‘Our future is built on our past’: Shepherd University Wellness Center dedicated in honor of former president

From right, SU President Mary J.C. Hendrix and Mayor Jim Auxer stand beside former SU president Suzanne Shipley, as she holds a plaque presented to her by Hendrix, in commemoration of the Wellness Center’s dedication in her honor on Saturday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston
SHEPHERDSTOWN — A group of 67 community members, Shepherd University staff and honorees gathered together in the Shepherd University Wellness Center’s arena on Saturday afternoon, to witness the dedication of the center under a new name — the Suzanne Shipley Wellness Center.
Renamed in honor of Shepherd University’s 15th president, who served from 2007-2015, the center now bears signage regarding its name change, one sign of which was unveiled during the dedication ceremony.
“It is simply not possible to detail all of Dr. Shipley’s remarkable accomplishments while she was at Shepherd, but I would like to share some noteworthy highlights with you today, because they are remarkable,” said Shipley’s successor, current Shepherd University President Mary J.C. Hendrix. “During her tenure, Dr. Shipley brought the university into the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges, known as COPLAC, a North American consortium of public colleges and universities that drives awareness of the value of high-quality, public liberal arts education at its member institutions — an organization for which she also served as president. Dr. Shipley’s enduring legacy includes overseeing the accreditation of academic programs, laying the foundation to grow Shepherd’s international student population.
“She also orchestrated the construction of the underpass, uniting the east and west campuses, which she was told could not be done!” Hendrix said. “Dr. Shipley was vital in helping to raise $26 million through the university’s first comprehensive campaign, called Create the Future. The campaign exceeded its $20 million target goal and was completed a year early.”
Shipley expressed her thanks for the dedication, and noted how her tenure would not have been as successful as it was, without the help of her family, mentors and fellow Shepherd University leaders.

A sign prominently displays the Shepherd University Wellness Center’s new name on Saturday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston
“I’m thankful for the Shepherd University tradition, of including academic leaders in its facilities’ names, and I’m humbled to take my place here beside President James Butcher, professor of physical education Dr. Sara Cree and the legendary chair of music Guy Frank,” Shipley said. “Here, . . . I was able to maintain my own wellness, physical and mental, by working out alongside our faculty, staff and students, and Shepherd supporters like Mayor Auxer. In fact, it’s a defining purpose of the center, in that it brings all of these groups together to fulfill multiple needs in this region.
“All of us contribute to the Shepherd story. Some epics of our 150-year-old story are marked on names of buildings, but certainly, not all. Universities like Shepherd, where every person counts and every name is known, are compendiums of individual effort,” Shipley said. “Every individual and every effort counts, and it is more critical today than ever that those efforts continue, because today, more than ever, a residential liberal arts experience such as ours, produces the dynamic and well-educated leaders that our region needs. Our future is built on our past, but our future is always being built, like today, and by you.”
Mayor Jim Auxer closed out the ceremony with a few thoughts on the appropriateness of the dedication, considering his personal and professional experiences as Shepherdstown’s mayor during Shipley’s tenure.
“To have this facility, a community gathering place, now dedicated as the Suzanne Shipley Wellness Center, feels more than appropriate. Suzanne and I would meet here to discuss topics of importance to us both. But our primary goal was caring about our fitness,” Auxer said. “We discussed the need for maintaining the town-gown relationship, which I think really is wonderful (to this day). You can’t tell where one starts and one ends!”
The dedication decision was made by the Shepherd University Board of Governors, during its June 10, 2021 meeting, according to SU Communications Executive Director Dana Costa.
- From right, SU President Mary J.C. Hendrix and Mayor Jim Auxer stand beside former SU president Suzanne Shipley, as she holds a plaque presented to her by Hendrix, in commemoration of the Wellness Center’s dedication in her honor on Saturday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston
- A sign prominently displays the Shepherd University Wellness Center’s new name on Saturday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston
- Community members and Shepherd University employees mingle together in the Suzanne Shipley Wellness Center foyer, prior to Saturday’s dedication ceremony. Tabitha Johnston
- Shepherd University President Mary J.C. Hendrix formally announces the dedication of the Suzanne Shipley Wellness Center in the center’s arena on Saturday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston
- Shepherd University President Mary J.C. Hendrix, left, helps former president Suzanne Shipley unveil a sign, regarding Shipley’s tenure, in the Suzanne Shipley Wellness Center arena on Saturday. Tabitha Johnston

Shepherd University President Mary J.C. Hendrix, left, helps former president Suzanne Shipley unveil a sign, regarding Shipley’s tenure, in the Suzanne Shipley Wellness Center arena on Saturday. Tabitha Johnston

Community members and Shepherd University employees mingle together in the Suzanne Shipley Wellness Center foyer, prior to Saturday’s dedication ceremony. Tabitha Johnston

Shepherd University President Mary J.C. Hendrix formally announces the dedication of the Suzanne Shipley Wellness Center in the center’s arena on Saturday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston