When you have what you believe is a great idea, what’s the first thing you want to do? Share it! That’s how great ideas become great projects, and that is the mission of the TED Foundation and its partners around the world, including TEDxMarshallU. While TED began in 1984 as a conference in which to share ideas on technology, entertainment, education and design, TEDxMarshallU has only been in existence for three years.
The idea came to Marshall in 2019 through the efforts of then-student body President Hunter Barclay and Vice President Hannah Petracca. Coincidentally, Dr. Brian Kinghorn, an associate professor of curriculum, instruction and foundations in Marshall’s College of Education and Professional Development, and Dr. Ben Eng, an associate professor of marketing and entrepreneurship in Marshall’s Lewis College of Business, had also been talking about bringing TEDx to the Marshall campus. Unlike most other universities, Kinghorn and Eng wanted the students to be integrally involved. So, when Barclay and Petracca approached the faculty members, it wasn’t hard to convince them to apply for a partnership license.
With a shared vision and some quick planning, the first TEDxMarshallU event took place 10 weeks later. While his official title is “organizer,” Kinghorn also holds the TEDx license, but he says the students do almost all the work. As such, Barclay and Petracca chose “Innovative Solutions to Complex Problems” as the theme for 2019. Because Huntington had just been named “America’s Best Community” in a nationwide contest for its creative plans to solve tough problems, the pair wanted to highlight some of those innovative ideas. Speakers included Marshall student Rawan Elhamdani, an African-Middle Eastern woman living in Appalachia who spoke about being a vehicle to help people overcome stereotypes, and Dr. Briana Nannen of Marshall’s School of Music, who shared her idea for using music as a tool in facilitating addiction recovery. Later, she developed her idea into a men’s choral program at Recovery Point in Huntington.
In 2020, the theme was “Bridges” and presented ideas to bring people together. Ironically, coming together was the last thing 2020 allowed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Plans to hold the event at the Jean Carlo Stephenson Auditorium in City Hall in front of an audience of 500 were suddenly halted. Consequently, Petracca and the rest of her team had to scramble to create an alternative.
“We ultimately decided to pivot to a hybrid event,” said Kinghorn. “We had our speakers, families and team on campus in the Don Morris Room. We literally switched our event to a streaming event in three days.”
Speakers in 2020 included Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Woody Williams, who spoke about using his work supporting Gold Star families to build bridges for future generations. Peabody Award winner Trey Kay, of the podcast “Us and Them,” talked about how his forum explores all sides of the cultural issues that too often divide us.
“Stressful as that year was, it was a professional development moment for me,” said Petracca. “I was getting ready to graduate. Now, I can point to that event as something I was able to accomplish in my senior year of college.”
According to Petracca, that was the point of bringing TEDx to Marshall.
“When TEDx became a reality at Marshall, it provided a platform for students to hear about unique opportunities. For example, with Dr. Nannen’s talk, students were able to execute the idea she brought up because they either heard or saw her talk. That is the full-circle moment we were looking for.”
The 2021 TEDxMarshallU event, also held as a hybrid, focused on the theme of “RISING” as a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the 1970 Marshall plane crash. While the fall fountain ceremony honoring the 75 people lost in the crash is somber and solemn, the TEDxMarshallU team, including student leaders Kelly and Paige Leonard, wanted their event to be uplifting. Therefore, the theme spoke to Marshall’s rise from adversity in three areas: education, mental health and economic development. Speaker Brandon Dennison explained how his work with Coalfield Development is helping rebuild the Appalachian economy through green energy jobs. His talk has had 35,000 views to date and was shared by former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg with his millions of followers on Facebook and Twitter.
In addition, the 2021 event featured talks by Coach Jack Lengyel and Coach Red Dawson, who led the Young Thundering Herd right after the crash.
For the fourth year of TEDxMarshallU another hybrid event is scheduled for Feb. 26, 2022. This year’s theme is “Stories That Change Us,” and information about the event can be found at www.tedxmarshallu.com. Both Kinghorn and Eng feel good about what has been accomplished so far. Realizing they’ve started a new tradition is both rewarding and challenging, they said.
“This is especially inspiring because it emerged from two students,” Eng said. “It’s students like these who give me immense optimism for the future of Marshall, the city of Huntington and the state of West Virginia. Our team is proud to carry on what Hunter and Hannah started.”
Matt James, assistant dean of student affairs, who also directs student involvement, believes TEDxMarshallU can help prepare students for life after Marshall.
“Everything they’re doing now is to build that resume, not just get a diploma,” said James. “They’re not only connecting and engaging with people, but exploring ideas that are broad and diverse so they’re more prepared to go out into whatever their chosen field is and succeed. In the future, we’d also like to bring in speakers who already have a national platform in order to give Marshall an even larger national presence.”
Eng’s dream is equally lofty.
“Our team believes community members at Marshall possess innovative ideas that, if shared, can be applied to other areas in the world with similar problems. The ultimate impact of TEDxMarshallU is that it will allow Marshall to be a leader in solving some of the world’s biggest challenges.”
Now, that’s a great idea.
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About the Author: Carter Seaton is an author and freelance writer living in Huntington, West Virginia.
Photos (from top):
RISING, Marshall’s 2021 TEDx event, included, from left, husband and wife aerialist and roller-skating performers Tyce and Mary (Wolfe) Nielsen; Lt. Chad Napier, acting West Virginia state coordinator of Appalachia HIDTA; Dr. Kathy D’Antoni, educator; Brandon Dennison, founder and CEO of Coalfield Development; Red Dawson, former Thundering Herd assistant football coach; Dr. Suzanne Strait (foreground), associate director of Science and Research at the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission; Dr. Ashley Perkins, mental health advocate; Allen Meadows, representative of the Young Thundering Herd; and Lee Farabaugh, president and co-founder of Core10. Also featured was Jack Lengyel, former head football coach, not pictured.
Dr. Brian Kinghorn, associate professor of curriculum, instruction and foundations in Marshall’s College of Education and Professional Development, is officially the TEDx “organizer” and also holds the TEDx license, but he says all the work is done by the students.