The Marshall Recreation Center announces the return of the annual Indoor Triathlon at 8 a.m. Saturday, March 1, featuring a new kids’ event for 2025: the Splash and Dash.
The events are entirely indoors and welcome participants ages 5 and older of all skill levels to stay active during the winter months.
The Indoor Triathlon is a time-based event that includes the following age divisions and multi-sports:
Youth Age Division (13-17):
Swim: 150 yards in the indoor pool Bike: 4 miles on stationary bikes Run: 1 mile on the indoor track Adult Age Divisions (18-60+):
Swim: 300 yards in the indoor pool Bike: 8 miles on stationary bikes Run: 2 miles on treadmills Participant scores are based on the total distance covered during each activity, making the event accessible for both beginners and experienced athletes.
New event: Kids Splash and Dash
The Kids Splash and Dash is a new addition designed for children seeking a shorter, high-energy experience. It combines a swim and run in a simplified format, with distances tailored to age groups.
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Marshall University’s John Deaver Drinko Academy for American Political Institutions and Civic Culture has announced its July and December 2024 classes of National Society of ACTA Scholars.
ACTA is an academic honorary society that was founded in 2020 by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a Washington, D.C., based nonprofit that promotes rigorous studies in the arts and sciences, and advocates for the study of civics at the college level. Marshall University was one of the first institutions of higher education in the country to establish a National Society of ACTA Scholars Chapter.
“ACTA Scholars complete a set of course requirements providing advanced preparation for the responsibilities of informed and engaged citizenship, for effective communication and competition within the global marketplace, and for skilled and creative problem-solving to address our present and future challenges,” said Dr. Montserrat Miller, executive director of the Drinko Academy. “Three of the seven courses needed for National Society of ACTA Scholars eligibility are already built into Marshall’s core curriculum. But only a few majors require students to study U.S. government, U.S. history, or economics. The National Society of ACTA Scholars chapter at Marshall encourages more students to take such courses, along with literature and foreign language classes.”… Read More
U.S. News & World Report’s Best Online Program rankings list for 2025 includes four Marshall University Online programs.
The best online programs named by U.S. News & World Report include Criminal Justice, which ranked 20th; Undergraduate Business, which ranked 79th; Graduate Business, which ranked 93rd; and Master of Business Administration, which ranked 163rd.
U.S. News & World Report’s “Grad Business” category includes non-MBA business degrees, such as accountancy, and the online MBA programs have a separate ranking.
“We are honored to be recognized in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report rankings for our online programs,” said Julia Spears, assistant provost of Online Education and Certification. “Our innovative teaching methods and relentless support ensure that our students receive a top-tier education, regardless of their location. This recognition is a testament to their hard work and our collective effort to uphold the standards of excellence for which Marshall University is known.”
In 2024, U.S. News ranked the online criminal justice program at 33rd in the country, making the 2025 ranking a 13-spot improvement.
“Since the launch of our online graduate program in 2017, we have continuously striven for excellence, and this recognition reflects the significant progress we have made,” said Dru Bora, chair of Marshall’s Department of Criminal Justice, Criminology, and Forensic Sciences. “Our journey from our first ranking at #51 in 2020 to this milestone as a top 20 program is a proud moment for our entire Marshall community.”… Read More
The Marshall University Research Corporation has announced the winners of the:
· Spring 2025 Undergraduate Creative Discovery & Research Awards
· Spring 2025 Graduate Creative Discovery & Research Awards
· Summer 2025 John Marshall Scholars Awards
· Fall 2025 John Marshall Scholars Awards
The undergraduate and graduate award programs are open to qualifying students in the College of Science, the Lewis College of Business, the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Arts and Media, the College of Education and Professional Development, the College of Engineering and Computer Sciences, the College of Health Professions and the Honors College. The graduate award program is part of a new initiative started by the President’s Office supporting graduate student research.
Dr. Suzanne Strait is the associate vice president for research development.
“We are deeply grateful to the Office of the President for supporting graduate-level research at Marshall University,” Strait said. “Thanks to their commitment, MURC was thrilled to receive such a strong pool of applicants and award five grants for Spring 2025.”
