Greetings, friends! This page has been developed to assist faculty in extending the learning experiences of students by including some of Shepherd’s rich campus programs in your coursework and syllabi. Faculty, coaches, and staff can have a profound impact on the student experience — expanding the likelihood that students will step outside of what is familiar and engage in deep, experiential learning. Often these transformational experiences only happen because you suggest them. The encouragement of a faculty or staff member to attend events outside the classroom is often the crucial nudge that makes the difference and can lead to new learning, perspectives, and/or retain a student who may feel disconnected.
The list of events below was compiled by members of the Programmers Group, representatives from diverse units across campus who collaborate to plan, schedule, and market campus events. Working together, this group has established best practices in event planning to try to prevent overlap of major events and to encourage cross-marketing events. Below you will find a listing of events that are already planned for Spring 2024 that could make wonderful additions to syllabi as experiential learning opportunities. Note that more events will be added to this website as contracts are confirmed and departments finalize schedules.
IS YOUR DEPARTMENT PLANNING A CAMPUS WIDE EVENT?
If your department is planning any major events (teach ins, conferences, lectures) that are open to the campus community, please reach out to Rachael Meads at rmeads@shepherd.edu, chair of the Programmers Group, to prevent date conflicts BEFORE finalizing plans and help make sure your event is loaded onto our master calendar of events.
SPRING 2024 EVENTS
Updated: 2/16/2024
WEEKLY
Every Monday (when school is in session) | Mindful Mondays
JANUARY
Wednesday, January 24 | Stalking Awareness Workshop led by the Eastern Panhandle Empowerment Center
Wednesday, January 24 | Spring Student Involvement Fair
Monday, January 29| Restoring the Balance Between AI and Humanity: Can We Work in Harmony
Wednesday, January 31 | Labels: Limiting or Leveraging?
FEBRUARY
Saturday, February 3 | 38th Annual Student Leadership Conference
Thursday, Feb. 15 | “The Bystander Moment” Film Screening and Panel Discussion
Thursday, Feb. 15 | Crystal Wilkinson Reading “Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts”
Friday, February 16 | Historical African American Speakeasy Celebration
Tuesday, Feb. 20 | Intergenerational Trivia
Tuesday, February 20 | Nobel Prize Topics
Thursday, Feb. 22 | Storyteller Adam Booth
Monday, February 26 | Civil Rights Movement Film Screening: RUSTIN
MARCH
Friday, March 1 | Professional Connections Day
Monday, March 25 | Campus Conversation on Femininity
Wednesday, March 6 | Giving Day
Wednesday, March 6 | Karen Outen: Dixon Descending
Thursday, March 7 | Thomas Minney from The Nature Conservancy
Sunday, March 10-Saturday, March 16 | Alternative Spring Break
Monday, March 11-Saturday, March 16 | Civics Week
Monday, March 18 | Narcan Training
Tuesday, March 19 | QPR Suicide Prevention Training
Tuesday, March 19 | Community Alternatives to Violence
Thursday, March 28 | Karen Zacharias and the Carrie Buck Story: No Perfect Mothers
Friday, March 29-Sunday, March 31 | Lysistrata by Aristophanes
APRIL
April 1-12 | Visual Art Exhibit: “The Art of Surviving”
Friday, April 5 | In the Bedroom: Film Screening, Discussion, Art Exhibit and Reception
Wednesday, April 3-Sunday, April 7 | Lysistrata by Aristophanes
April 5, 6, 12 and 13 (7:00 pm) and April 7 and 14 (2:00 pm) | She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen
Wednesday, April 10 | West Virginia Dance Company
Wednesday, April 10 | American Conversation Series Event – Speakers to be announced
Friday, April 12 | Relay For Life
Thursday, April 18 | Earth Day Event: A Movement for Environmental Justice
ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture
LISTEN. LEARN. ENGAGE. Initiative
The Community Leadership and Civil Advocacy Certificate
The Unify America College Bowl
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EVENTS BY DEPARTMENT
Student Affairs Community Service Alumni Affairs and Career Services Stubblefield Institute for Civil Political Communications Lifelong Learning Rude Mechanicals Medieval and Rennaissance Players Contemporary Theater Studies Program The Shepherd University Foundation Common Reading Program Appalachian Studies
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STUDENT AFFAIRS
Mindful Mondays: Offered each Monday of the Fall and Spring semester when school is in session | 12:10 P.M.-12:50 P.M. | Student Center Cumberland Room
Each week Counseling Services hosts a 50-minute session designed to introduce participants to different styles of meditation and mindfulness practices. Free and open to all. Contact Wendy Baracka at wbaracka@shepherd.edu
Learning Outcomes: Wellness, Consciousness of Self, improved mental health
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Stalking Awareness Workshop led by the Eastern Panhandle Empowerment Center | Wednesday, January 24 | 1:30pm | Student Center Blue-Gray Room
Join the staff of the Eastern Panhandle Empowerment Center (EPEC) to learn about stalking and how to prevent and respond to it. We will define what stalking is and what technology facilitated stalking looks like, offer tips for social media safety and privacy, and discuss media portrayals and myths. Sponsored by Shepherd’s Office of Title IX and Social Equity in partnership with EPEC. For more information, contact Annie Lewin at alewin@shepherd.edu.
