investing in those they serve.”

Registration is now open for makers of all ages, exhibitors and groups that want to attend the free event this fall. Details at www.rcbi.org/wvmf23.

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.

Highlighting the list of more than a dozen honorees at the 2023 awards banquet are Bill Noe and Dr. Randi D. Ward as the recipients of the Marshall University Distinguished Alumnus and Alumna award. Randy Dunfee has been selected as the recipient of the Distinguished Service to Marshall University award. Mendy Aluise has been selected as the recipient of the Outstanding Community Achievement award, and Christopher Taylor will receive the Distinguished Young Alumnus award.

Other awards scheduled for the evening will include the MUAA Chapter of the Year, this year being a tie and awarded to the Marshall University Alumni of the Mid-Ohio Valley and the Southern Coalfields Alumni and Big Green Chapter located in Parkersburg and Beckley, West Virginia, respectively.

Individual Awards of Distinction will also be presented during the event to honorees from each of Marshall’s schools and colleges. This year’s Awards of Distinction will go to Sassa Wilkes (College of Arts and Media), C. Zachary Meyers (College of Business), Lucianne Call (College of Education and Professional Development), Adam Weibel (College of Engineering and Computer Sciences), Denise Hogsett (College of Health Professions), Dr. Janine Janosky (College of Liberal Arts), Jody Ogle (College of Science), Dr. Robert J. Cure (Marshall University School of Medicine), and Dr. Sarah Dunaway (Marshall University School of Pharmacy).

“We’re so excited to welcome alumni back to campus for our annual awards banquet” said Matt James, executive director of alumni relations. “This event is an opportunity to recognize the remarkable achievements of our awardees while also highlighting the important work our alumni chapters are doing across the country. I can’t wait to honor some of the very best members of our Marshall Family.”

Born in Ashland, Kentucky, and raised in Huntington, Bill Noe is the chief aviation officer for the division of aviation at Marshall. Noe, an accomplished pilot and business executive, is the former president and chief operations officer for NetJets, a global private jet company based in Columbus, Ohio.

Before Noe reached for the skies, he dove below the waters of the Huntington Olympic Pool at the tender age of 4. He was noticed by Huntington YMCA swim team coach, Bob Shaw, who approached him about competitive swimming. Noe began breaking local and state records at a young age, which led him to attending Marshall and joining its swim team. One of Noe’s biggest accomplishments while at Marshall was the 1983 Southern Conference Swimming Championship, where he set six pool, six school and six conference records while leading Marshall to the championship. He also won the “Most Valuable Swimmer” award. Noe was inducted into the Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame in 2020.

Noe left Marshall his junior year, though he returned and earned his Regents Bachelor of Arts degree in 2005, to work for an industrial contractor. The owner of the company was a pilot who invited Noe on his plane one day, which led to his decision two years later to attend the FlightSafety Academy in Vero Beach, Florida. Noe later worked for American Flyers, a well-known training academy, but had his eye on a bigger prize – working for NetJets – which he ultimately achieved. He climbed the NetJets ladder, eventually becoming president and COO in 2006.

Before becoming chief aviation officer at Marshall, Noe served on the university’s board of governors. Marshall’s flight school is named in his honor.

Dr. Randi D. Ward is an educator, chancellor of World University of Leadership and Management, best-selling author, editor and entrepreneur. She graduated from Marshall in 1971 with a bachelor’s degree in language arts, setting forth her 37 years as an educator in West Virginia and Georgia.

In 2011, Ward taught English as a second language in Cairo, Egypt. Her time in Egypt had a profound impact on her, and as such wrote her memoir “Because I Believed in Me (My Egyptian Fantasy Came True).” In 2013, Ward founded Rise Up, an adult English language center, with Ahmed Mohamed and Ehab Mohamed, as well as 6 October English Institute with Samar Farouk, which opened in 2014.

Ward has many varied interests and passions. She is a world traveler and has toured and visited 61 countries on four continents, including four trips to Egypt. She penned a second book, “Dream Bigger,” and is working on a new novel “Random Wanderings.” She is also a writer and the chief editor for Morocco Pens, an online Moroccan magazine featuring educational articles and essays in English.  She is a professional motivational speaker and dreams of having her own interview platform to feature talented people around the world and plans to pursue these goals in the near future.

In addition to receiving the Distinguished Alumna award, Ward is the recipient of many other awards and accolades, most recently being recognized as Strathmore’s Who’s Who 2022 Lifetime Achievement award and Hoinser Group’s 2022 Inspirational Leader of Excellence.

