President Mary J.C. Hendrix presented a talk to the Charles Town Rotary on March 1 about Shepherd’s public-private partnerships. Among the initiatives highlighted were:
- The Business 2020 Committee which raised $650,000 for the establishment of a School of Business through gifts from members of the business community and alumni
- The new Potomac Place residence hall which will open in August, a unique partnership between the Shepherd University Foundation and the university with the Foundation serving as the borrower for the construction loans
- The inaugural President’s Lecture Series, a program that draws upon the many experts in the community to present lectures on timely topics
- The Center for Regional Innovation, a public-private initiative to develop and expand the economy of the region
- Shepherd’s reputation as the training ground and conduit for employees desired by an array of businesses
- The possible development of the Tabler Farm as a site for solar energy production and as a veterans retraining program in sustainable food production
- Shepherd’s partnership with BROCADE, George Mason, and Appalachia Advancing to help bring economic recovery to the southern West Virginia region.