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Spring Student Involvement Fair | Wednesday, January 24 | 11 A.M.-1 P.M. | Student Center Storer Ballroom
Student Government Association is sponsoring an involvement fair on Wed., January 17 to connect new/transfer/under engaged students with Shepherd’s social, professional, service, and cultural clubs and organizations. Though smaller than the fall fair, it will allow students to learn about opportunities to expand their learning outside the classroom. All FYEX courses should encourage students to attend.
Learning Outcomes: Student Engagement, connection to campus/belonging, student retention.
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Student Leadership Conference | Saturday, Feb. 3| Student Center | 9:30 A.M.-4:30 P.M.
Now in its 39th year, Student Leadership Conference is a Shepherd’s longest running leadership tradition and is free and open to students regardless of major. Sponsored by Student Affairs and the Stubblefield Institute’s Listen.Learn.Engage. Initiative, the 2024 Student Leadership Conference theme is “Grow Yourself: Be the Change.” Conference sessions will focus on improving student leadership and communication, navigating conflict, and strengthening professional skills. Our goal is to provide new strategies and insights that will help participants to develop their own leadership potential and capacity to work collaboratively with others to build stronger teams, create positive social change, and become empowered citizens.
The conference will feature a keynote address from Dr. James M. Cherry (Shepherd alumnus and National Institute of Health’s Senior Scientific Program Director to the National Cancer Institute’s Principle Deputy Director). Additional conference presenters include Melanie Ford, Dr. Chiquita Howard-Bostic, Jessica Anders, Paola Torres, Joanna DiStefano, Rachael Meads, Joanna Vance, Bill Stubblefield, Cindy Powers, and more! For more information, contact rmeads@shepherd.edu
Recommended for ALL students (both emerging and advanced leaders). This program is free for all Shepherd students. Dress code is business casual. Registration is open now on RamPulse: https://shepherd.campuslabs.com/engage/submitter/form/start/570683
Added incentives: free continental breakfast, lunch, professional headshot opportunity, and opportunity to earn credits toward the Stubblefield Institute’s Community Leadership and Civil Advocacy Certificate. To learn more about this program, visit their page on RamPulse HERE
Learning Outcomes: Leadership, communication, conflict-management and civility, advocacy, problem-solving, goal-setting, boundary-setting and wellness, teambuilding, professional development.
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Thursday, Feb. 15 | “The Bystander Moment” Film Screening and Panel Discussion | 6:00 P.M. | Reynolds Hall
Join us for a free screening of the film The Bystander Moment followed by a panel discussion about how we can all take action to stand up to protect our peers and our community. “The Bystander Moment is a terrific, timely, and necessary video. Longtime pro-feminist activist and cultural critic Jackson Katz powerfully demonstrates that silence is a form of complicity, and passionately and expertly illustrates how and why we must transform rape culture. This video needs to be screened in classrooms and communities far and wide.” — Jean Kilbourne, Ed.D., creator of the award-winning Killing Us Softly video series. This is part of Shepherd’s Consent Week initiative sponsored by Student Affairs. For more information, contact Rachael Meads at rmeads@shepherd.edu
Learning Outcomes: Civility, Peer/Bystander Intervention, Violence Prevention, and Healthy Relationships/Communication
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Historical African American Speakeasy Celebration| Friday, February 16 | 7 P.M. | Student Affinity Center (formerly the Dining Hall on East Campus Loop)
This event will be in the style of a 1920s African American speakeasy. Where students will learn about African American history in New Orleans, the Harlem renaissance, and the importance for black people to have these outlets during a racially motivated time. Students will be entertained with non-alcoholic drinks while enjoying prepared student-led acts like poetry, acting, music, and will also be given the opportunity to perform alongside them. We hope the audience leaves this event with a better understanding of the prohibition era for Black people and the groundbreaking art that arose during that time. This event is a collaborative event sponsored by the Multicultural Leadership Team and the Department of Contemporary Art & Theater. For more information, contact BGHOLS01@rams.shepherd.edu
Learning Outcomes: Diversity, equity, respect, multicultural awareness.
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Rustin Film Screening | Monday, February 26, 2024| 4 pm | Reynolds Hall
The award-winning film Rustin chronicles the life of Activist Bayard Rustin, navigating the intersections of racism and homophobia, as he helps change the course of Civil Rights history by orchestrating the 1963 March on Washington. This event is considered one of the high points of the civil rights movement in the United States. Over 200,000 people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. and called for an end to racial discrimination in the USA. Martin Luther King gave his famous I Have a Dream speech at the event. After the film, we will engage in discussion about the history of the civil rights movement, and how we move forward to ensure the preservation of democracy and continue community and youth engagement.
The civil rights movement mobilized the nation’s collective consciousness around issues of racial and gender equity, making lasting impacts on the nation; however, the victories of the movement did not bring the long-term equality that activists and policymakers had envisioned, and today the struggle continues with added complications of digital literacy, and the continued battles happening in the courts and state law challenges to historic protections. For more information, contact alewin@shepherd.edu
Learning Outcomes: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Civility, respect, and multicultural understanding, citizenship.
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Narcan Training | Monday, March 18 | 11:30 A.M. | Student Center Storer Ballroom
Join Rams Care, the Sociology Department, and the Criminal Justice Lecture Series on Monday, March 18 at 10am for Narcan Training! Participants will learn how to prevent an opioid overdose, how to administer nasal naloxone, and what the signs are of an overdose. After training, everyone will get free Narcan. This event is open to all students, staff, faculty, and community members.
QPR Suicide-Prevention Training |Tuesday, March 19 | 3:00 P.M. | Student Center Cumberland Room
SGA is partnering with Wendy Baracka, the Director of Counseling Services, to host a Question, Persuade, Respond (QPR) training session on Friday, March 19th from 3:00PM – 4:30PM in the Student Center Cumberland Room (2nd floor).
QPR is an evidence-based training that teaches individuals how to recognize risk facts, intervene with loved ones, friends, or community members in distress, and potentially save lives. Similar to how CPR can save lives through teaching skills to intervene in a medical emergency, Question, Persuade, Respond (QPR) can increase our knowledge, comfort and confidence to identify and help people in emotional distress to prevent suicide.
At max, only 40 individuals can be trained in this session. If interested, please RSVP below no later than March 17th at 12:00PM. If you have any questions, please contact Rachael Meads at Rmeads@shepherd.edu or SGA President Paul Teter at pteter01@rams.shepherd.edu
Learning Outcomes: Wellness, Bystander Intervention
Campus Conversation on Femininity | Monday, March 25 | 3-5 P.M. | Student Center Cumberland Room
This conversation will continue to explore femininity, gender, and society, providing students, faculty, and staff with the space and opportunity for critical, constructive, and contemplative dialogue around our individual and shared understandings of femininity. Panelists will share powerful personal narratives and engage in discussion to unpack how femininity impacts all of us and how we can shift cultural norms to move toward an expanded, healthier, and more authentic experience. Sponsored by Multicultural Student Affairs. Contact Kiara Rakestraw for more information krakestr@shepherd.edu
Learning Outcomes: Wellness, mental health, diversity, respect, and civility.