In other categories, Randy Dunfee is the recipient of the Distinguished Service to Marshall University award, Mendy Aluise is the recipient of the Outstanding Community Achievement award, and Christopher Taylor is the recipient of the Young Alumnus award.

Dunfee is a Huntington native, entrepreneur and businessman. He graduated from Huntington East High School while working in the afternoons and evenings. His ambition led him from being a stock boy at Fabric Town Interiors to purchasing the company when he was just 21 years old. He is still president of the company and fully active in the day-to-day operations. What began as a business specializing in fabrics has grown to include flooring, carpet, window treatments, upholstery and more. Dunfee has worked with notable clients, including Jay Rockefeller when he was governor of West Virginia and Warner Bros. where he provided set décor for “We Are Marshall.” The famous green carpet at the movie’s premiere in 2006? That was all Dunfee.

Dunfee is a lifelong Marshall fan, and his support for the university has only grown the more involved he has been through the years. Dunfee has worked extensively with the Big Green Foundation and the Quarterback Club, as well as supporting Marshall through the Vision Campaign. In addition to his support to Marshall, Dunfee also supports Hospice of Huntington, Facing Hunger Foodbank and the Boys and Girls Club.

Aluise is a partner at the Huntington-based accounting firm Somerville & Company PLLC. Aluise began her career with Somerville after she graduated from Marshall in 2004. During her career, she has been involved with several professional organizations, including the Huntington Chapter of the West Virginia Society of CPAs, which she served as president from 2015-2016, and currently serves as treasurer of the West Virginia Society of CPAs and is slated to become president in 2025.

Aluise has also been involved with several local nonprofit organizations, including Hospice of Huntington, Marshall Artists Series, Generation Huntington, which is a subcommittee of the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce, and she served on the Marshall University Alumni Association board of directors. For many years, Aluise was a long-time board member and vice president of Girls on the Run of Cabell and Wayne County, which aims to empower elementary school-aged girls.

Taylor is the chief technology and information officer at Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh, North Carolina. He graduated from Marshall in 2008 and earned a bachelor’s degree in computer forensics. After leaving Marshall, he worked with the Transportation Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security. As part of his work, Taylor, who grew up in Keyser, West Virginia, was able to travel to several major cities across the country. At present, Taylor has visited 43 states. He also owns his own company, Melanin Travels LLC, which encourages all people, but specifically people of color, to travel more. Through his company, he has traveled to Aruba, Dubai, Rome, Lisbon, Barcelona, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Mexico and Jamaica.

After leaving TSA and DHS, Taylor moved to South Korea and taught English as a second language at Noble Academy. When he returned to the U.S., Taylor moved to Washington, D.C. and worked at the Securities and Exchange Commission as a government contractor. In 2014, he received his Cisco Certification and moved to San Francisco. In 2017, he returned to the East Coast and moved to North Carolina. His ultimate goal is to become the chief technology officer or chief information officer of Google or Samsung, which are his two favorite tech companies.

Other honorees at the annual alumni awards banquet include Tia Wooding (Fran Jackson Scholarship), Jaedyn Harris (Janis Winkfield Scholarship), and Destinee Leggett (Nate Ruffin Scholarship).

For more information visit www.herdalum.com.

According to Jan Haddox, nothing in his life has been planned.

Haddox, a long-time resident of Mason County, West Virginia, built a career as an educator and later as an artist. Haddox graduated from Marshall University in 1970 with degrees in art and language arts.

“I had just gotten out of the service,” Haddox said, of his decision to attend Marshall. “I had always been a Marshall fan, and I have two brothers-in-law who had athletic scholarships to Marshall. I have a brother-in-law who played football for Marshall in the ‘70s. Actually, my mother-in-law wouldn’t have allowed me to go anywhere else.”

Haddox said he always knew how to draw, which is why he chose to major in art, but he double majored in language arts on a bit of a whim.

“Most of what I’ve done in life just happened,” he joked. “Not a lot of planning.”

Nonetheless, Haddox took those majors and ran with them, eventually obtaining a master’s degree from Marshall in vocational education, and certifications in gifted education, elementary education, a principal’s certification, and lastly, a certification in social work.

During his time at Marshall, Haddox taught a class as a graduate assistant on the personalities in West Virginia History, which later inspired the subjects of many of his paintings.

“We talked about the history of West Virginia, and the reasons why they came here,” Haddox said.

