Marc (McIntire ’65) and Nancy Shrier were introduced by their mothers, who were traveling in Europe together when they conspired to make the match. The Shriers’ 52-year marriage was enduring proof that mom knows best.

Nancy and Marc raised two children, Lee Yonish (Col ’97) and Peter Shrier, and have four grandchildren. When Nancy died unexpectedly in 2022, Marc received a letter of condolence from Hibah Shaikh (Col ’24), a member of the Virginia Women’s Tennis team. “It was the most moving letter,” said Marc. “I was very touched.”

Nancy was an accomplished amateur tennis player, and Shaikh is the current recipient of the Nancy Wachtel Shrier Endowed Scholarship, established by the Shriers in 2007. Shaikh was a 2021-22 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Doubles All-American, and that year earned the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Doubles Championship with Emma Navarro, becoming the first doubles team in Virginia Women’s Tennis history to be seeded in the top four in the championship. She is majoring in applied statistics and, in 2022-23, was an ITA Scholar Athlete and named to the 2022-23 All-ACC Academic Team and ACC Academic Honor Roll.

“I chose UVA because I felt like the program and the coaches were going to help me develop the best on court and off the court,” said Shaikh. “Coming here was also important to me because of academics—my parents really value how I do in school. And being able to get a scholarship here for four years, I value my degree even more.” Shaikh plans to see how far she can go with tennis after graduation and knows the Virginia fan base will be rooting for her. “Whenever I wear my UVA gear somebody will come up to me and say, ‘I went to UVA! I hope you do great!’ It's heartwarming to see so many people who support UVA student-athletes,” she said.

Virginia Football cornerback Elijah Gaines (Col ’24) is also a beneficiary of the Shriers’ generosity as the recipient of the Shrier Family Bicentennial Scholarship. Gaines was awarded Most Improved Player on special teams after the 2022-23 season and named to the 2022-23 All-ACC Academic Team and the ACC Academic Honor Roll.

The Shriers also established a fund to create the Shrier Family Men’s Golf Bicentennial Scholarship, which has not yet been awarded, and created a fund at the Jefferson Scholars Foundation that supports both undergraduate and graduate students from the Philadelphia area. Marc has served on the national selection committee for the Jefferson Scholars Program, the final selection committee for the Jefferson Fellowship, the Alumni Association Board of Managers, and as a Reunions volunteer.

Over 40 students have benefited from the Shrier Family Scholarship at the McIntire School of Commerce. Marc sheepishly admits enrolling in McIntire to avoid a foreign language requirement, but McIntire professor Alec Von Phalen’s class sparked an interest in investing that persisted through his years in law school at Villanova. He took a job at Provident National Bank after earning his law degree, then went on to a 30-year career at Goldman Sachs. “The investing class played a significant role in what I ended up doing for a living,” Marc said. “I think there’s a pretty direct line between whatever success I’ve had and my time at McIntire.”

While learning a new language was not Marc’s preference as an undergrad, he has since become a student of the world. He has traveled to over 50 countries on six continents, often with Nancy and his children—and now their grandchildren. “The legacy I would like to leave my children is to make them both interesting and interested people,” he said, “And the best way to do that, I think, is by traveling to faraway places where they get exposure to different cultures and lifestyles.”

Marc’s reasons for supporting students—and student-athletes—are simple. “I’m a fervent believer in education,” he said, “and I love following sports.” 

“At UVA I've developed as a tennis player, learned lessons from the people I've met, and made relationships and memories that will last a lifetime,” said Shaikh. “I wouldn't choose to be anywhere else.”