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West Virginia Dance Company | Wednesday, April 10 | 7 P.M. | Frank Center Theater
It has been more than 4 years since Shepherd has hosted a live dance company. Through a generous grant from the Benedum Foundation, the West Virginia Dance Company will be performing at the Frank Center Theater on Wednesday, April 10, 2024. This program sponsored by Department of Student Activities in partnership with Shepherd Theater is FREE to Shepherd students and only $15 for community members, $10 for Shepherd staff/faculty, and $5 for children. Founded with the distinct purpose of enriching lives through dance in 1977, West Virginia Dance Company continues to perform a unique repertory of modern works inspired by the diverse cultures and people of the world, including those of our home region of Appalachia. The program will feature a storytelling piece with award winning storyteller and Shepherd adjunct Appalachian Studies instructor Adam Booth as well as other contemporary dance pieces. With exciting, athletic movement and haunting vocals, The Mountains Speak shares a fiery story of injustice and perseverance drawn from WV’s labor history. For more information, contact Rachael Meads at rmeads@shepherd.edu.
Learning Outcomes: Storytelling, dance, WV history, collaboration, movement, communication through the arts.
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Earth Day Event: A Movement for Environmental Justice | Thursday, April 18 | 12-4 P.M. | Midway Lawn
This annual Earth Day Event will provide a space for the campus to come together as a community, acknowledge the Indigenous origins of the land, express gratitude for Mother Earth, and set intentions moving forward to unite in a movement centering justice for the earth, our environment, and an agenda to address climate change. Student leaders and community partners will share information on sustainability, and action resources for environmental and gender justice. Campus leaders will then take part in a mindfulness activity, including movement for a transformative experience of hope, healing, and resilience. For more information, contact alewin@shepherd.edu
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Community Service Programs and Events Offered through the Office of Student Community Service
The Office of Student Community Service promotes, organizes, and assists campus outreach initiatives by effectively placing individual students, groups, and academic and social organizations in situations that embrace learning through service. We promote the value of learning through service by providing every student who desires to expand their education, by creating effective experiences in the community. The student’s knowledge will grow, alongside their passion for assisting the community and personal reflection. If you would like to partner with the office on service initiatives or need help brainstorming opportunities that match with your courses, please contact Aly Nazarok, Graduate Assistant for Student Community Services at anazarok@shepherd.edu.
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Alternative Spring Break | Sunday, March 10-Saturday, March 16 | TBD | For all Students, Staff and Faculty
Alternative Spring Break is an annual initiative for students to engage in a week-long service program! Students who attend will be able to advocate for social change through service, apply leadership skills to analyze the impacts of poverty, specifically in Appalachia, conceptualize the importance of active citizenship through servicing communities different than their own community and developing both passive and active leadership skills that can be applied to academic, social and personal life situations. For more information, please contact Melanie Ford, mford@shepherd.edu, or visit https://www.shepherd.edu/communityservice/alternative-spring-break
Learning Outcomes: cultural awareness/competency, advocacy, service, communication, commitment, teamwork
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Relay For Life | Friday, April 12 | For all Students, Staff, Faculty and Community
The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to Celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and Fight Back against the disease. Each year, more than 4 million people in over 20 countries take part in this global phenomenon and raise much-needed funds and awareness to save lives and work toward a cure.
Relay For Life of Jefferson County presented by Shepherd University is a fun-filled, overnight event that empowers everyone to help fight cancer by raising money and awareness to support the American Cancer Society’s lifesaving mission. Teams of students, faculty, staff and community members camp out on Shepherd’s campus and take turns walking/running to raise money for the ACS. For more information, please contact Melanie Ford, mford@shepherd.edu,
Learning Outcomes: leadership, commitment, teamwork, communication, fundraising and advocacy, service and community-building.
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ALUMNI AFFAIRS and CAREER SERVICES
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Professional Connections Day | Friday, March 1 | Student Center
A collaborative effort between Career Services and the Office of Alumni Affairs/Alumni Association, Professional Connections Day is a free one-day career development and networking opportunity featuring panels, guest lectures, and opportunities for students to meet and build relationships with alumni and other professionals working in their major areas/industries. We hope that faculty will encourage students to attend or incentivize attendance with extra credit/bonus points. A copy of the check-in/attendance list for the event will be available to faculty post-event. Students are encouraged to bring copies of résumés and prepare questions pertaining to the workforce in their area of study/industry or topic of breakout session they sign up to attend. Dress code is business professional. Registration will open in January on RamPulse. For more information, contact Katie Swayne at kswayne@shepherd.edu.
Learning Outcomes: Career preparedness, communication, interviewing and networking, professional development skills.