After graduating, Haddox worked in the Mason County school system. He started as a reading teacher before becoming a vice principal and principal. He then served as an attendance director overseeing attendance and social work.

“I did get to help a lot of kids,” Haddox said. “I was an advocate, and kids need an advocate more so today than ever.”

Haddox retired in 2000, but taught nights at Marshall’s Mid-Ohio Valley Center from 1999-2016. Once retired from education, Haddox turned his attention to a new passion.

“I didn’t really paint until I retired,” Haddox said. “I’d always done artwork. I did the logo for the Point Pleasant River Museum and other businesses. I did whatever people needed, and if I didn’t know how to do something I learned on the job.”

Haddox’s work, which can be found on his website www.jansprints.com, initially combined his love of history and art when he first began painting regularly. Many of his paintings feature historical figures in West Virginia history, including Mad Anne Bailey, Cornstalk, Simon Kenton and Chief Logan. Haddox has since branched out to feature landscapes and still life, as well as pet portraits and wildlife, affectionately called “Janimals.”

Haddox’s work has been exhibited at the Tamarack’s Fine Arts Gallery in Beckley, West Virginia, as well as the Huntington Museum of Art in Huntington, the West Virginia Cultural Center and State Museum in Charleston, and outside the state in Columbus, Ohio, and Chillicothe, Ohio. Haddox also offered historical insight to Robert Griffin, who painted the mural along the floodwall in Point Pleasant, West Virginia.

Though his work stretches across many counties and cities in the Ohio River Valley and is considered in-demand by those around him, Haddox creates his artwork primarily for the good of the community.

“I do some commissions, but it’s mostly free,” Haddox said. “One of my favorite presents is just to give somebody artwork.”

In addition to Haddox’s well-known career as an educator and artist, he is also heavily engaged in different service projects and giving back to his community.

Haddox has served on the Mason County Public Library board, during which the library board built three new libraries, and he also served on the Mason County Development Authority board. The MCDA focuses on fostering new businesses and a strong economy in the Mason County region.

Perhaps Haddox’s biggest passion project of late is the Mason County Veterans Memorial. The Veterans Memorial will establish a permanent tribute honoring all Mason County, West Virginia, veterans from World War I to present day that have been honorably discharged, all those who currently serve, and those who will serve in the future. Haddox, who is a United States Army veteran and served during the Vietnam War, is the art consultant for the project.

Steve Halstead, president of the Veterans Memorial project, said Haddox is a true asset to their community.

“Jan was the first person I thought of for the project because of his art abilities and history awareness,” Halstead said. “He’s been a staple and is always involved in the community.”

The Veterans Memorial project began in February 2022 and is divided into two phases. The first phase will recognize Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients, including a bronze statue of U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Jimmy G. Stewart, a recipient and Mason County native who was killed in the Vietnam War. Phase one will also honor the fallen veterans from Mason County who were lost in battle from World War I to present day, as well as list the names of the POW-MIA, and the six branches of service. Phase two will honor all Mason County residents who served in the U.S. military and were honorably discharged.

Haddox and Halstead said they are pleased with the positive response they’ve received regarding the memorial.

“It’s a huge project,” Haddox said. “We’re shocked at how much support we’ve gotten from the community, it’s just super. That’s the kind of community we live in here.”

The committee broke ground on the project in November 2022, and is planning a dedication on Veterans Day 2023. The memorial will be located next to the Bridge of Honor in Mason. More information about the Mason County Veterans Memorial can be found at www.mcwvvm.org.

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 the Marshall University Alumni Association. “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.”

Several pillar Homecoming events will highlight the week-long celebration, including the annual Unity Walk, Homecoming Parade, Picnic on the Plaza and numerous tailgates and gatherings throughout the day on Sept. 30. The week will conclude with the Thundering Herd taking on the Old Dominion Monarchs in a Sun Belt Conference matchup at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

“We are super-excited to welcome everyone back to Joan C. Edwards Stadium for Homecoming 2023 on Sept. 30,” said Athletic Director Christian Spears. “The Sun Belt schedule has offered us a unique opportunity for a late September Homecoming game against a familiar conference foe in ODU. We look forward to seeing all of Herd Nation join us at The Joan for a beautiful day of football on Sept. 30!”

The Thundering Herd is coming off a 9-4 season, highlighted by a historic win over Notre Dame and a victory in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. Marshall finished third in the East Division during its inaugural season in the Sun Belt Conference.

