Dr. Ron Area describes Doug and Sue Ellen Hardman as “loyal and great friends of Marshall University.”
“Not only are he and his wife generous donors, but Doug has provided outstanding leadership for our fundraising effort to equip the new Arthur Weisberg Family Applied Engineering Complex with specialized engineering equipment,” said Area, chief executive officer of the Marshall Foundation Inc. “We are truly grateful for all he and Sue Ellen do for Marshall.”
The Hardmans recently presented the Marshall engineering program with a gift of $150,000. In addition, Doug is the volunteer chairman of the fund-raising effort to equip the Weisberg complex. He also serves as the chairman of the Marshall Engineering Advisory Board.
“The goal is to raise at least $5 million and we’re more than halfway there,” Area said.
Hardman is vice chairman and past president & CEO of J. H. Fletcher & Co. in Huntington. He graduated from Marshall’s previous engineering program in 1970 and received his M.B.A. degree from Marshall in 1976.
“I’ve always supported engineering at Marshall,” Hardman said. “Our company, and all the manufacturing companies in the area, needs a local avenue to augment the engineering training of their technical employees. We haven’t had that for the last 30 years. Now we have an ABET-accredited engineering program with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees. With this new state-of-the-art facility and the associated engineering programs the Huntington area will be much more attractive to manufacturing companies that are evaluating new locations.”
Interim MU President Gary White said, “We’re delighted to have the gift and the continuing support of the Hardman family. He has been a very successful person in the mining equipment business and, like so many others, is willing to share his success with Marshall University. And, that’s really what keeps Marshall moving forward.
“His support is really synonymous with my accepting this interim presidency position, in that we all feel a sense of obligation and dedication to the university to give something back.”
