Vol. 7, No. 45 • May 26, 2023

President’s Points of Pride 

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Conor Sipe, Dr. Qing Wang, Dr. Robert Warburton, and Dr. Jason Best on their success in securing $945,458 from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). This grant will boost academic scientific research and upgrade infrastructure at Shepherd University, West Virginia University (WVU), Marshall University, and West Virginia State University. The NSF EPSCoR grant will be facilitated by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission’s Division of Science, Technology & Research. Additionally, the funding establishes the West Virginia Network for Functional Neuroscience and Transcriptomics, a statewide collaboration of neuroscientists and bioinformaticists working to position West Virginia as a center for impactful neuroscience research. 

Shepherd's award will support an extensive West Virginia Neuroscience Network project led by Dr. Sipe, a developmental biologist who studies how the nervous system develops. Under the grant, Sipe will study how nutrients and dietary restrictions affect brain development. His experiments will use a combination of immunohistochemistry techniques and will utilize a recently acquired confocal microscope, donated by the Biological Imaging Facility at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, one of the 27 institutes and centers of the National Institutes of Health.  

Dr. Wang will be collaborating with others on the grant to prepare the Neuroscience Network Project that will create a neuroscience educational platform, which will focus on introducing K-12 students, educators, and first-generation college students in the STEM disciplines to the field of data science and neuroscience. This portion of the grant will include a summer camp called “Brain Camp” for high school sophomores and juniors and science teachers that will include instruction about the brain. This project will enable Shepherd students to conduct neuroscience research, learn genetic and imaging skills, and work in collaboration with faculty at WVU, Marshall, and West Virginia State. 

The grant will also provide an increase in career development opportunities through internships and job opportunities while enhancing our regional alliances with businesses, industry, and government agencies. 

Parking Lot A across from White Hall served as a canvas for a group of students from the Lifelong Learners homeschool group on Monday as they created chalk art on the pavement. Lifelong Learners is a secular Jefferson County, West Virginia, group that supports homeschooling families by offering educational activities. The students were able to take part in an art lesson while enjoying a beautiful May day!

Broomall to give Memorial Day keynote address 

Dr. James Broomall, director of the George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War and associate professor of history, will be the keynote speaker during Antietam National Battlefield’s Memorial Day program. Broomall will present “A Great but Benign Sorrow: How the Good Death Shaped Memorial Day” on Monday, May 29, at 11 a.m. at the park’s National Cemetery located on Rt. 34, just east of Sharpsburg, Maryland. Music will be provided by the Hagerstown Choral Arts. There will be a cannon salute by the park’s volunteer group, Battery B, 4th U.S. Artillery, and “Taps” will be played by Master Sgt. Geoff Blankenship and retired Chief Master Sgt. Ron Glazer of the 167th Airlift Wing, Martinsburg, West Virginia. 

Shepherd parking lot becomes art canvas 

Student Community Services and the Lifelong Learners Homeschool Group hosted a Sidewalk Chalk Art Show on May 22. Art for the Sidewalk Chalk Art Show was completed on campus by young artists expressing their creativity with sidewalk chalk as their medium. Each learner decorated a parking space in Lot A. Every space was unique and filled with expression, creativity, and color. Lifelong Learners Homeschool Group is a secular homeschooling group based in Jefferson County, West Virginia. They strive to be warm and welcoming with open hearts and open minds. The students range in age from kindergarten to 12th grade, with younger siblings joining in the fun, too. This group currently focuses on field trips, community outings, and shared learning experiences. See photos from the event online.  

Incoming students will take L.E.A.D.S.  

This summer, Shepherd is introducing a new program called L.E.A.D.S.: Leadership, Education, Action, Development, and Service. This program is being offered to residential and commuter first-year and transfer students, providing an experience for new students to make connections and gain knowledge and skills in navigating college. Over the course of the program, students will also engage in community service both on and off campus prior to the beginning of the fall semester. Students will work on academic preparation and skill building through a one-credit First-Year Experience course, along with leadership and development programs. To enhance our students’ experiences, L.E.A.D.S. has partnered with the Shepherd University Foundation to raise funds to cover the program’s costs and supplies. To support this program, donate online.  

