Shepherd University
| Shepherd University | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Established |
September 1871, in Shepherdstown, West Virginia Chartered: February 27, 1872, by the Legislature of West Virginia |
| Type | Public coeducational |
| President | Suzanne Shipley, PhD |
| Undergraduates | 4,200 |
| Postgraduates | 200 |
| Location | Shepherdstown, West Virginia, USA |
| Campus | 323 acres (1.31 km2) |
| Colors | Blue and Gold |
| Nickname | Rams |
| Website |
www |
Shepherd University, formerly Shepherd College, is a state-funded university in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, United States. The University currently serves more than 4,200 students.
Accreditation
The University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. Individual programs are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, the National Association of Schools of Music, the West Virginia State Board of Examiners for Registered Nurses, the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education, and the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education.
History
Shepherd University began when the county seat of Jefferson County, West Virginia, was moved from Shepherdstown to Charles Town in July 1871. The people of Shepherdstown and vicinity decided to use the vacated courthouse for educational purposes. An article of incorporation for a school to be known as Shepherd University, designed to instruct students “in languages, arts and sciences,” was drawn up and signed by C.W. Andrews, A.R. Boteler, C.T. Butler, G.M. Beltzhoover, David Billmyer, Samuel Knott, and Henry Shepherd. This body of incorporators gave itself power to elect instructors, pay salaries, and prescribe courses of study. Professor Joseph McMurran was appointed first principal of the institution, which opened with 42 students in September 1871, under the authority of the Board of Trustees.
On February 27, 1872, the Legislature of West Virginia passed the following act: “That a branch of the State Normal School be and the same is hereby established at the building known as Shepherd College, in Shepherdstown, in the county of Jefferson.”
Shepherd became a four-year college for the training of teachers on July 1, 1930, at which time the institution began granting the bachelor of arts degree. Shepherd was authorized to implement liberal arts programs in 1943, and in 1950 the bachelor of science degree was added. Also in 1950 Shepherd was accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and in 1951 it became a member of the Association of American Colleges.
In the past two decades, Shepherd has added 11 new buildings, including the $9 million Robert C. Byrd Science and Technology Center; the $18 million addition to the Scarborough Library, which also houses the Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies; and the $10 million nursing classroom building. The $21.6 million Wellness Center opened on June 11, 2009 and includes a 25-yard, eight-lane pool; two basketball courts, and six basketball hoops; two racquetball courts, indoor elevated 1/10 mile jogging track; two multi-purpose rooms with mirrored wall for group exercise classes; 7,500+ square foot weight and fitness area as well as a dining venue operated by Shepherd's Dining Services.
On April 7, 2004, Governor Bob Wise signed legislation allowing Shepherd College to change its name to Shepherd University.
Dr. Suzanne Shipley was named the fifteenth president of Shepherd University on February 19, 2007, and began serving on June 29, 2007. On March 9, 2015, it was announced Shipley would leave the school to become the president at Midwestern State University.[1]
Rankings
Shepherd University was named the top-ranked West Virginia public baccalaureate institution for the second year, earning the 39th spot among Best Baccalaureate Colleges in the South in the 2010 edition of America's Best Colleges, published by U.S. News Media Group. However, it fell to 82 in the 2012 edition.
Shepherd's peer assessment score increased this year to 3.11, up from 3.0 in 2008 and 2.9 in 2007. This assessment, which accounts for 25 percent of the U.S. News ranking score, consists of the opinions of presidents, provosts, and deans of admissions about peer schools' academic programs.
The Princeton Review ranks the university among the "Best Southeastern Colleges."[2]
Location
Shepherd University is situated in the Shenandoah Valley, on the banks of the Potomac River, in historic Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
Guest lecturers and performers, field trips, internships, and career opportunities are advantages directly related to the location. Shepherd University is also the home of the Appalachian Heritage Writer-in-Residence Program, Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF), George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War, and the Performing Arts Series at Shepherd (PASS).
