ISSUED: 3 October 2023
MEDIA CONTACT: Cecelia Mason
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — We will welcome alumni and supporters to campus during our 2023 Homecoming on Saturday, October 21, with a series of festivities and events that will take place throughout the week.
Outstanding Alumna Berniece Collis and this year’s class of Finest Under 40 will be honored during an invitation-only event on Thursday, October 19, and during Saturday’s Homecoming football game where the Rams will face West Chester.
Collis received her bachelor’s degree from Shepherd in health and physical education in 1977, graduating with honors and earning the McMurran Scholar distinction, which is the highest academic honor granted by Shepherd. She then earned a master’s degree in specific learning disabilities from West Virginia University. Since 1990, Collis has been vice president and co-owner of Minghini’s General Contractors, Inc., in Martinsburg, West Virginia. She has been actively involved in the Martinsburg/Berkeley County community, volunteering in a variety of capacities.
At Shepherd, Collis was a co-founder of the McMurran Scholars Association (MSA). This committee, made up of McMurran Scholar alumni, meets regularly to fundraise for the MSA Endowed Scholarship, which is awarded to one McMurran Scholar student each year who is pursuing a master’s degree at Shepherd.
The Finest Under 40 include:
- Will Kramer, a 2005 graduate with a degree in recreation and sport studies. Since graduating Kramer has held many positions in sports management, from internships with the Frederick Keys baseball team and the University of South Carolina, to holding sports and recreational services coordinator and director titles at YMCA Fairfax County Reston, Christopher Newport University athletics department, and the City of Columbia, South Carolina Department of Parks and Recreation. He is currently a benefits counselor manager for E3 Benefits in Lexington, South Carolina.
- Dr. Ben Deuell, a 2008 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in biology and minor in chemistry who earned a medical degree from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine. Currently, Deuell is director of emergency medicine at Berkeley Medical Center in Martinsburg, West Virginia. Deuell has been a member of the Shepherd University Foundation board of directors since 2018 and was elected vice president in 2020. Deuell has participated in Professional Connections Day, is a member of the Shepherd University Athletic Club, Scarborough Society, President’s Club, and is an Alumni Association sustaining member, as well as a supporter of the Last Dollar Fund and Shepherd Fund.
- Ashley Batten graduated in 2011 with honors with a bachelor’s degree in communications and new media. She then earned her juris doctorate at West Virginia University School of Law. Batten currently serves as a public defender in West Virginia’s 23rd judicial circuit and was recently chosen as the 2023 West Virginia Young Lawyer of the Year by the West Virginia State Bar Young Lawyer Section. She has a particular passion for youth defense, having worked more than 100 youth defense cases per year since 2016.
- Chelsea Zbikowski graduated in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. She received her Master of Business Administration and Management from American Military University (AMU) in 2020. Chelsea works at the American Public University System (APU), currently serving in the Department of Career Services, where she builds relationships with employers who are looking to fill their open roles and internships with students and alumni from AMU or APU. She also oversees all events for her department, including virtual career fairs, employer webinars, and career coaching webinar sessions, and she takes on leadership roles at APUS, especially for the annual commencement festivities at the Gaylord Resort in National Harbor.
Events open to the public include:
Friday, October 20
- 7 a.m.—32nd Annual Alumni Golf Tournament, The Club at Cress Creek, tee time 9 a.m. The registration deadline is Monday, October 9. To register, visit the Golf Tournament webage.
- 3 p.m.—Founder’s Day celebration. The parade will start at McMurran Hall and end at Potomac Place with a short program and reception. This event is open to all.
- 5-7 p.m.—Annual reunion dinner for business programs, Student Center Storer Ballroom. Alumni from Shepherd’s business programs, including business administration, accounting, economics, finance, and MBA are invited to return for a Homecoming dinner. $40 per person. Register by Wednesday, October 13, at the Reunion Dinner webpage.
- 6:30 p.m.—Shepherd University Athletic Club (SUAC) homecoming party, Jefferson Security Bank Pavilion. Join SUAC to celebrate this homecoming weekend. For more information contact Tim Zeigler, assistant athletic director, or visit the Homecoming Party webpage.
Saturday, October 21
- 9 a.m.—Alumni Breakfast, McMurran Hall lawn. Join the Alumni Association for a continental breakfast and grab the best seat around for the homecoming parade. Breakfast is complimentary and is open to the whole Shepherd community—faculty, staff, alumni, and students.
- 10 a.m.—Homecoming parade, German St., Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Watch as student organizations, President Mary J.C. Hendrix, our 2023 Outstanding Alumna and other honorees, University, and community groups parade down German Street.
- Noon—Football game vs. West Chester, Ram Stadium. Tickets are available at shepherdrams.universitytickets.com.
- Directly following the game until 7 p.m.—Alumni Association Post-Game Party, Great American Brewing Co., Sharpsburg, Maryland. Live music by alumnus Jesse Shutlzaberger’s band, Benton, McKay, and Shultzaberger, and outdoor games.
For a full list of activities, visit the Homecoming webpage.
— 30 —