Since the opening of The Joan in 1990, Marshall is 27-6 in Homecoming games and 9-1 over its past 10 games. This season will mark the third time the Monarchs have come to Huntington as the Homecoming opponent, with the Herd taking victories in 2021 and 2017.

For more information about Marshall’s 2023 Homecoming celebrations, contact the Marshall University Alumni Association at (304) 696-3424 or for ticket information call 1-800-THE-HERD.

On Sept. 6, six Marshall University staff members received quite the surprise, complete with balloons, visits from Marco and Ms. Marshall, and most of all, recognition for their years of generous contributions to the Marshall University Foundation.

The surprises were a part of the Marshall Foundation’s Thank A Donor Days, which took place Sept. 26-30, and celebrated the university’s various supporters from staff giving, scholarship endowments and friends and family members of students who helped them achieve their dreams.

Thank A Donor Days also celebrated the conclusion of the Marshall Rises campaign, the Marshall Foundation’s first comprehensive campaign, which raised $176 million for the university in six years.

“The Marshall Rises campaign has been tremendous. I think it helps with our national prestige, especially with our peers in comparison,” said Monica Brooks, dean of university libraries. “We’re a force to be reckoned with. We’ve elevated our academic standing, our athletic standing, and now we’re elevating our financial standing.”

While the decision to give to the Marshall Foundation varies slightly among each staff member, it is always rooted in student success.

Perry Chaffin and Bob Walker both work in Marshall’s finance department. Though, the similarities don’t end there. Both are from Kenova, West Virginia, and were both first-generation college students. While they are nearly 10 years apart in age, they even grew up on the same street. For both Chaffin and Walker, giving to Marshall was their way of saying “thank you” for the opportunities they received after earning their degrees.

“I felt that I should give to the Foundation because I had opportunities that others in my family did not,” said Chaffin, director of internal audit. “I was given this jumpstart, so I decided to give back. I felt really proud and fortunate that my parents would support me. My parents really valued an education, and said, ‘Hey, we want better for you.’ It was just a great situation, and that’s really what got me started giving.”

Walker found that giving to the Marshall Foundation allowed him to extend the same opportunities he had to students who might face disadvantages.

“I wanted to support the university because it supported me in getting the education I have, and to be where I am today,” said Walker, director of finance information. “I thought it’s best to support where you come from. I like to think I’m helping someone who may not have the same opportunity to get an education, which I feel is very important for everyone.”

Karen McComas and Mary Beth Reynolds know firsthand the importance of what a quality education can provide. Both work in the Office of Academic Affairs and are instrumental in crafting the university’s curriculum. McComas is the interim associate vice president for academic affairs and associate provost. Reynolds is the associate provost and associate vice president for assessment and quality initiatives.

“The most important part of a university is the students. Everything we do is in service of students,” Reynolds said. “When I first became a faculty member at Marshall, I felt like that was almost a sacred trust.”

Reynolds and her husband, Nick, decided to start contributing to the Marshall Foundation because of the impact the university has made in their lives and the lives of their children as members of the Huntington community.

For McComas, the decision to give was an important one, both professionally and personally.

“For me, Marshall is a family affair,” McComas said. “My father graduated from Marshall in 1945. I came here in 1973 as a freshman, and since then, with the exception of two years, I have either been enrolled or employed by the university. My entire adult life has been wrapped up in this place, so I feel really deeply committed to it.”

Because of the generosity and commitment of Marshall’s benefactors, the university has been able to make significant strides in the 21st century.

Patsy Stephenson, document librarian, has been with the university for 41 years. In that time, she has witnessed the dramatic changes across campus, particularly for the university’s libraries.

“I think the most inspiration has been the online learning and everything you can do with computers,” Stephenson said. “When I started here, we had a few computers and people had to stand in line to use them.”

But for Stephenson, it’s not just the changes you can see up close. It’s the incremental changes that build over a period of years or decades.

“I had graduated from here. My husband went to school here. We had our son and we knew that he would go here. It was a part of giving back,” Stephenson said. “When you are here for so long, you see what even just $1 can do. So, through the years, you want to give back and want to see everything grow.”

Dr. Friday Simpson had an unconventional path to becoming a doctor.

Originally from Biloxi, Mississippi, Simpson flew from Panama City, Florida, to Phoenix, Arizona, as a commercial charter pilot for 14 years. After so long, Simpson decided to pursue what she had always loved – medicine.