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COMMON READING PROGRAM
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Tuesday, February 13 | “Red Flag or Romance?: Pop Culture and the Romanticization of Interpersonal Violence” | 3:30 p.m. | Student Center Cumberland Room
We’ll put pop culture in context during this roundtable discussion on topics ranging from music, film, literature, art, and more. Is it romance… or is it a red flag? Let’s discuss. For more information, contact Shannon Holliday at sholliday@shepherd.edu.
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Tuesday, March 19 | Community Alternatives to Violence | 6:00 P.M. | Byrd Center for Congressional Education and History Auditorium
Violence is a learned behavior, therefore alternatives to violence and violence prevention can also be learned. Individuals who voluntarily want (or who are required by law) to address their violent behavior are often referred to battering intervention programs, such as the “Community Alternatives to Violence” program in Martinsburg, WV. Join us for this free event to hear from CAV Executive Director, Jo Elliot, how such programs teach responsibility, accountability, respect, compassion, and empathy. For more information, contact Shannon Holliday at sholliday@shepherd.edu
Learning Outcomes: Sociology, civility, social work, and education.
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April 1-12 | “The Art of Surviving” Art Exhibit | Byrd Center for Congressional History & Education foyer
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Friday, April 5 | Film Screening: In the Bedroom (2001) | 7:00 p.m. | Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education Auditorium
Co-sponsored by the Shepherdstown Film Society, the Common Reading will sponsor a screening of the film In the Bedroom followed by a discussion facilitated by Shannon Holliday. Reception and art exhibition. Contact Shannon Holliday for more information at sholliday@shepherd.edu.
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STUBBLEFIELD INSTITUTE PROGRAMS
The Bonnie and Bill Stubblefield Institute at Shepherd University is a non-profit whose mission is to serve as an active center for the study and promotion of civil political discourse. We believe that when differing viewpoints are respected and considered in ways that avoid labeling, alienation, and silencing, it can strengthen our nation’s ability to solve problems. As programs for the spring are confirmed they will be posted HERE. For more information about Stubblefield Institute programming, contact Alison Mee, communications and events manager at amee@shepherd.edu
Learning Outcomes: Civic engagement, political awareness, communication, diversity, cultural competency, critical thinking, problem-solving, service.
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United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture
During this school year the Stubblefield Institute is in partnership with the WV Humanities Council working on a national initiative, United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture. The initiative was developed by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Its goal is to help people across the nation work together to address root causes of hate-based violence.
As the NEH website explains, “The arts and humanities help us develop the skills needed to find connection, common purpose, and recognition of our shared humanity. They strengthen mutual understanding and remind us of the norms and agreements that we rely on to care for one another. In coordination with the White House United We Stand Summit in September 2022, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) launched a joint initiative with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) titled United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture that leverages the arts and humanities to combat hate-motivated violence.” https://www.neh.gov/unitedwestand
We are planning a six-part conversation series as part of our United We Stand project. Four of these are Community Engagement Conversations, which focus on issues faced by local community and feature a panel of local community leaders.
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Labels: Limiting or Leveraging? | Wednesday, January 31 | 5:30-7:15 P.M. | Student Center Storer Ballroom
This program will explore the root causes of hate-based violence. Prior to the moderated panel discussion, audience members will have an opportunity to participate in small group conversations. The discussion will be about the limiting power of labels. When are labels barriers? When are they stepping stones? What is the place of labels in political discussions? See more about this event on stubblefieldinstitute.org
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Intergenerational Trivia | Tuesday, Feb. 20 | 3:00 P.M. | Student Center Rumsey Gallery
No matter your age and no matter your levels of expertise…YOU are invited to join us to meet friends, old and new, for a game of trivia with some popcorn, prizes, and good food! You will be working together with a team of about 5 individuals, made up of members from various generations. The content will cover many topics, giving all participants an opportunity to SHINE! The team with the most points will win PRIZES! We hope to see you there! Sponsored by Listen. Learn. Engage. in partnership with Program Board and Lifelong Learning. Contact Shelby Dougherty for more information sdougher@shepherd.edu
Learning Outcomes: Collaboration, intergenerational learning
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Regulation of Hate Speech on Social Media | Wednesday, March 20 | 5:30-7:15 P.M. | Student Center Storer Ballroom
Details will be added to the Stubblefield Institute website’s events page when they are announced.
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The American Conversation Series
Two American Conversation Series events are also being planned. These bring national-level speakers into dialogue that is relevant to people across the country. We plan to hold these in the Frank Center Theater.
