ISSUED: 17 June 2020
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — The Shepherd University Foundation announces the creation of a new scholarship for deserving Shepherd students pursuing a degree in the College of Business. The Laurie Cohen Scholarship is designated in support of business students, with a preference for those majoring in economics, finance, and business administration. The named fund was established by Laurie Cohen, an adjunct economics and finance professor in the College of Business. The first award will be made for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Cohen began her career working as an agricultural economist in North Africa and East Africa before transitioning to the research department at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. There she designed the futures and options contracts that were traded on the floor of the Exchange.
“After five years as a staff economist, I decided that I wanted to try my hand at trading,” said Cohen. “For nearly three decades, I traded my own money in the pits of the futures and options markets at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. I was an independent cattle trader taking the other side of public orders. I worked solely for myself, so all gains and all losses were mine.”
Cohen joined Shepherd’s faculty in 2017 with a desire to share her accrued knowledge and insight with others. She hoped to teach at a smaller university where she could get to know her students on an individual basis.
“I feel strongly about the importance of education and decided that teaching would be a good avenue to pursue in order to impact young lives,” she said. “I felt Shepherd was the type of institution where I might be able to make a contribution.”
Cohen notes that her students were the inspiration behind her named fund.
“I’ve encountered many students working 20 to 30 hours a week while taking a full course load,” she said. “I want students to be able to focus on their education during their time at Shepherd. This scholarship is one small contribution toward achieving this objective.”
When she’s not teaching, Cohen enjoys taking advantage of the diverse cultural opportunities found in Shepherdstown and the surrounding area. An outdoor enthusiast and native Virginian, she feels at home in the mountains and often spends her free time hiking and biking. She also enjoys Appalachian-inspired stories and music and regularly attends community music sessions at O’Hurley’s General Store, as well as the Shepherd Speak Stories Series. Her artistic hobbies include encaustic painting, photography, and felting.
To learn more about creating a named fund through the Shepherd University Foundation, contact Monica Lingenfelter, Shepherd University Foundation, P.O. Box 5000, Shepherdstown, WV, 25443-5000, 304-876-5397, mlingenf@shepherd.edu or visit https://shepherduniversityfoundation.org.
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