With some encouragement from her late husband Ted, a Huntington native, she applied and was accepted at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine with dreams of becoming a physician. The process is a bit different than learning to fly.

“In medical school, it just seems like it never quits. Twenty-nine graduate hours in medical school per semester, that was a lot tougher, much, much tougher than an undergraduate course. So yeah, the discipline was different,” Simpson said.

Simpson now has a scholarship for medical students who commit to practicing in rural West Virginia. She hopes to be a small part of keeping talented physicians in towns where they are needed the most.

Simpson knows the battle of completing medical school firsthand. She was diagnosed with lymphoma during her time in medical school, which forced her to put a pause on her studies. She believes her experience with cancer has given her compassion for her patients that she could have never had otherwise.

“That gives me a new perspective on compassion for people who are ill because nobody really knows what’s that’s like unless you’ve been there,” she said. “You know you go to a doctor; you’re having a checkup and they say you have cancer. That didn’t happen to me like that, but I know what happens to my patients a lot. And when they hear that word it is very devastating. It was devastating to me.”

Simpson now aims to give back in more ways than one, with compassion for her patients, and financial assistance that will empower the next generation of healers.

“You know, I could leave here today and not take a thing with me or whatever and make three times as much money working 40 hours a week and let everybody else take care of all the rest of it and not have a thought about it. But it doesn’t help our medical community if I do that.”

Simpson knows the financial strain placed on medical students after they graduate often makes them more likely to be forced to leave West Virginia or other rural communities. She believes scholarships will help more students say yes to staying where many want to be all along – home.

“So it may not be a whole lot, but every time that you lower $1,000 for them, it’s more likely that they might stay in this area to practice,” Simpson said.

Simpson now practices privately in Huntington and prefers the advantages, including the unconventional aspects she is allowed to bring into her office. Upon walking into her office, one will quickly see a few feline friends roaming the halls, and her reception area is less like a traditional doctor’s waiting area, but more like a living room in a home. Across the walls are photos of her and her husband taken on their many cruise trips. She says patients prefer the less intimidating feel of her office, and that private practice gives her more time to spend with each patient.

Simpson said she prefers working this way, even if she could make more money elsewhere. She knows where she is needed, and where she will make the most impact.

Simpson, like any doctor, knows the ups and downs that accompany the territory. Being a doctor comes with hard work and often having to give bad news.

“I’ve known when some of them are leaving here that it will be the last time I will see them. And we’ve told them that. That’s the hard part,” she said. “I’ve said, ‘This will probably be the last time that I see you as a patient.’ And then some of my patients have spouses that are ill that aren’t even my patients. And you can help them along to understand what they’re going through a little bit more.”

Although being a doctor has its heavy moments, there are also moments of success, healing and fun. Simpson’s personality and style have become a part of her everyday work.

“I think my patients see me a little bit differently, as more of a friend-kind of a doctor,” she said “In fact, they tell people this is my friend…I’m a family doctor. I enjoy joking…In fact, we were talking yesterday, if somebody comes in and I’m not joking, or laughing with them, or some sarcasm, that they think I’m ill, because they expect that after a while.”

Simpson doesn’t expect future students to follow in her exact footsteps but hopes some will be inspired to stay in the Mountain State. A little can go a long way, and it might be the difference for someone else.

Marshall University and all its iterations have always relied upon the support of the community to survive. 

Local residents built the first Marshall structure on the small hillside where Old Main now resides. The property was purchased by John Laidley, a prominent local lawyer, from James Holderby – both familiar names on campus still today.  

When then Marshall Academy fell on financial troubles before the Civil War and Laidley’s son put the property up for auction, a Guyandotte woman by the name of Salina Cordelia Hite Mason purchased it. A teacher herself, she had no issues satisfying the original deed by using the property for educational purposes. According to the university archives, she and her two sisters, Katie Hite and Mrs. Addie C. Holderby, all of whom were experienced teachers, taught classes while they lived there, providing education to the community during the war. After her husband died in 1863, Mason invested money from her husband’s estate in the college, in order that she might preserve it from reverting to the original owner. The West Virginia Legislature established the State Normal School at Marshall College in 1867 and Mason sold the property, though she continued to teach at the prep school. 

The then-college weathered another war that dipped enrollment, but as soon as World War II was over, the college saw record enrollment. By 1946, the college realized the faculty, physical plant and curriculum were all inadequate for the post-war influx of students.   