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American Conversation Series Event — Overcoming Division: Strategies for Standing United – Thursday, January 25 | 7-9 P.M. | Frank Center Theater
Speakers will include EJ Dionne, Louis L. Reed, and an additional speaker not yet announced. The moderator will be Sam Goldman. This will be a discussion about building connection across differences. Are there times when empathy is not the most effective social tool? What about moral imperative, reason, common sense, or the rule of law? National speakers will be presenting as a panel discussion. Registration on RamPulse or Eventbrite is required.
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American Conversation Series Event – Speakers to be announced | Wednesday, April 10 | 6-7:30 P.M. | Frank Center Theater
Details will be added to the Stubblefield Institute website’s events page when they are announced.
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LISTEN. LEARN. ENGAGE. Initiative
The Stubblefield Institute’s Listen.Learn.Engage (LLE) program works with students to develop the motivation, skills, and confidence to participate in civic engagement and civil discourse in ways that move through division into connection and understanding.Shepherd students from all programs of study can participate in LLE programs to gain the skills needed to participate in effective political and civic engagement, which they can take into the world to create a more civil, open-minded and civically-engaged society. These programs, including the the Community Leadership & Civil Advocacy Certificate, the Civility Club, the Unify America College Bowl, and many additional collaborative programs are coordinated by Cindy Powers (lpowers@shepherd.edu).
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The Student Civility Club
For all students, regardless of major, this club offers an opportunity to discuss political topics. Their programs include “Pizza and Politics” programs. If you would like to propose a particular topic for the Pizza and Politics topic card deck, please contact Shelby Daugherty, sdaugher@shepherd.edu. The civility club provides opportunities for students to break down perceived differences and build skills for constructive dialogue.
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The Community Leadership and Civil Advocacy Certificate
The Stubblefield Institute Community Leadership & Civil Advocacy Certificate prepares students to step into community leadership roles and to effectively advocate for themselves, their families and the causes that they care about. To earn the certificate, students attend 50 hours of programming to demonstrate mastery of a set of core leadership outcomes to earn a certificate, graduation honor cords, and a gain professional competencies that will serve them well in the future
Many of the workshops made available to students for credit are hosted by a variety of Shepherd departments. If your department is sponsoring a program that connects with any of the core values of the program, please reach out to Cindy Powers at lpowers@shepherd.edu to see if it can be shared with program participants. Faculty could also encourage student participation by incentivizing them to complete at least five hours of the certificate this semester.
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The Unify America College Bowl | February 27-29 and/or March 5-7
This unique program matches students from across the country to participate in an on-line political conversation with another student. https://www.unifyamerica.org/college-bowl
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Civics Week | Monday, March 11-Saturday, March 16
https://civiclearningweek.org/
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LIFELONG LEARNING PROGRAMS
For more than a decade, Shepherd’s Lifelong Learning Program has expanded opportunities for intergenerational learning and programs including:
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Shepherdstown Film Series
The Shepherdstown Film Series hosts monthly film screenings at the Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education Auditorium. The spring film schedule will be posted HERE. These films are free and include post-screening discussions.
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The President’s Lecture Series
The President’s Lecture Series was founded by Dr. Mary J.C. Hendrix as a distinguished lecture series for the campus and community. This program has now become part of the Lifelong Learning Program at Shepherd. For more information, contact Cindy Powers at cpowers@shepherd.edu
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Restoring the Balance Between AI and Humanity: Can We Work in Harmony | Monday, January 29 | 6:30 P.M. | Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education Auditorium
As technology evolution continues to accelerate, it raises the question: “What about us humans?” In this talk, you’ll gain unique insights into two important dimensions that make up our world today, the artificial and the human, and how we can bring them together in new and extraordinary ways. On the artificial side, we’ll examine two key aspects: Runaway information-flation: The Five V’s; and Are you data-centric or knowledge-centric? The dangers of devolving into the primordial ooze of big data. On the human side, topics will include why we need a Great Knowledge Reset, starting today; re-energizing human evolution: body, mind, and spirit; and blending human and machine intelligence – it’s not what you think… Finally, the session will wrap up with a call to action – the great University pivot: are you up to the challenge?