Shepherd leaders take the stage at Student Leadership Conference 

Shepherd played a leading role in the Higher Education Policy Commission’s annual West Virginia Student Leadership Conference from May 15-17 at Canaan Valley Resort. More than 50 student leaders from 11 institutions across the state attended the conference, including Shepherd’s incoming Student Government Association Executive Board. Members of Shepherd's Division of Student Affairs and the Stubblefield Institute for Civil Political Communications led multiple workshops. Wendy Baracka, director of Counseling Services, and Cindy Powers, program manager, ListenLearnEngage Initiative, co-developed and led a workshop titled "The Power of Effective Listening." The second workshop "Boundaries or Burnout: A Leaders Guide to Wellness" was presented by Wendy Baracka and developed by counselors Jami Cross and Kelli Manzano for student leaders at Shepherd and will continue to be shared as a resource by the team. In addition, other workshops presented by Rachael Meads, Jim Ramey, and Susan Harris ranged from team building to effective listening practices and health boundary-setting to best practices for student government. 

Summer volunteer opportunities at Tabler Farm  

Each year, the Agricultural Innovation Center at Tabler Farm invites the community to volunteer on the Farm. There are tasks for various levels of farm experience that will focus on the Farm’s vegetable, fruit, and herb production sites. Volunteer opportunities are available Mondays-Thursdays from 10 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. As a bonus, all volunteers are welcome to take some produce home! RSVP online to secure your spot!  

News

Shepherd University Foundation announces new George Washington Chair of Living Ethics 

Robert Richardson, assistant professor of business administration, has been named the George Washington Chair of Living Ethics at Shepherd. The Washington Chair of Ethics organizing committee, Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation, and Shepherd University Foundation collaborated to establish the endowed George Washington Chair of Living Ethics fund to attract a nationally recognized scholar to hold a full-time position at Shepherd. 

Read more » 

Women’s lacrosse quintet earns CSC Academic All-District honors 

Five members of the women's lacrosse team have been named to the 2023 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District® At-Large Team. Junior midfielder Paige Stoner, junior attacker Sam Lassahn, junior midfielder Kaiya Edwards, junior defender Summer Vorsteg, and sophomore attacker Kelsey King were honored. 

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Purtell gains pair of All-American honors 

Graduate student third baseman Nicole Purtell of the Shepherd softball team was named to a pair of All-America teams. Purtell gained second-team D2CCA All-American honors and third-team National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American accolades. 

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Shepherd baseball pair gains D2CCA All-Atlantic Region honors 

Two members of the Shepherd baseball team were named to the 2023 D2CCA All-Atlantic Region Team. Redshirt-sophomore outfielder Sam Daggers and senior first baseman Ross Mulhall were second-team selections. 

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Upcoming Events

Friday, May 26

Memorial Day Holiday, University closes at 11:45 a.m.

Saturday, May 27

10 a.m.—Tabler Farm’s Beginning Farmer Workshop Series: Advanced Bee Keeping (registration required)

Monday, May 29

Memorial Day, University Closed

11 a.m.—Memorial Day Program presented by Antietam National Battlefield, National Cemetery, Sharpsburg, Maryland

Tuesday, May 30

1 p.m.—Board of Governors Finance Committee meeting, Ikenberry Hall, Room 202

Thursday, June 8

4:15 p.m.—Board of Governors meeting, Student Center, Storer Ballroom

Saturday, June 17 

11 a.m.-3 p.m.—Juneteenth 2023, sponsored by Jefferson County WV Chapter NAACP, Innovative Community Solutions, and AACAJC, Evitts Run Park, 504 W. Liberty St., Charles Town, West Virginia (more information) 

Monday, June 19

Juneteenth, University closed