Again, Marshall supporters stepped up to the plate. 

On Jan. 3, 1947, five Marshall alumni and supporters signed the articles of incorporation that established the Marshall University Foundation Inc. The mission of the Foundation is to maximize continuous financial support for Marshall and its students by soliciting, receiving, investing and administering private gift support.  

Frank E. Hanshaw Sr. was among the founders, and he served as the first Foundation president until 1954, though he remained active with the Foundation for 40 years and was serving as the chair of the Gifts, Memorials and Income Committee of the board of directors at the time of his death in 1987. 

The Foundation staff remained small through the 2000s but began to outgrow its third-floor space in Old Main. The board of directors began discussing finding the Foundation its own building.  

“We wanted to be more visible and accessible,” said Pam Nibert, vice president of administration and executive assistant to the chief executive officer, who has been with the Foundation for 26 years.  

At the same time, the Marshall University Alumni Association, which was not incorporated at the time, was also looking to have its own space. In fact, the association had already raised a significant amount in donations. So, the Foundation and Alumni Association joined hands. With principal coordination by foundation board member, Tim Haymaker, work began to build a brand-new building along Fifth Avenue that would house both entities. 

Haymaker, a 1969 Marshall graduate and real estate developer based in Lexington, Kentucky, used his expertise to lead the development of the new location. The 2nd floor mezzanine is named for him, in honor of his “outstanding generosity, remarkable innovation and exceptional leadership.” His dedication advanced this project from conception to reality. 

Despite the 2008 market crash leading to rising construction costs, the Foundation board of directors pushed forward with construction thanks to donor support.  

Foundation Hall, home of the Erickson Alumni Center, opened in 2010. It would later be renamed the Brad D. Smith Foundation Hall in 2015 in honor of the philanthropist and CEO for his transformational gift to the university. 

Now, 75 years since the articles of incorporation were signed, the Foundation supports a staff of about 35 full-time employees and is continuing to grow thanks in part to the success of the Marshall Rises comprehensive campaign. The staff at the Marshall Foundation will continue to work with the Marshall community to ensure Marshall continues to thrive.  

What gift is more valuable for a university: A mega-million-dollar gift from an individual, business or organization or thousands of smaller gifts from across the university’s alumni and friends? The answer of course, is they are both extremely significant.

“It takes each gift, no matter the size, to continue to support and grow the university and its initiatives, and we rely on the large transformative gifts to tackle big projects and make big plans,” said Dr. Ron Area, chief executive officer of the Marshall University Foundation. “But what are equally important are the grassroots efforts. These gifts send messages to the administration of our Marshall University family’s priorities and passions.”

We’ve all seen the requests in our social media feeds, asking for support from the local kids’ ball club, primary or secondary school and even for a family or specific individual who has been met with challenging circumstances and someone, sometimes on their behalf, reaches out in the hopes of fundraising monies to cover the expenses.

“Crowdfunding,” defined in the Merriam Webster dictionary as “the practice of obtaining needed funding by soliciting contributions from a large number of people especially from the online community,” has replaced the door-to-door sales of youngsters hocking wrapping paper and candy bars and moved it all online. It is convenient, for most “in the palm of their hand” and people give to the causes that often tug at their heart strings or resonate with them personally in the moment.

For the Marshall Foundation, introducing its own crowdfunding tool this past August 2022, was not only requested by departments, but it was also a necessary instrument to own the solicitation and stewardship process. Gifts being solicited by internal Marshall programs through outside crowdfunding sources, were challenging to track, receipt and acknowledge.

“We had been asked repeatedly if we had the capability and began looking for options available and what other universities were doing to fill that need,” said Griffin Talbott, program director of the annual fund. “If we aren’t providing a tool, someone else will.”

Other crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe or offered through Facebook were not providing adequate information about who the donations were coming from, or how much each individual donation totaled. Most often, a lump sum would be received, weeks, sometimes months after the fundraiser had ended with no detailed documentation. This left the Marshall Foundation no choice but to deposit without acknowledging the true donors.

“Having our own crowdfunding tool helps to bring function inside our organization so we don’t rely on outside reporting and money collecting procedures,” Talbott said. “Our crowdfunding tool is also able to be used across multiple social media platforms for awareness, but yet has a centralized backend reporting and acknowledgement structure that caters to several of our stewardship priorities such as tracking giving history, providing tax receipts for charitable deductions and acknowledging active alumni memberships.”