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Nobel Prize Topics | Tuesday, February 20 | 6:30 P.M. | Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education auditorium
Shepherd University faculty will discuss the topics of the 2023 Nobel Prize winning awards. Panelists include Dr. Sytil Murphy (Physics), Dr. Jacquelyn Cole (Chemistry), Dr. Robert Warburton (Medicine), Dr. Rachel Krantz (Literature), Dr. Stephanie Slocum-Shaffer (Peace Prize), Dr. Robert Szarka (Economic Sciences)
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RUDE MECHANICALS MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE PLAYERS
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Lysistrata by Aristophanes | Friday, March 29-Sunday, March 31 and Wednesday, April 3-Sunday, April 7 | Reynolds Hall
This spring the Rude Mechanicals will present the bawdy ancient Greek anti-war comedy Lysistrata by Aristophanes. The story of a woman’s extraordinary strategy to bring an end to the Peloponnesian War. March 29 and 30 at 7:30 pm. March 31 at 3 pm. April 3, 4, 5, 6 at 7:30 pm. April 7 at 3 pm. Contact Betty Ellzey at mellzey@shepherd.edu for more information.
Learning Outcomes: Cultural and literary history, gender dynamics, theater history.
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DEPARTMENT OF CONTEMPORARY THEATER STUDIES
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She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen | April 5, 6, 12 and 13 (7 P.M.) and April 7 and 14 (2 P.M.) | Marinoff Theater, Center for Contemporary Art Phaze 2
She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes Evans as she leaves her childhood home after the death of her teenage sister, Tilly. When Agnes finds Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook, she finds herself catapulted into a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was her sister’s refuge. In this high-octane dramatic comedy laden with homicidal fairies, nasty ogres, and 90s pop culture, acclaimed playwright Qui Nguyen offers a heart-pounding homage to the geek and warrior within us all. For more information, contact ksaine@shepherd.edu
APPALACHIAN STUDIES
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Crystal Wilkinson and Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts | Thursday, February 15 | 7:00 P.M. | Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education Auditorium
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Karen Outen: Dixon Descending | March 6 | 7:00 P.M. | Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education
Thomas Minney from The Nature Conservancy: Update on Global Warming | Thursday, March 7 | 7:00 P.M. | Frank Center Theater
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Karen Zacharias and the Carrie Buck Story: No Perfect Mothers | Thursday, March 28 | 7:00 P.M. | Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education
At age ten, Carrie Buck is forced to leave school to work as a domestic. But when becomes pregnant at seventeen working in that domestic setting, it is Miss Mora, a Scottish immigrant and midwife, who befriends her in early 20th Century Charlottesville. Fearing their nephew’s assault of Carrie will be discovered, Carrie’s foster parents claim custody of her infant daughter and fraudulently commit her to the Virginia Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded. Dr. Priddy, the colony’s superintendent, deceptively labels Carrie an imbecile, unfit to bear children. In pursuit of a legal argument granting states the right to forcibly sterilize individuals, he exploits her. NO PERFECT MOTHERS explores characters, historical and imagined, who were parties to the infamous and landmark Buck v. Bell U.S. Supreme Court case of 1927.
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Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education
Storytelling with Adam Booth featuring premier of a new story about Robert C. Byrd | Thursday, Feb. 22 | 7:00 PM | Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education Auditorium
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SHEPHERD FOUNDATION
Gain Philanthropy and Fundraising Experience in partnership with the Shepherd University Foundation Creating and sustaining a vibrant culture of philanthropy is at the forefront of the SU Foundation’s goals. One of the ways to build a healthy culture of philanthropy is to provide positive examples of generosity that build institutional pride. Today’s students are tomorrow’s alumni, and they need to understand the role that giving has in the future of their university. The Foundation is planning two online giving efforts which will include strong visual and social media components. For more details, contact Sherri Janelle sjanelle@shepherd.edu
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Giving Day | Wednesday, March 6
Shepherd University’s fifth annual Giving Day effort will once again ask members of our community to make a gift in support of the programs, scholarships, and experiences that make Shepherd so special. Since 2020, this effort has brought in almost $400,000 for the university. YOUR DEPARTMENT, team, or co-curricular student group is invited to participate by sponsoring a giving team and asking for contributions to directly support your programs or initiatives. This is a great opportunity to tell your group’s story and ask for support as well as for students to learn how to craft a message, design a video and share a fundraising campaign.
Learning Outcomes: Fundraising and philanthropic giving, communication
