Initiatives, News, and Events

Vol. 7, No. 40 • April 21, 2023

President’s Points of Pride

This week, we celebrate Dr. Jeffrey Groff and his colleagues from the Department of Environmental and Physical Sciences for their participation in the STAR-TIDES 16th Annual Environmental Capabilities event “Sustainable Resilience in the Face of Climate Change.” The environmental colloquium was held April 17-21, at George Mason University and the Pentagon. The Shepherd segment, “Resilient Food Systems: Building Regional, Sustainable, Co-operative Farm Networks,” occurred on April 18. Participating in the program were moderator Dr. Groff with panelists Dr. Brooke Comer, visiting assistant professor of environmental science at Shepherd; Todd Coyle, executive director, Jefferson GAP Coalition, Inc.; Madison Hale, coordinator, Tabler Farm; Tania Johnson-Hester, community engagement coordinator, Tabler Farm; AmeriCorps High Rocks; and Paul Wilmoth, member, Tabler Farm Advisory Council. STAR-TIDES is a global network dedicated to “Sharing to Accelerate Research,” operating under the Center for Resilient and Sustainable Communities at George Mason University. Shepherd University’s Agricultural Innovation Center is located at Tabler Farm, where new initiatives have been launched in sustainable agriculture.

All welcome to upcoming Capstone presentations

The end of the semester means Capstone presentations by Shepherd students across all academic disciplines. The community is invited to upcoming Capstone presentations hosted by the Department of English and Modern Languages and the Interdisciplinary Appalachian Studies Program.

Four students will present their Capstone projects on Sunday, April 23, 1-2:30 p.m. in the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education auditorium. The presenters are:

Kim Cano—"Sweetness in Decay"
Lee DiFante—"The Use of Witches and Witch Tropes in Toni Morrison Novels"
Brynae Harrod—"Dante's Inferno: A Criticism of the Catholic Church"
Madison Malin—"Translation from Literature to Cinema: The Visual Feminist Perspective of Jane Eyre and Little Women"

The final two days of Celtic Roots and Global Appalachia presentations by graduate and undergraduate students are planned for Monday, April 24, and Wednesday, April 26, via Zoom or in person at the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education, room 165 from 5-6:15 p.m.

The presenters on April 24 are:

Ravyn Weirich—"Celtic Animism, Sacred Trees, and Faery Forts: Nature, Myth and Folklore in Ireland"
Jodi Davis—"Glendalough"
Kristen Hutchinson—"Bewitching Glastonbury: Magic, Mysticism, and the Intersection of Christianity and Paganism"
Mikhaela Barnes—"Qui Separabit: Religion, Witchcraft and Women in Ireland"
Julie Becraft-Shehan—"Celtic Healers and Granny Women, From Ulster Ireland to Appalachia"

The presenters on April 26 are:

Jessie Shanholtz—"Food and Lament for the Past: Nostalgia and Rot in Joyce's The Dead"
Kelly Ghareeb—"The Aran Islands"
Alyssa Nazarok—"Catholic Ireland: Persistent Poverty and the Celtic Tiger"
Noche Gauthier—"Boudica, The Queen Warrior of the Celts"
Elizabeth Greenfield'—"Queen of the Isle of Sky"
Ben Trogdon—"Peace Comes Dropping Slow: The Poetry of Jesse Stuart and W. B. Yeats"

Common Reading essay contest winner announced

Shepherd student Samuel Lake, a chemistry major from Charles Town, West Virginia, has won this year’s Common Reading student essay contest. Lake’s essay, titled “Ethical Opinions: Eisenberg’s Analysis of Society’s Failings,” is based on The Third Rainbow Girl by Emma Copley Eisenberg, Shepherd’s 2022-2023 Common Reading book. Lake wrote the essay for his fall 2022 First Year Experience Leadership class. Essays were judged by a panel of three faculty members. Lake opted to receive a $350 credit toward his fall 2023 tuition for his prize. The 2023-2024 Common Reading selection is No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us by Rachel Louise. It’s available at the Scarborough Library and at local and online booksellers.

Community Music Program spring concert on April 26

Four ensembles from Shepherd University’s Community Music Program will perform in a concert on Wednesday, April 26, at 7:30 p.m. in the Frank Arts Center Theater. The concert will include performances by the Community Recorder Ensemble directed by Andrea Diggs, adjunct music professor; Youth Chorus directed by Dr. Austin Showen, assistant professor of music; Junior String Ensemble directed by Renee Shaw Nutwell, violin instructor; and Community Orchestra, directed by Camilo Pérez-Mejía, adjunct music professor.

Tickets are $5 at the door and can be purchased online. To purchase tickets and learn more about School of Music events, visit the School of Music’s Calendar of Concerts and Events.

News

'Anthology of Appalachian Writers: Barbara Kingsolver Volume XV’ now available

The just-released “Anthology of Appalachian Writers: Barbara Kingsolver Volume XV” centers on the work of Barbara Kingsolver, Shepherd University’s 2022 Appalachian Heritage Writer-in-Residence. Kingsolver was at Shepherd for the Appalachian Heritage Festival in September 2022 and has continued to work with the editors on the completion of the book.