Targeted for use by departments and colleges across campus, the Marshall Foundation crowdfunding platform seeks to fill a need that departments and colleges have for grassroots fundraising over a short period of time for a specific project or passion. One of the first departments to use the tool was the June Harless Center for Rural Educational Research and Development, a subsidiary department housed within the Marshall University College of Education and Professional Development.

The June Harless Center’s mission is to provide leadership in education initiatives for West Virginia educators and students. The Center provides educators and families in rural West Virginia with a support system that addresses educational problems, sustains school improvement and provides positive growth in all educational factors.

“The site was set up about a week in advance of our large in-person event in Charleston on Aug. 9,” said Alicia Syner, program developer of the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in West Virginia. “We had hoped to collect $20,000 in donations from supporters leading up to the event and by using the QR Code to donate online while physically at the event. To date we have received close to $6,000 through the crowdfunding campaign. We plan to keep the page available through December 2022.”

The event, which celebrated West Virginia’s statewide participation in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, raised $45,000 additionally through sponsorships and a silent auction at the event, but the crowdfunding component was the first of its kind.

“The June Harless Center was looking for a fundraising platform that was zero to low-cost, would generate a QR code for donations and be user-friendly,” Syner said. They considered choosing Mighty Cause and Facebook as their crowdfunding tool but wanted the option to “thank donors specifically and track donor information more easily through the Marshall Foundation platform.”

“For our next fundraiser, I would take full advantage of the tool by customizing a thank you letter and email as well as uploading a video,” Syner said. “The Marshall University Foundation crowdfunding tool is easy to navigate and share with donors. We could not have pulled this off without Griffin and his team. I highly recommend using this tool for your next fundraiser.”

Interested Marshall University departments may apply online by visiting the giving website. There are policies and guidelines in place to assist a group in determining if they are prepared to launch a crowdfunding campaign and each project submitted is thoroughly reviewed. Only a select number of campaigns will run “live” at any one time, to prevent overcrowding of competition, and there is a donor wall for each project that allows supporters to be recognized, if they choose, and motivate others to become involved.

Project coordinators should be faculty or staff at Marshall University, have the sponsorship of their department chair and/or dean of the college, at least three people assigned to their team, seed money for 50% of the goal, photos, videos and a designated project or initiative with a specific timetable of how they plan to reach that objective.

“Donors are giving online, and this crowdfunding tool goes hand-in-hand with that trend,” Talbott said. “It is easy for departments and schools to get started and easy for donors to react.”

For more information about the Marshall Foundation crowdfunding tool, you can contact development@marshall.edu or visit https://give.marshall.edu/submit-application to apply.

Growing up, they all looked to the sky. When others dreamt of careers on the ground, they dreamt of soaring with the birds.

Many didn’t think they would do more than dream until they heard the announcement that changed their lives – Marshall University was opening a flight school.

“I was set to study biology,” said Kristen Sayre, a member of the inaugural class of the Bill Noe Flight School and St. Albans native. “I planned to obtain my undergraduate degree out of state. Throughout my senior year of high school, my sights were set on leaving my home state because I did not yet see the opportunities it had for me.”

Sayre isn’t the only one who changed her plans.

Ben Epperly graduated from George Washington High School in Charleston in 2020 and didn’t know what he was going to do. He knew he was interested in aviation, but it wasn’t until Marshall opened the flight school that he could pursue the dream.

Josh Lucas grew up wanting to be a pilot and a police officer. With no path toward the former, he followed the path of law enforcement, serving Marshall’s campus, the cities of Milton and Hurricane, and the Office of the West Virginia Attorney General. The support of his wife and family led him to pursue his other dream of flying.

“Flight instruction has been a dream of mine since I was little,” Lucas said. “But I didn’t want to leave West Virginia. I got married, I have my house and eventually I want to have a family here. It was a no brainer as soon as Marshall opened.”

The Bill Noe Flight School welcomed its first class in the fall of 2021. Housed at West Virginia International Yeager Airport in Charleston, the four-year program leads to a series of Federal Aviation Administration certifications and prepares graduates to become commercial pilots of single and multi-engine aircraft. Lucas and Epperly are among the first students to receive their private pilot licenses.

Amelia Earheart said, “The lure of flying is the lure of beauty,” and that is true for the students at the flight school.

“When you take off and go through the clouds and get above the cloud layer, the scene you see is breathtaking,” Lucas said. “Down on the ground it can be raining, dark and gloomy, but in just a few minutes you pop above the clouds to the sky.”

