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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.

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.

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.

Marshall enjoys postseason successes.

The Thundering Herd men’s soccer team made another deep run in the NCAA men’s soccer tournament in 2022, reaching the third round of the tournament before losing to the 13th-seeded Indiana Hoosiers 1-0 last month. Marshall finished the year 11-4-4 and spent much of the season ranked in the top 10 nationally.

In its first season in the Sun Belt Conference, Marshall’s football team also had a strong season, finishing 8-4 and earning a date with UConn in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. Marshall running back Khalan Laborn led the Sun Belt Conference and was 12th nationally with 1,423 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns.

New faces in new places.

Marshall University president Brad D. Smith wasn’t the only new face to join the Marshall family in 2022. The university welcomed dozens of new individuals in new and existing roles this year, helping set the stage for a push to take Marshall to new heights.

Among the highlights was the February addition of Christian Spears as the new athletic director at the university, the April naming of Dr. Avi Mukherjee as the new provost and the October announcement of Matt James as the new Executive Director of Alumni Relations.

Homecoming presents plenty of “Fun in the Sun!”

Marshall celebrated its first season in the Sun Belt Conference with a fitting Homecoming theme as alumni, students and supporters celebrated “Fun in the Sun!” with a full week of activities on campus.

The festivities were led by 2022 Homecoming grand marshal Jim Datin, a 1985 graduate of Marshall and MU business hall of fame inductee in 2018. Highlighting the week of activities was the annual Homecoming parade and bonfire, Picnic on the Plaza, Unity Walk, Stampede 5K and Alumni Family Tailgate. At halftime, Calvin Hunter and Nevaeh Harmon were selected as Mr. and Miss Marshall for the upcoming year.

Pedestrian safety campaign launched on campus.

Marshall University launched a new pedestrian safety campaign on its Huntington campus in August to create continued awareness for students and staff who cross busy streets daily.

The campaign is called Heads Up Herd, reminding pedestrians to keep their heads up and their eyes off of their cell phones. Pedestrians are also reminded to cross streets at crosswalks. In July, other steps were taken to enhance safety on major thoroughfares near Marshall’s campus. The West Virginia Department of Transportation issued a temporary order to reduce the speed limit to 25 mph from 35 mph on Third and Fifth avenues between Hal Greer Boulevard and 20th Street. The City of Huntington also completed a new crosswalk on 20th Street between 3rd and 5th Avenues that makes it safe for pedestrians to access the Marshall Rec Center or Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

Baseball stadium becoming a reality.

Marshall University’s Board of Governors approved a resolution in October allowing the second phase of construction for the new baseball stadium to proceed. The $3.4 million project includes the addition of two metal buildings that would house the visiting team locker room, batting cages, additional offices and storage.

One month prior, Marshall Athletics received a $13.8 million gift from the State of West Virginia on the site of the school’s future baseball stadium. The gift, in the form of a check from the State of West Virginia, was presented by Gov. Jim Justice, a graduate of Marshall University and himself a former student-athlete.

Metro tuition rates expanded for students in Ohio and Kentucky.

In August, the university announced the expansion of metro tuition rate eligibility to a 100-mile radius from the Huntington campus.

Prior, the metro rate applied to border counties in Ohio and Kentucky, but with the expansion more than 40 additional counties have been added to the pool of counties that can take advantage of reduced tuition rates at the university.

Hundreds volunteer for first-ever Community Cares Week.

Marshall University’s inaugural Community Cares Week in June was a success, with hundreds of volunteers pitching in to make a positive impact on the university’s Huntington campus.

The weeklong sweat equity event focused on engaging faculty, staff, students, community members, local businesses and alumni to help check off “to do” list items on the campus, while giving back to the university that has invested in them as well. A total of 451 people signed up to volunteer, working 1,240 service hours.

Herd officially joins Sun Belt Conference.

On July 1, the Thundering Herd officially became members of the newly realigned Sun Belt Conference, bringing with it three other schools. The Sun Belt Conference was founded in 1976 and began sponsoring football in 2001.

In a number of firsts with the conference, Marshall played its first home game as a member of the Sun Belt Conference on Oct. 12 in a 23-13 loss to Louisiana and then recorded its first Sun Belt victory one week later with a 26-12 victory over JMU. The Herd went 5-3 in conference play this season.

Marshall officially opens Aviation Maintenance Technology program.

U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, representatives from Marshall University and Mountwest Community and Technical College, and other dignitaries cut the ribbon on the new Aviation Maintenance Technology (AMT) program’s facility at Huntington Tri-State airport in August.

The event was also highlighted by the announcement of a new partnership with the Embraer Foundation, a non-profit created by Embraer, who provided a financial contribution. The AMT program, which offers a two-year Associate of Applied Science degree, represents a partnership between Marshall and Mountwest.

Brad D. Smith officially installed as president.

In an outdoor ceremony on the Huntington campus in September, Marshall graduate and former Silicon Valley CEO Brad D. Smith was officially installed as Marshall University’s 38th president.

Smith, who assumed the presidency in January, is a native of Kenova, West Virginia, a 1986 graduate of Marshall and a successful former CEO and president of Intuit. During his remarks, Smith focused on the theme of time, saying while the university’s vision, creed and purpose remain timeless, time stands still for no one, and the university must adapt to keep pace with 21st century acceleration.