The Ruth Scarborough Library
The Ruth Scarborough Library collection contains varied materials, numbering 511,518 items. Printed and microtext materials compose the majority of the collection, including 164,206 printed books and bound periodicals as well as 200,474 in microfiche and microfilm. Other items in the collection include phonograph records, cassette tapes, DVDs, CDs, and video cassettes. The library currently subscribes to 521 periodicals and newspapers in paper, and it provides access to more than 12,000 periodicals in full-text. In addition, the library provides access to electronic databases and online indexing and abstracting services.
Since 1971, the library has been a selective repository for federal government publications and regularly receives West Virginia state government publications. The library houses a special collection of printed materials relating to state and regional history. The library’s computerized catalog provides Web access to materials in the Scarborough collection, and the library maintains a Web site.
The Scarborough Library, originally built in 1965, was renovated in 2002–03. The library is a place of study and research for individuals and groups. The 46,000-square-foot (4,300 m2) expansion, dedicated in 2002, includes multimedia classrooms, additional reading areas and seating, and the Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies whose purpose is to promote an understanding of the United States Congress and the legislative process.
Home of CATF
The Contemporary American Theater Festival is an annual festival of new plays by American playwrights, most often premieres or second or third productions. CATF focuses on plays that deal with contemporary issues that boldly challenge and entertain audiences.[3]
Since 1991, CATF has produced 100 plays, by 73 American playwrights, including 37 world premieres, 9 of which were commissioned. Adventurous audiences from 32 states and the District of Columbia and Canada have attended the Theater Festival’s productions. The plays are professionally produced using Actors' Equity Association's LORT D contract; CATF operates under agreements from AEA, United Scenic Artists, and the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers.
Reviews and articles have appeared in a variety of media venues including The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Baltimore Sun, and the Chicago Tribune.
The George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War
The George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War is home to Shepherd University's Civil War & 19th Century America concentrated track of studies. Currently the program requires students to complete a program of specialized courses in addition to the courses already required of all history majors. Courses concentrate on various elements of 19th century history such as The American Civil War, 1850–1865; the Reconstruction Era; African American History; Soldiers and Society, 1861–65; and the Old South. Students also conduct primary research within the topic area and must intern at one of various historic sites in the region, such as Harpers Ferry National Historic Site.[4]
The ongoing research mission at The George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War involves the compilation of figures from the soldiers' compiled military service records which will lead to a more definitive number of veterans from the battle born state of West Virginia. Within the next five years, data gleaned from the service records of soldiers serving in all of West Virginia's Union regiments and (Western) Virginia Confederate regiments will be compiled in the center's electronic database. Once completed a simple query will be able to provide a very accurate total for both sides including data heretofore unavailable to historians.
Currently the center is headed by Civil War historian Dr. Mark A. Snell, a retired Army officer and former assistant professor of history at West Point.
Athletics
Shepherd offers 12 NCAA Division II teams including women's volleyball and lacrosse, and men's and women's basketball, soccer, and tennis. The Ram marching band, cheerleading squad, and dance team promote spirit at university home games. Home football and lacrosse games are played in Ram Stadium. Home baseball games are played at Fairfax Field
The soccer teams play in the newly built Shepherd Soccer Complex.
Shepherd is currently a member of the Mountain East Conference (MEC). The MEC was established In June 2012, when the football-playing schools of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC), including Shepherd, announced plans to break away to form a new Division II conference. The schools that were left either joined new conferences or became independent. This spelled the end of the WVIAC.
In 2011, the NCAA delivered reprimands to the Shepherd University Athletics Department over tobacco use during a football game.
Baseball
The current head coach is Matt McCarty, a 2010 graduate of Shepherd. McCarty was named as the interim head baseball coach in September 2012 and was elevated to head baseball coach in July 2013.[5] He won the MEC and Atlantic Region Baseball Coach of the Year in 2014.[6][7]
The Ram baseball team has won the Championship in 1983, 1984, 2004, 2009, and 2012.
