MU 72 | FALL 2024
Earlier this season, I made it to my first Marshall men’s soccer game. I don’t know why it took me so long to get out and watch a team that won the national championship just a few years ago. Don’t judge me.
Of course, the players are different now, but we all know the team’s commitment to excellence remains unchanged — and it didn’t take long for me to be blown away by the teamwork and talent of the Marshall players I saw. I don’t think I’m too off-base in saying that most of us would fall spectacularly on our faces trying the footwork that they have mastered.
I sat next to a woman named Karen (a nice Karen!), who explained things to me, like what “offsides” means and how the players can go out of bounds, but the ball can’t. She knew her stuff, and looking around, it was clear how many astute, avid soccer fans filled those stands — and the excitement that exploded with each goal was as fun and infectious as the cowbells and drums being played. I have no idea how many cultures were represented on that soccer field, but sitting in Huntington and watching the world’s favorite game being played by such stellar athletes, while being enjoyed by such enthusiastic fans here in our Marshall family, was pretty awesome. At least I thought so, and I hope the story that you see on the coming pages inspires you to attend a game sometime, if you haven’t.
Throughout the game, I kept thinking the same thing that ran through my head while watching the Olympics this past summer: Who pours into these athletes to help them foster that kind of talent? How much of it is natural? How much is practice and grit? How much emerges because they know that people believe in them?
What is the recipe for excellence?
It’s a question tackled every day here at Marshall and not just in athletics. Our faculty and staff work tirelessly to stay ahead of what students will need to know in their careers and determine the best ways to support each individual learner. In this issue, we’re zooming in again to introduce you to a few of our employees who have made it their lives’ work to help students reach their fullest potential and make an impact. These pages also include faces of some Marshall alumni who have gone on to make a tremendous impact — not only through their careers but also through their efforts to give back, and there’s nothing we like to see more.
You can also read about how we’re exploring excellence in the increasingly critical field of cybersecurity. Learn some ways that the team in Marshall’s Institute for Cyber Security will be pursuing the best educational opportunities for our students, as well as partnerships and advancements for Marshall to make in this arena.
Knowing that many alumni come back in the fall, we’re also offering a brief campus tour in these pages for those who may want to visit some spots on campus to reminisce about the past, and to check out what’s new.
If you can make it back to campus this fall, talk to some students about the things they’re learning these days, some of which you’ve maybe never imagined. Get yourself to a game and let our Herd athletes amaze you. Maybe you can get out and cheer our beloved football team. If you haven’t yet seen men’s or women’s soccer, don’t miss it. Support the women who tear up the volleyball court in the Cam Henderson Center, or cheer on some of our other incredible teams who represent us so well, in every season. Pour into our students and our student-athletes. Make them greater than they already are. If you don’t know anything about the topic or the sport, it’s OK. Find yourself a nice Karen and learn. No judgment here.
Jean Hardiman, Editor
