Hall of Fame
Valerie Hess Donohue came to Cedar Crest College in 1993 after transferring from Bloomsburg University. Val’s decision to study nursing led her to Cedar Crest because of the excellence of its nursing program. She was recruited by the college basketball coach, but actually played both basketball and field hockey during her years at the college. Although her contributions to both sports are notable, the college is honoring her today for her impact on the basketball court. Combining varsity sports with a nursing education was challenging for Val, but with the support of the nursing faculty was able to excel in these sports while achieving high academic standing.
During the 1993-94 basketball season Val earned a spot on the honorable mention team for the PAC. During the 1994-95 season, she earned PAC Player of the Week and made the PAC honorable mention team for the second time. Val was a GTE COSIDSA All-America candidate and served as captain of the basketball team for two years. She led the team in offensive rebounds (85), total rebounds (237), blocked shots (22), field goal percentage from the floor (.368) and free throws made (62). She scored a total of 298 points with a career high of 21 points against Chestnut Hill. Val posted a team high of 26 blocked shots and a .508 field goal percentage. She finished second on the team in scoring and steals and in 11 of her last 12 games scored in double figures.
In Val’s senior year she received the Upperclassman Service Award and was named to the All-Academic Team. On graduating, Val was presented with the Theta Rho Award which is given by the college chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, the International Nursing Honor Society. This award is given each year to the graduating senior who demonstrates exceptional abilities in the areas of scholarship, research and nursing knowledge.
After graduation, Val continued her commitment to the Cedar Crest Athletic Department by volunteering her time to work with players. In 1998, Val began her coaching career at Cedar Crest as an assistant basketball coach and in 1999 added assistant cross country coach to her resume. Val went on to become the head basketball coach in 2005 and recruited some of the most successful players in the college’s basketball history.
In the 2008-09 season, Val was named by the Colonial States Athletic Conference as Coach of the Year and one of her players was named Rookie of the Year. During her tenure as head coach, two players made All-Conference 1st team, three players made the 2nd team and one player made the Honorable Mention team. In addition, one of the players received the Jostens Trophy: a national award that is given to honor the Division III student-athlete who excels in the classroom, on the court, and in the community. One of Val’s teams was selected by the PAC for the Team Sportsmanship Award. In her seven years as a coach, Val had 12 players earn a position on the conference weekly honor roll and five players named Player of the Week. Under her coaching instruction, Val had many of her players set Cedar Crest records in 3-point percentage, free throws made, free throw percent, total rebounds, average rebounds, assists, blocks, and average blocks, and she coached four of the college’s 1000 point scorers.
In addition to coaching, Val’s major contribution to the college community was her creation and development of the Healthy U program. Healthy U was a program that was open to all students, faculty, and staff, encouraging them to develop a healthy lifestyle by tracking their nutrition, exercise and fitness goal attainment. The program ran each semester for approximately seven years and drew as many as 325 participants in one semester. Healthy U received national recognition by being awarded a 3rd place finish among all colleges nationwide participating in a wellness competition. The program was also featured on a Fox News segment.
Val’s outstanding contributions to the college were enhanced by her dedication, enthusiasm and tireless efforts to treat each member of the college community with fairness and respect.
