SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. — History was made at Shepherd University on Friday as Dr. Mary J. C. Hendrix became the only graduate of the 145 year old university to be installed as President.
“I feel a tremendous call to duty – to return home and work tirelessly with all of you to advance our education mission,” she said during the ceremony.
A 1974 graduate, Dr. Hendrix has become a leading scientist of cancer research and has seven patents under her belt.
Now, she plans to use all of her abilities to transition Shepherd University into an institution that can help others and become an innovator in the ways of energy economy.
“Shepherd should be viewed as a valuable resource for the community and the state in education, technology, and intellectual capital,” she also stated during her speech.
Representatives of Senator Joe Manchin, Senator Shelly Moore-Capito, and Governor Earl Ray Tomblin were present to pass along accolades from their respective offices, while 2nd District Congressman Alex Mooney and Shepherdstown Mayor Jim Auxer arrived in person to honor Hendrix.
Prior to the installation ceremony, Hendrix moderated a symposium titled, “The University’s Role in Translating Energy Challenges into Business and Employment Opportunities” which featured three guest speakers.
The first speaker, Dr. Michael Polsky, the founder, president, and CEO of Invenergy, discussed the important role academic institutions play in developing and commercializing new energy technologies.
He also announced the creation of the Invenergy Shepherd University Beech Ridge Internship Program, which will fund one Shepherd student every summer for a paid internship at a wind energy farm in Rupert, West Virginia.
“They’ll start hopefully with some biological work on birds and bats and so on to see what effect the effect of a wind farm on a biological ecosystem is,” he explained after the symposium.
The second speaker, Dr. Xingbo Liu, Professor of the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources at West Virginia University, spoke of the innovations being made in the field of battery storage and fuel cells.
Finally, Shepherd University Associate Professor of Physics, Dr. Jeffrey Groff, spoke about the benefits of solar energy and shared pictures of his own solar array that he designed and built.
The ceremony was followed by President Hendrix lighting the torch for the Relay for Life event that took place Friday night.
Hendrix was all smiles as she met and greeted the public outside of the university’s Butcher Center, and her positivity and passion for the role of president has been described by numerous Shepherd staff as “contagious”.