The Joseph P. McMurran Society
The Joseph P. McMurran Society was established to honor those who wish to provide for the future of the University with a planned gift or a bequest.

The McMurran legacy...
In September 1871, Joseph P. McMurran and fellow Jefferson County citizens created a college to serve the educational needs of eastern West Virginia and the surrounding region. Shepherdstown native Rezin Shepherd donated a building he owned that had served as the county courthouse. Thus, Shepherd College was born.

As the first president of Shepherd University, Joseph McMurran set standards of academic excellence that often required him to use his own personal wealth to ensure that students had the resources necessary to receive a quality education. In 1879, Henry Shepherd, one of the College trustees, conducted Shepherd's first private fundraising campaign, soliciting gifts from Shepherdstown businessmen. Mr. Shepherd then matched their gifts with $500 from his own pocket to keep the College open.

Through their dedication to the financial survival of the Shepherd College, Mr. Shepherd and President McMurran began a tradition of private support carried on today by the more than 100 members of The Joseph McMurran P. Society.

Joseph P. McMurran Society Member List

Joseph P. McMurran Society Dinner Reception