Football
The current head coach is Monte Cater, a 1971 graduate of Millikin University. Cater was appointed the program’s 12th head coach on February 9, 1987 and served as Shepherd’s director of athletics from 1993-2004. Shepherd’s all-time winningest football coach, Cater boasts a 190-87-1 (.685) record in 26 seasons as head coach of the Rams, and an overall record of 221-110-2 (.667) in 32 years as a head coach.[8]
The NAIA Years (pre 1994)
In 1983, Shepherd reached the post-season for the first time in school history, losing to Carson-Newman 42-21 in the first round of the NAIA playoffs.
The Rams again advanced to the playoffs in 1986 and again they lost to Carson-Newman 30-10 in the first round.
In 1991, they advanced and this time they lost to Central State 34-22 in the first round.
Finally in 1992, the Rams earned their first ever post-season win by beating Carson-Newman 6-3. In the next round, however, they lost to Gardner-Webb 22-7.
The NCAA DII Years (1994-present)
| Year | Record | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 6-4 | T-1st |
| 1995 | 3-7 | 5th |
| 1996 | 7-3 | 3rd |
| 1997 | 9-1 | T-1st |
| 1998 | 10-1 | 1st |
| 1999 | 9-1 | 1st |
| 2000 | 7-3 | 3rd |
| 2001 | 8-2 | T-2nd |
| 2002 | 7-3 | T-2nd |
| 2003 | 4-6 | T-2nd |
| 2004 | 7-3 | 1st |
| 2005 | 11-0 | 1st |
| 2006 | 10-0 | 1st |
| 2007 | 9-1 | 1st |
| 2008 | 5-5 | T-6th |
| 2009 | 6-4 | 4th |
| 2010 | 9-1 | 1st |
| 2011 | 9-2 | T-2nd |
| 2012 | 8-2 | 1st |
| 2013 | 10-0 | 1st |
| 2014 | 8-2 | 2nd |
Postseason Success
| Year | First Round | Second Round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | @ IUP, W 9-6 | N/A | @ Slippery Rock, L 20-31 | N/A | N/A |
| 1999 | @ Millersville, L 14-21 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2005 | vs. CW Post, L 21-28 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2006 | N/A | vs. Merrimack, W 31-7 | vs. Bloomsburg, L 21-24 | N/A | N/A |
| 2007 | N/A | vs. IUP, W 41-34 | @ California, L 38-58 | N/A | N/A |
| 2010 | vs. Shaw, W 40-6 | @ Kutztown, W 41-34 | @ Mercyhurst, W 48-14 | @ Delta State, L 17-29 | N/A |
| 2012 | @ IUP, L 17-27 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2013 | N/A | vs. Winston-Salem State, W 7-0 | vs. West Chester, L 7-28 | N/A | N/A |
NOTE: The NCAA expanded the playoff field from 16 to 24 teams in 2000.
Rams on the Next Level
Shepherd has had 2 baseball players[9] drafted by MLB:
- 1B Nathan Minnich, the 2012 Tino Martinez Award winner,[10] was taken in the 8th round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox.[11] He played for 2 seasons, alternating between the GCL Red Sox of the Gulf Coast League and the Lowell Spinners of the New York-Penn League.[12] Minnich was released by the Red Sox on March 31, 2014.
- RHP Josh McCauley was taken in the 21st round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs.[13] He did not sign with the Cubs, however.
Other notable Shepherd baseball players:
- LHP Charles "Lefty" Willis played for 21 teams from 1923-1938.[14]
- RHP Frank Funk played for 24 teams from 1954-1969 and managed 9 teams from 1969-1991[15]
- RHP Cecil Perkins played for 12 teams from 1962-1968.[16]
- RHP Brian Sands played for the Elmira Pioneers of the Northeast League for 1 season.
- OF Michael Spry played for the River City Rascals, Chillicothe Paints, and Evansville Otters, all of the Frontier League, from 2003-2007.
- 3B Nash Hutter played for the Rockford Aviators of the Frontier League for 1 season.
- RHP Charlie Gordon played for the Normal CornBelters of the Frontier League and the Sussex Skyhawks of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball.