Great German masterworks to be featured in April 22 Masterworks Chorale concert

The Masterworks Chorale, under the direction of Dr. Steven Grives, presents “A Century of German Masterworks” on Saturday, April 22, at 7:30 p.m. in the Frank Arts Center Theater. The program includes sections of three works composed during the mid-18th to mid-19th century—Handel’s beloved oratorio “Messiah,” Schubert’s missa brevis “Mass in G,” and Brahms’s romantic masterpiece “Ein deutsches Requiem.” The concert will feature a full orchestra and Shepherd adjunct faculty soloists, soprano Dr. Morgan Brower, and baritone Dr. Bobb Robinson.

Students help community members with income tax returns

Eight Shepherd University students and the faculty supervisor Justin Collins assisted in the preparation of 82 tax returns for community members for the 2022 tax year. The students provided a much-needed service and gained valuable tax preparation skills.

Nursing students attend national conference, School of Nursing awarded grant

Six senior nursing students and one professor represented Shepherd University’s Student Nurse Association (SUSNA) at the National Student Nurses’ Association (NSNA) annual conference on April 12-16 in Nashville, Tennessee. At the event, the School of Nursing was awarded one of two 3M Littman Leadership Grants and a supply of Littman stethoscopes by the Foundation of the National Student Nurses Association.

Murray named defensive line coach for Shepherd football

Shepherd head football coach Ernie McCook announced that Bryan Murray has been named defensive line coach for the Rams. Murray replaces Lavern Belin, who resigned to take a similar position at Towson University. Murray comes to Shepherd after serving as the defensive line coach at Maine in 2022.

Sports Roundup

April 14: Softball drops pair at East Stroudsburg

April 14: West Chester outslugs Shepherd baseball

April 15: Lacrosse falls to #12/9 East Stroudsburg

April 16: Women’s golf finishes fifth at Kutztown Spring Invitational

April 16: Softball splits with Bloomsburg

April 16: Baseball splits with West Chester

April 18: Men’s golf finishes 14th at Cecil Spadafora IUP Invitational

April 18: Softball drops pair to Kutztown

April 18: Lacrosse edged by Shippensburg

April 19: Baseball sweeps West Virginia Wesleyan

Upcoming Events

Friday, April 21

Last day of classes

Last day for complete withdrawal from semester

2 p.m.—Baseball vs. Millersville

2 p.m.—Softball vs. Mansfield

3:30 p.m.—McMurran Scholars Convocation, Frank Arts Center Theater

4 p.m.—Softball vs. Mansfield

7 p.m.— Shepherdstown Film Society Movie: “The Last Waltz,” sponsored by the Lifelong Learning Program and Scarborough Society, Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education auditorium (more information)

Saturday, April 22

9 a.m.—47th Annual West Virginia State Math Field Day, operated and organized by the West Virginia Math Field Day Organization, Suzanne Shipley Wellness Center

10 a.m.—Men’s tennis PSAC Tournament (Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania)

11:30 a.m.—“Voices from Appalachia” radio show (listen online)

Noon—Baseball at Millersville

1 p.m.—Lacrosse at West Chester

2:30 p.m.—Baseball at Millersville

5 p.m.— Shepherd University Alumni Association Inaugural Legacy Gala, Shepherdstown Fire Department-Barron Hall (tickets required)

7:30 p.m.— Masterworks Chorale: Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem, Frank Arts Center Theater (tickets required)

Sunday, April 23

10 a.m.—Men’s tennis PSAC Tournament (Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania)

Noon—Softball vs. Lock Haven

1-2:30 p.m.—Department of English and Modern Languages Capstone presentations, Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education auditorium

2 p.m.—Softball vs. Lock Haven

3 p.m.—Sianna King, piano recital, Frank Arts Center W.H. Shipley Recital Hall

5 p.m.—Natalie McGeachy, clarinet recital, Frank Arts Center W.H. Shipley Recital Hall

Noon—Baseball at Millersville

Monday, April 24

First day of final exams

12:10—12:50 p.m.—Mindful Mondays, sponsored by Counseling Services, Student Center Cumberland Room

5-6:15 p.m.—Celtic Roots and Global Appalachia student presentations, Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education, room 165 or via Zoom

Tuesday, April 25

1 p.m.—Softball at Millersville

1 p.m.—Baseball at Salem

3 p.m.—Softball at Millersville

3 p.m.—Baseball at Salem

Wednesday, April 26

4 p.m.—Lacrosse at Millersville

5-6:15 p.m.—Celtic Roots and Global Appalachia student presentations, Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education, room 165 or via Zoom

7:30 p.m.—Shepherd University Community Orchestra and Ensembles Concert, Frank Arts Center Theater (tickets required)

Friday, April 28

Last day of final exams

2 p.m.—Baseball at Lock Haven

Saturday, April 29

10 a.m.—Tabler Farm’s Beginning Farmer Workshop Series: Intro to Culinary Mushroom Cultivation (registration required)

11:30 a.m.—“Voices from Appalachia” radio show (listen online)

Noon—Baseball vs. Lock Haven

1 p.m.—Softball at West Chester

2:30 p.m.—Baseball at Lock Haven

3 p.m.—Softball at West Chester

Monday, May 1

End of semester

Semester grades due

Tuesday, May 2

Grades available via RAIL

Thursday, May 4

7 p.m.—“Clean Energy, Coal, Climate Justice, and West Virginia’s Future” with Mary Anne Hitt, Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education auditorium (more information)

Saturday, May 6

150th Commencement, Butcher Center (more information)

Shepherd University news and events are available here.

Shepherd Athletics news and schedules are available here.

To submit an idea for a future issue, email University Communications.

Dana L. Costa

Executive Director, University Communications

Shepherd University

P.O. Box 5000

Shepherdstown, WV 25443-5000

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