Leading the Future
We want Marshall University to rise to a level of eminence in the state and across the U.S.
In order to do this, we need your support.
How Marshall Rises
Since 1837, Marshall University has been considered an institution of innovation and discovery. Game-changers and dream-makers alike have looked to our university to change their lives for the better. We need your help to keep this momentum going.
When students are looking for a one-of-a-kind college experience, Marshall Rises. When professors seek opportunities to conduct cutting-edge research, Marshall Rises. When the state of West Virginia turns to us for experts within our university community, Marshall Rises. When those thirsty for knowledge are given the chance to explore every facet of their field and beyond, Marshall Rises. When these elements of education come together, it’s easy to see why Marshall Rises.
We want to keep rising. We want the Marshall University legacy to ascend to the next level. To accomplish this, we’ve established five pillars of progress, which need your support.
The Five Pillars
These five pillars of progress will ensure our students will graduate from one of the nation's most distinguished and dynamic universities.
When we say Enhancing the Student Experience, we mean creating more need-based and merit-based scholarships.
In the summer of 2018, Eleni Shea traveled across the world to provide speech-language services to children in Uganda.
Through her clinical externship with Hope Speaks, Eleni was able to gain a greater understanding of the power of speech-language pathology and how speech can change lives on a daily basis. The scholarship she received as a graduate student to make this experience a reality was vitally important. Without the academic and financial support provided to Eleni, she would never have had the chance to discover more about the world we live in.
“The ability to be immersed in a diverse culture while attaining firsthand clinical experience serves as a unique learning opportunity for students. As a student and graduate clinician, I learned so much being in Uganda, and I know that these are lessons I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Learning to navigate linguistic and cultural barriers, experiencing a completely new culture and country, and working directly with families in difficult situations are skills that transcend the classroom. Providing students with opportunities like these allows them to broaden their creativity, confidence, and professional abilities and develop a greater understanding of people from all cultures and backgrounds.”
When we say Expanding Academics and Growing Our Reputation, we mean more endowed professorships, professional development funds, and more support for academic programs.
For three years, Professor Uday Tate has been awarded an endowed professorship through the Lewis College of Business.
Through the support of generous donors, this endowment allowed him to research the impact of learning styles on student outcomes, which ultimately helps his students become even more successful. Professor Tate said that the endowed professorship is a huge opportunity because it has allowed him to be recognized for his contributions to both the university and the students he serves.
“My endowed professorship has nothing to do with me and everything to do with my students. We exist because of our students. If I do good research and share this knowledge with them, then that is what benefits them. Many of us tend to forget this and tend to focus on ourselves, and these endowed professorships remind us of why we are truly here – for our students.”
When we say Creating an Environment of Innovative Learning, we mean new and renovated academic spaces like a new business school and athletic facilities like a new baseball stadium.
As a student with a learning disorder in reading and word processing, Jake Gressang was searching for a university that would help him to succeed.
A recipient of the Presidential Scholarship, the Cranberry Township Rotary Scholarship, the Rachel Librecht Scholarship, and a National Honor Society Scholarship, Jake shared that these scholarships allow him to focus on activities that enhance his educational experience.
“These scholarships mean the world to me. Without this support, I would not be here. All of my success is credited to these generous donors, and I am beyond grateful. Without alumni donations, our university would not be able to grow.”
Marshall University is one of only three universities in the country offering the H.E.L.P. program – an advanced support structure focusing on Higher Education for Students with Learning Problems. When Jake learned of the H.E.L.P program during his tour of the state-of-the-art Arthur Weisberg Family Applied Engineering Complex, he knew Marshall cares deeply about students and the facilities in which they learn.
“As a H.E.L.P student, we have the privilege to learn in technologically advanced classrooms that give us the opportunity to collaborate and work in teams to complete lab assignments, projects, and even practicums.”
When we say Forming a Foundation of Research and Creative Discovery, we mean more funds for faculty and undergraduate research and the arts.
In October 2016, Marshall University announced the formation of a university-wide substance use recovery coalition, with at least 10 academic departments and programs working together in various ways to fight against addiction.
Amy Saunders serves as the principal investigator for a three-year, $1 million grant that provides evidence-based prevention and early intervention training to health care students, faculty, and community members to identify substance misuse. Amy shared that the SBIRT training, otherwise known as Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment, has been administered to more than 3,500 health care students and providers.
“SBIRT has been a huge success and has allowed us to train faculty and emerging health care students about substance use disorder and its impact on our community. We are collaborating with the City of Huntington as well as several departments at the university to address the health disparities associated with this growing epidemic.”
And when we say Deepening Community Partnerships and Engagement, we mean more corporate support and recovery outreach with the opioid epidemic.
Dr. C. Damien Arthur is leading the way for all hardworking West Virginians. As an assistant professor of public administration and policy at Marshall, Dr. Arthur serves as the program director for the newly established West Virginia Center for Consumer Law and Education.
Marshall University was granted $1 million as part of a joint effort with another state institution to develop consumer-related information and programming for West Virginians who may not know what they are entitled to regarding their consumer rights.
“We need more people like consumer attorney and Marshall alumni David Romano. He has led the efforts to make the donations possible for us to establish this amazing partnership, which will change the lives of West Virginians for years to come. Without supporters like him, it would be very difficult to strengthen the community and the state we live in.”
What Your Support Means to Us
Over the past decade, you have helped Marshall University rise to the next level.
With nearly two dozen new programs, including two new doctoral degrees, you have expanded what we can offer our campus community. You have funded academic and merit-based scholarships, which reward our students’ academic success. You’ve given us the chance to create professorships to recruit and retain talented faculty, which also has allowed for more research opportunities. You’ve partnered with us to provide student internships and research collaborations, and with both of those, we’ve received your valuable feedback.
In every way, you’ve helped Marshall rise to a new era. We’ve heard your visions and desires for Marshall to become a nationally recognized leader of many programs, including those in business programs. We’ve heard your pleas for more research funding, particularly in areas that drastically affect our community, state, and region. We’ve heard your ideas for new athletic facilities and student-centered learning spaces. We’ve heard you, and now it’s time to prepare.
Because you are changing lives, we are on the Rise!