Marshall stuns No. 8 Notre Dame 26-21.

The Fighging Irish. Touchdown Jesus. The golden dome. Everything in South Bend, Indiana, just screams history. But on Sep. 10, the Thundering Herd made their own history with a stunning 26-21 victory over then No. 8 ranked Notre Dame.

In that game Steven Gilmore returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter and Khalan Labron ran for 163 yards as Marshall shocked the Irish for only their second victory all-time against a top 10 opponent. The Thundering Herd beat No. 6 Kansas State 27-20 in 2003.

Marshall Rises campaign raises $176 million.

In September the Marshall University Foundation announced that Marshall Rises, the largest and most ambitious fundraising campaign in Marshall University history, had raised more than $176 million in support of the university.

In total, more than 50,000 gifts were recorded during the campaign, spread across 1,300 different designations at the university ensuring that a wide range of programs and projects were directly touched by the campaign.

The campaign publicly launched in October 2019 with a goal of raising $150 million. By May 2021, the campaign reached its $150 million target, eventually topping $176 million when the campaign formally concluded earlier this year.

Marshall University and the Marshall University Alumni Association are excited to announce that alumnus Jim Datin will serve as grand marshal for Marshall’s 2022 Homecoming activities the week of Oct. 24-29.

Datin recently retired as president and chief executive officer of BioAgilytix, a leading global bioanalytical contract research organization. During his time there, the company grew from less than 50 employees to more than 1,100 and was continually recognized as one of the nation’s fastest growing companies. Datin graduated from Marshall University in 1985 with a degree in marketing and was elected to Marshall’s business hall of fame in 2018.

Highlighting his role as grand marshal, Datin will lead the annual Homecoming parade on Thursday, Oct. 27, beginning at 6:30 p.m. 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, Fun in the Sun!, celebrating Marshall’s inaugural season in the Sun Belt Conference.

“We are proud to welcome Jim back to Huntington as our grand marshal for this year’s Homecoming celebration,” said Ron Area, CEO of the Marshall University Foundation. “Jim has done great things since his days here on campus in the world of business, but he has always remained a son of Marshall at heart. He is very deserving of this honor, and we can’t wait to celebrate together later this month.”

Datin grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, as the oldest of three brothers. He came to Marshall and earned a soccer scholarship, proudly playing games at the former Fairfield Stadium. Datin spent all four years living on campus where he was a resident advisor and a regular attendee at fine arts events on campus.

After Marshall, Datin earned his MBA from the University of New Haven and completed the Advanced Management Degree at The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania.

Prior to being named president and CEO of BioAgilytix in 2013, Datin was a seasoned executive with significant experience in the pharmaceutical, life sciences and biotech industries. Over the course of his 35-plus year career, Datin has been a successful CEO, director and executive in companies throughout the United States, Europe, Canada and Asia.

He was previously EVP and managing director at Safeguard Scientifics, former chairman of the board at Clarient and Laureate Pharmaceuticals and was the former president at Dendrite International. He was also an executive with GlaxoSmithKline and Baxter Healthcare.

During his most recent tenure as CEO, BioAgilytix was named among the best places to work in North Carolina and had some of the highest customer satisfaction scores in the industry. The company went from $50 million in value to over $3 billion in eight years.

Datin is currently a board member with BioAgilytix Labs, Grenova Solutions, The North Carolina Biotechnology Center and the North Carolina Symphony. He is also an owner with the North Carolina Courage, a women’s professional soccer team based in Cary, North Carolina.

Datin said he is excited to return to Marshall for this year’s Homecoming festivities after several years away from Huntington.

“Whether on the soccer field, in the classroom, residence hall, fraternity or on campus, this was, and will always be, a very special place to me. It is a place I will always call home,” Datin said. “I had the good fortune of making one of my best decisions in attending Marshall 37 years ago and the experiences I had here, and the things I learned while here, were deep and have lived with me my entire life.”

Datin said that it is an honor to be recognized as grand marshal, especially during a time when the university is truly on the rise.

“It is a very high honor to be recognized as the Homecoming grand marshal. Marshall is a university that has a lot of great things happening and has a truly innovative and rock star president in Brad Smith,” Datin said. “Combine the great things happening on campus with a nationally recognized soccer program, major athletic victories and a new athletic director that is bringing in strong leadership to transform Marshall’s facilities and national presence, and there has never been a better time to be a part of the Marshall family.”

In addition to the Homecoming parade, Datin will also participate in other major events on and around campus leading up to the Homecoming football game against Coastal Carolina University on Saturday, Oct. 29. Other highlights of Homecoming week for alumni include the Unity Walk on Oct. 24, parade and bonfire on Oct. 27, Picnic on the Plaza and Marshall StamFEED presented by Jenkins Fenstermaker PLLC on Oct. 28, and the Stampede 5K and Alumni & Family Tailgate presented by Woodlands Retirement Community on Oct. 29.

“Four of the best years of my life took place at Marshall. This is a nurturing environment with caring people committed to a great education,” Datin said. “It was a beautiful campus in the 1980s and is even more engaging today with so many new, high-tech buildings and world-class facilities. President Brad Smith has and will continue to do great things for Marshall, Huntington and West Virginia in making Marshall a destination for students around the world.”

More information about this year’s Homecoming can be found at www.herdalum.com/herdhomecoming.