Learn More About the Byrd Center

Become a Friend of the Byrd Center

The Friends of the Byrd Center provides everyone with an opportunity to become a partner in the work of the center. You can join the Friends with an annual donation of $250.00 or by giving at any of our donor levels. Members receive the announcements of events and programs at the center before the general public, with an opportunity to see respected scholars and engaging speakers appearing on the Byrd Center's stage. Friends are recognized in annual reports of the Byrd Center and through our website. Our supporters can also lend their input into the programs of the center by suggesting themes, topics, speakers, and volunteering for planning committees. Friends are also invited to exclusive events at the center such as behind-the-scenes archives tours. The public programs, educational outreach, and archival preservation that the Byrd Center accomplishes would not be possible without our supporters! Learn more >>

Your support of the Byrd Center provides:

  • Public Programs
  • Student Internships
  • Teacher Institute
  • Archival Preservation
  • High School Programs
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The Byrd Center is committed to providing free public programs each year, including our annual film series (presented in collaboration with Shepherd University's Lifelong Learning Program), book talks, and lectures. The center also provides use of its auditorium, classrooms, and conference rooms to campus and community groups.

Our programs are designed to create better citizen engagement and dialogue on the essential issues our nation faces, both past and present. Byrd Center programs reach diverse audiences including the Shepherd University campus and community, the DC-Baltimore Metropolitan Area, and the entire state of West Virginia.
Shepherd University students benefit directly from the Byrd Center's Internship Program. Student interns gain valuable skills in archival processing, scholarly research and writing, and public history program development. Our interns are a vital asset to the day-to-day operation of the Byrd Center. 

Past student interns of the Byrd Center have gone on to pursue masters and doctoral degrees in history and archives and now work in a number of institutions, both public and private, in the public history field.
The Byrd Center provides training and resources to West Virginia educators through our Teacher Institute. Established in 2016, the institute provides teachers with the opportunity to earn continuing education credits by exploring resources and teaching modules that inform students about the legislative branch, representative democracy, and the U.S. Constitution. 

This program is expanding to serve more communities in the state of West Virginia thanks to the generous support of the West Virginia Humanities Council and private donations.
The Byrd Center preserves the papers of former congressional representatives from West Virginia including Senator Robert C. Byrd, and Congressmen Harley O. Staggers, Sr. and Jr. These diverse collections are vital resources for scholars, students, and community members. 

Preserving archival collections requires the proper storage of historical documents, photographs, and objects in a stable and safe environment. Your support of the Byrd Center aids in the preservation of our collections to ensure that future generations can learn from these important resources.
In 2017, the Byrd Center launched the Government and Deliberation Project in partnership with Berkeley County Public Schools. Over the past three years, this program has brought almost three hundred high school students to the Byrd Center each fall to participate in a day of hands-on workshops that serve as the jumping off point for a year-long mock congress project.  

The students who participate in this applied learning program gain a deeper understanding of how American government works, and they develop critical citizenship skills.

    Let us know what you love most about the Byrd Center!

    We want to hear from you! Please use the form below to share your favorite thing about the Byrd Center or a memory from a program you attended. Your comments help us share the mission of the Byrd Center and to introduce our programs to new audiences.

Help Grow the Friends of the Byrd Center!

Our programs reach more people as our supporters grow! You can help by inviting friends, family, and neighbors to join the Friends of the Byrd Center. We have a goal to recruit 75 new members in 2020, and if all of our existing supporters invite one new member, we can exceed that goal!