The John Marshall Scholar program has supported the creative discovery and research work of faculty members from the College of Science, the Lewis College of Business, the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Arts and Media, the College of Education and Professional Development, the College of Engineering and Computer Sciences, the College of Health Professions and Marshall Libraries.
Spring 2025 undergraduate awardees are:… Read More
Marshall University’s Department of English will present the A.E. Stringer Visiting Writers Series at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 29, featuring readings by faculty authors Dr. Joel Peckham, Cat Pleska and Dr. Sara Henning. The event will take place in the Memorial Student Center’s Shawkey Dining Room and is free and open to all.
Peckham has published 11 collections of poetry and nonfiction, most recently Any Moonwalker Can Tell You: New and Selected poems (Stephen F. Austin State University Press) and Gone the Sun (UnCollected Press). A spoken word LP, Still Running: Words and Music by Joel Peckham, also appeared from EAT Poems in 2022. With Robert Vivian, he also co-edited the anthology, Wild Gods: The Ecstatic in Contemporary Poetry and Prose. Peckham is an associate professor of American literature and creative writing at Marshall University.
Pleska, a native West Virginian, is an award-winning author, educator and storyteller. Her memoir Riding on Comets was published by West Virginia University Press in 2015, and her latest memoir, My Life in Water, was released by UnCollected Press in 2024. Pleska has edited four anthologies, and her work has appeared in Anthology of Appalachian Writers, Women Speak, Still: The Journal, Heartwood Magazine, and more. She teaches creative writing in Marshall’s Department of English, as well as Appalachian culture and literature in Marshall’s Graduate Humanities Program.… Read More
Dr. Thomas Pile, a clinical assistant professor at the Marshall University School of Pharmacy, has been chosen as one of five participants for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation’s 2024-2025 Faculty Scholars Program.
The 18-month research mentorship program connects faculty members with seasoned research experts, transforming research ideas into published manuscripts through NACDS Foundation starter grants.
Pile, who has been with Marshall since 2022, and serves as the school’s associate director of experiential learning, will investigate the relationship between and the impact of continuous glucose monitors and oral diabetes medication compliance among people living with diabetes.
“I am honored to have been selected to take part in this research program,” Pile said. “This is an incredible opportunity to collaborate with nationally recognized pharmacy researchers from universities across the country. My research will focus on diabetes, a chronic condition that significantly impacts the health and well-being of patients in West Virginia and the Appalachian region. Addressing this critical health care need is essential for improving outcomes and providing better care for our communities.”
Dr. Eric Blough, dean of the school of pharmacy, said Pile’s research is particularly important given it deals with such an important health concern to the region. Read More
Marshall University has received a five-year, $2.82 million Mellon Foundation grant to support the creation and future expansion of internship opportunities for students majoring in humanities disciplines in the College of Liberal Arts (COLA).
This transformative program will empower students by providing real-world experience while benefiting local agencies that rely on interns to advance their work.
Dr. Robert Bookwalter, principal investigator for the grant and dean of the college, will lead the initiative with the support of faculty members Dr. Richard G. Jones Jr., chair of Communication Studies; Dr. Eric Lassiter, director of Graduate Humanities; Dr. Del Chrol, chair of Humanities; and Dr. Greta Rensenbrink, chair of History.
The program is designed to significantly enhance opportunities for students in humanities majors, including English, Humanities, Communication Studies, History, Philosophy, Latin and Modern Languages. By providing funding for paid internships, the program addresses a critical barrier for both students and agencies: the lack of financial resources to support unpaid internships. Students will earn an hourly wage for their work, while faculty mentors and agency supervisors will receive stipends to facilitate and oversee the internships. … Read More
The names of Marshall University students who made the president’s and dean’s lists for the fall 2024 semester are available on the Marshall website at the following links:
https://www.marshall.edu/news/fall-2024-presidents-list/
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Tickets are now on sale for TEDxMarshallU’s seventh annual event, “Beyond Borders.”
The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday, March 8, 2025, in the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center located at 1655 Fifth Ave. in Huntington.
General admission tickets are $20, and admission for university and K-12 students is $5. For additional information and to purchase tickets, visit www.tedxmarshallu.com. Seats are limited and tickets may not be available at the door the night of the event. This year’s theme was inspired by Marshall’s 2024-2025 Higher Learning Commission’s Quality Initiative, “Building a Stronger and More Inclusive Marshall Community.”
Only three months away from taking the stage, the TEDxMarshallU team has selected a lineup of speakers who will share their own ideas on the theme’s meaning.
“I’m honored to be working with such an incredible team for this year’s event,” said Evan Green, TEDxMarshallU speaker turned team curation coordinator. “As we continue our curation process, we’re working diligently to create the most engaging TEDxMarshallU event we possibly can.”
TEDxMarshallU is a student-led, faculty-mentored, independently organized event. In addition to faculty and staff mentors, this year’s team is made up of five student interns: Evan Green, co-organizer and curation coordinator; Maggie Piaskowski, event manager; Baylee Parsons, communications director and designer; Luke Jeffrey, sponsorships, purchasing and budgets manager; Maleah Majakey, social media manager.
For additional information, contact Parsons at 304-962-4484… Read More
Students in Marshall University’s Department of Anthropology and Sociology recently finished a semester-long community garden project in War, West Virginia, and presented their work to members of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) in Washington. The project was funded through a grant as part of the ARC Appalachian Collegiate Research Initiative program, which encourages groups to address a community-defined need in an at-risk or distressed county in Appalachia.
Both undergraduate and graduate students in Dr. Kristi McLeod’s Self and Society class visited the town of War three times over the past semester for the “Harvesting Heritage: Community Garden of War” project. They helped build a potting shed, did some research asking community members about barriers to their participation, and on their final trip, engaged with members of the community, making apple butter and presenting their findings, marketing materials, and recommendations to the garden folks to assist them next year.
For the community, the garden serves as a common gathering space that strengthens community bonds, which is important for mental health, as well as providing a source of healthy foods.
“The community members were not only beneficiaries of the project but were also mentors by sharing their community history and traditions with Marshall students and raising awareness of the strength and resilience of rural Appalachian communities,” said McLeod, chair and professor of sociology.… Read More
At Marshall University, we pride ourselves on a rich tradition of excellence, resilience and unwavering commitment. In 2024, our football program achieved an extraordinary milestone, claiming its first Sun Belt Conference championship. This historic victory places the Thundering Herd among an elite group of programs nationwide to win championships in three different conferences – a testament to the talent, dedication, and resilience of our athletic staff, student-athletes, coaches and community. The Herd followed this success with an invitation to the prestigious Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, promising an exciting matchup against Army, a top 25 program.
Today we are making the difficult decision to decline our invitation to participate in the Independence Bowl. Recent changes in the status of key personnel, when combined with the implications of the shifting landscape of college athletics including NIL and the transfer portal, have significantly impacted our team’s roster. At this moment, our football program’s participation numbers create a major concern for the health and safety of our current student athletes to compete in a safe, viable manner.
Although a tough and unimaginable decision for a program with such tradition and pride, after consulting with our independent medical experts, coaches and players, we reached this decision and emphatically believe this is the best decision for our student athletes. The health and well-being of our players is our top priority.… Read More
Marshall University officials and U.S. Rep. Carol Miller’s in-state team met Thursday on Marshall’s Huntington campus to discuss innovative strategies aimed at advancing the Mountain State through education and economic development. The collaborative meeting underscores a shared commitment to fostering growth and opportunity in West Virginia.
As part of the day’s activities, the group attended a graduation ceremony at the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center (MAMC), celebrating the achievements of 16 individuals earning associates degrees and academic certificates, plus the completion of nearly 160 industry credentials. The center continues to play a vital role in equipping students with the skills needed to excel in the manufacturing sector and contribute to the state’s economic vitality.
The congressional team also received an update on the Marshall Innovation District from director of entrepreneurship Tricia Ball. The mixed use, $250+ million district will be anchored by the Brad D. Smith Center for Business and Innovation and will include the Institute of Cyber Security, a new state headquarters for MAMC, innovation support for entrepreneurship, commercial office space and retail. In addition, the team also received an overview of the WV Grant Resource Centers (Centers), an initiative to help communities and eligible applicants write competitive grants. The Centers just wrapped up the second year of operations, helping to secure more than $41 Million in federal, state, and private funds for economic development projects across West Virginia’s 55 counties.
… Read More
