Latest News
Service Wire Company makes $1 million gift in support of Marshall’s new business school
The Marshall University Foundation has announced that Service Wire Company has committed $1 million in support of the Brad D. Smith Center for Business and Innovation at Marshall University.
Service Wire Company will provide both financial resources as well as wire and cable products for the new state-of-the-art facility for the Lewis College of Business and Brad D. Smith Schools of Business. Additionally, the Transformative Sales and Service Excellence Center within the college will be renamed the Service Wire Company Transformative Sales and Service Excellence Center.
Louis Weisberg, president and chief executive officer of Service Wire Company, said he is excited to expand upon an existing relationship with the university and the city of Huntington.
“Service Wire has a long-standing history partnering with Marshall University, and we are pleased to continue this legacy,” said Weisberg. “We are proud to have Marshall University graduates in all departments across multiple locations – from accounting, sales and marketing, to engineering, operations and executive management.
“Service Wire has always been committed to serving the communities in which our employees live and work and that dedication extends to educational institutions. By providing an outlet for our employees and their families to further their education and recruit new talent, we can better equip our growing workforce.”
Gary and Jo Ann White establish Dr. Jerome A. Gilbert Professorship in Biomedical Engineering to honor 37th Marshall University president
Gary and Jo Ann White establish Dr. Jerome A. Gilbert Professorship in Biomedical Engineering to honor 37th Marshall University presidentGary G. and Jo Ann White announced they have established the Dr. Jerome A. Gilbert Professorship in Biomedical Engineering in honor of the 37th president of Marshall University.
White, who served as interim president of Marshall University from December 2014 to January 2016, said he hopes this professorship will help cement the legacy of Gilbert while also continuing to propel the university forward in this unique and exciting field of study.
“Dr. Jerry Gilbert came to Marshall University at a critical time in our history, becoming Marshall’s 37th president after the unfortunate and untimely death of Stephen J. Kopp,” White said. “Under Dr. Gilbert’s leadership, Marshall continued to move forward. Among his many initiatives, Dr. Gilbert established the biomedical engineering program in 2018 combining the strengths of Marshall’s School of Medicine and its College of Engineering to provide students the opportunity to enter this new and exciting profession. Jo Ann and I are pleased to be able to memorialize Dr. Gilbert and his wife Leigh for their service to Marshall University and the region it serves.”
White was appointed to the role of interim president following the sudden death of long-time president Dr. Stephen J. Kopp. A Marshall graduate, White is a former member and past chairman of the Marshall University Board of Governors, as well as an accomplished businessman and leader in the coal mining industry.
Dr. Jerry Gilbert succeeded White in January 2016 as the 37th president of Marshall University. A Mississippi native with a background in biomedical engineering, Gilbert made an immediate and lasting impact on the university.
Articles of Gratitude
Winter 2021
Marshall University 2015 graduate Kyle Tibbs has two things in common with incoming president Brad D. Smith: he’s a son of Marshall and he hopes his career path brings him back home.
Read the story of Kyle Tibbs in the latest edition of Articles of Gratitude.
Planned Giving
“I met so many students who came to the university with hopes and dreams, many from struggling families or as the first in their family to go to college and they have gone on to have successful and fulfilling lives. I want every student coming from our corner of the world to get the opportunity of a great Marshall education.” -Marti Knisley, Marshall Alumna and donor
Read Marti’s story in the latest Planned Giving Quarterly Donor Spotlight.
Learn more about planned giving here.
Donor Spotlight
Chuck Oldaker establishes two funds at Marshall University honoring late wife, celebrating new business school
Marshall University alumnus Chuck Oldaker has pledged two gifts to the university honoring his late wife’s passion for education and celebrating Marshall’s new business school.
Oldaker, executive vice president and chief financial officer for Service Wire Company, committed $30,000 to endow The Michalle Arthur Oldaker Memorial Scholarship in honor of his late wife who passed earlier this year. In addition, Oldaker has also pledged $50,000 to the Brad D. Smith Center for Business and Innovation.
“Before her passing, we started talking about if there was something we could do together,” Oldaker said. “Or were there two things we could do. Then, she ended up passing away and it became very clear to me that setting up a memorial scholarship in her name was the way to honor her and continue her legacy.”
Scholar Spotlight
It’s a dilemma most aspiring college students who grow up in college towns face: Do I stay or do I go?
For Huntington native Tyler Spence, the idea of moving down the road from Covenant School to Marshall University wasn’t very appealing.
However, the idea of not having to take out a loan to attend college was very appealing.
“I went to Marshall originally because it was the only place I could go and not have to take out any loans, so it was purely financial,” Spence said.
Read Tyler’s story in the latest Scholar Spotlight.