Scholarships have assisted in helping make these local students’ dreams come true. Sayre, Lucas and Epperly are all recipients of the Lemotto Smith Trust Scholarship, a general scholarship created by the estate of Mr. Lemotto Smith, a Huntington business owner who died in 1987 at the age of 103.

“Scholarships have given me the promise that my family and I will be able to make my attendance in this program work despite the fact that aviation is financially demanding and our socioeconomic status traditionally does not support such a lifestyle,” Sayre said.

Scholarships helped Lucas make the decision to leave his full-time job to go back to school.

“There are no words to describe what it means to me,” he said. “Especially coming from a full-time job to a situation where I can’t work full time, it makes it so much easier. Whether it’s $50 or $1,000, it’s one more piece of the puzzle that goes toward our education and making achieving our dreams possible. I’m not used to getting scholarships or having anyone give me anything. I can’t say thank you enough. Without it, it makes it difficult.”

The scholarships have also inspired the students to want to give back themselves.

“Since the beginning of my attendance, I have actively been working with Marshall to establish more scholarships and honors programs for the flight school so others have the opportunity to become professional pilots,” Sayre said.

Sayre also wants to become a flight instructor.

“I wanted to be a teacher since a young age, so with that I can be a teacher for one of the most amazing things in the world,” she said.

“I have not bought into the idea that what one does for work has to be a job,” Sayre continued. “Being a pilot for most is not a job, it’s a passion and you get to take part in things very few do. I love the idea of mobility and the freedom associated with it. I aim to inspire others to reach for the stars as well.”

Lucas would also like to be a flight instructor and dreams of combining his passion for civil service with his passion for flight through something like medical flights.

With access to commercial flights, corporate and general aviation facilities, an Air National Guard base, the West Virginia State Division of Aviation, a port of international entry and the flight school, graduates of this program will be well-equipped for whatever path they take.

And they will be highly sought after. It is estimated that over the next two decades, 87 new pilots will need to be trained and ready to fly a commercial airliner every day to meet the demand for air travel. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall employment of airline and commercial pilots was projected to grow 6% from 2018 to 2028. Most job opportunities will arise from the need to replace pilots who leave the occupation permanently over the projection period. The median annual wage for airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers was $147,220 in May 2019. The median annual wage for commercial pilots was $86,080.

Maxine Hurst and her husband Wilburn gave to worthy causes all their lives. With no children of their own, they were able to support their own and other churches, charities and civic projects, as well as supporting their family and friends.

“They never sought credit or recognition,” said Maxine Hurst’s cousin Keith Wellman. “For all of their generosity over the years, Maxine’s final request was to leave the bulk of her estate to her beloved alma mater Marshall University.”

Funded by their estate, the Wilburn and Maxine Hurst Academic Scholarship supports Cabell and Wayne county students in the College of Education and Professional Development. Before her passing in 2018, Maxine Hurst also established the Mona Wellman Samson Scholarship Fund in honor of her mother who was a longtime teacher in Cabell and Wayne counties. That scholarship also supports Wayne County graduates.

Sophomore nursing major Kami Chapman, from Wayne, West Virginia, is one of the recipients of the Mona Wellman Samson Scholarship. Chapman said she wants to be a nurse because it impacts people’s lives in a hands-on environment with person-to-person contact.

“My scholarships have pushed me to spend more time on campus studying to keep the scholarships,” Chapman said. “I would love to tell Mrs. Hurst thank you for leaving your estate to the university in order to help students pursuing their careers.”

Following in her mother’s footsteps, Hurst was also an educator, teaching high school math for more than 40 years.

“Several years ago, because I was also a teacher, she gave me the school bell her mother – my Aunt Mona Samson – had used during her first one-room schoolhouse teaching assignments,” Wellman said. “I will gift it to my daughter who is also a teacher.”

Hurst received her teaching degree from Marshall and graduated with honors. She went on to get her master’s degree in mathematics from Columbia.

“In 40-plus years of teaching, she was a no-nonsense individual and expected her math students to be the same,” Wellman said. “As with her students, Maxine had high expectations for the younger members of our extended family. She stayed on top of us. When asked how we were doing she generally meant in our academics. I always sought her approval.”

Wellman said his oldest cousin was intelligent, confident, well-organized and strong. She knew how things worked and could fix or repair virtually anything mechanical.

He said her message to all students would be to work hard on your studies and value your education for it is an opportunity of a lifetime.