- LHP Paul Hvozdovic, holder of Shepherd career marks for most wins (34), innings pitched (340), most strikeouts (307), most games started (56), most complete games (19), played for the River City Rascals of the Frontier League.
Shepherd has had 3 football players[17] drafted by the NFL:
- QB John Shearer was taken with the 6th pick in the 28th round of the 1956 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts, and T Bob Hogue was taken with the 11th pick in the 20th round of the 1960 NFL Draft, also by the Colts. Neither played in the NFL.
- RB Wayne Wilson was taken with the 21st pick in the 12th round of the 1979 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers. He played for 3 NFL teams from 1979-1987[18] and is currently the TE coach at Shepherd.
Other notable Shepherd football players:
- DB/KR James Rooths played for the New York Jets, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also played for NFL Europe's Scottish Claymores for 2 seasons. After his playing career, Rooths was an assistant defensive backs coach with the Frankfurt Galaxy. He was an assistant football coach for Wilde Lake High School in 2010 and was part of the Baltimore Ravens strength and conditioning staff in 2013.
- K/P Ricky Schmitt has played for 6 NFL teams and 2 CFL teams. He currently plays for the BC Lions.
- TE Dominique Jones has played in the United Football League, the Indoor Football League, and for 4 NFL teams. He currently is on the Denver Broncos practice squad.
- QB Joel Gordon played with Arena Football League 2's Richmond Speed and the Winterthur Warriors of the Swiss Nationalliga A. Gordon led the Warriors the Swiss Bowl in 2006. Gordon is currently the QB coach at Shepherd.
- DE Ramal Faunteroy played for AFL2's Manchester Wolves. Faunteroy is currently the defensive line coach at Shepherd. On June 12, 2014, Faunteroy was selected to participate in the Bill Walsh NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship.[19]
- DL/LB Robert Hayes signed with the Portland Thunder of the Arena Football League in December 2014.[20]
- LB Louis Corum played for the United Football League's Virginia Destroyers and the Indoor Football League's now defunct Richmond Revolution.
- LB Howard Jones was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers moments after the 2014 NFL Draft.[21] He made a big splash with the Steelers in preseason, recording 2 fumble recoveries with one returned for a TD in the Steelers' 20-16 loss to the New York Giants on August 9, 2014. Jones was cut by the Steelers on August 30 but was signed to their practice squad the next day.
References
- ↑ Dave Emke (March 9, 2015). "Shipley chosen to become next president of Midwestern State". The Journal. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
- ↑ Shepherd University. Princetonreview.com. Retrieved on 2011-07-02.
- ↑ "Contemporary American Theater Festival". Retrieved 2010-08-017. Check date values in:
|accessdate=(help) - ↑ The George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War. Shepherd.edu. Retrieved on 2011-07-02.
- ↑ http://www.shepherdrams.com/coaches.aspx?rc=6&path=baseball
- ↑ http://www.shepherdrams.com/news/2014/5/7/BB_0507145236.aspx
- ↑ http://www.shepherdrams.com/news/2014/5/15/BB_0515140927.aspx
- ↑ Coaching Staff. Shepherd.edu. Retrieved on 2013-12-07.
- ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/schools/index.cgi?key_school=f3c46b2b
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=minnic000nat
- ↑ http://www.shepherdrams.com/page.cfm?story=33397&cat=exclusives
- ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=willis004cha
- ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=funk--001fra
- ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=perkin001cec
- ↑ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/schools/shepherd/drafted.htm
- ↑ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WilsWa02.htm
- ↑ http://www.shepherdrams.com/news/2014/6/12/FB_0612144456.aspx
- ↑ http://www.arenafootball.com/sports/a-footbl/spec-rel/120414aac.html
- ↑ http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/Steelers-Agree-To-Terms-With-10-Rookie-Free-Agents/f848aa23-8192-4dc9-a984-6e1dab9ae192
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shepherd University. |
- Shepherd University official website
- Shepherd University official athletics website
- Contemporary American Theater Festival
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