HUNTINGTON -- This month marks the start of Stephen Kopp's fourth year as the president of Marshall University.
In that time, the school has seen a shift in focus, the start of numerous capital improvement projects and a re-dedication to recruiting students -- with the president himself going so far as to visit local high schools.
Kopp, who had been assistant chancellor to the Ohio University Board of Regents before taking the job at Marshall in 2005, said he thinks MU is heading in the right direction, though the work is just starting.
The president's office recently adopted a new, in-depth strategic initiative for the school, which is hundreds of pages in length and details everything from growing the student population to increasing research.
"There's still a lot of work to be done," the 54-year-old Kopp said. "What we've started is a very ambitious agenda."
As for the present, more than $100 million in capital projects are under way at the university, notably the construction of new dormitories, a new engineering building and a new foundation and alumni center. There is also the student recreational facility, scheduled to be open in early 2009.
"As far as initiatives we've started, I think that's been one of the biggest ones," Kopp said. "When I got here, the first thing student leaders asked me about was a rec center, because they'd been promised one for 10 years, and not delivering on that wasn't something I wanted to be a part of."
A. Michael Perry, a member of the Marshall University Board of Governors, said there is a lot happening at the school right now because of Kopp's direction.
"The construction activity is a major component of his leadership," Perry said. "It's important to the growing breadth and scope of the university."
Perry also said Kopp was "critically important" to the development of the "Bucks for Brains" legislation that passed in this year's legislative session, setting up a $50 million endowment for Marshall and West Virginia University.
With the development of the Robert C. Byrd Biomedical Center and the growth of the forensic science program, the university is diversifying, developing a reputation as a research institution and not a school that only produces educators.
"If you look across campus, you see changes, whether it's construction or academic prosperity or general leadership," Kopp said. "This administration is here to get things done, get them done quickly and get them done well."
One of the biggest points of focus for Kopp has been growing enrollment at the school. Marshall has been steadily losing students, and the fall 2008 freshman class will be the first that is larger than its predecessor in five years.
Increased attention to recruiting students across the state and in bordering states is part of the reason for the upturn, along with the physical changes taking place on campus.
"The facilities you see are essential for recruitment," Kopp said. "Campus life and the quality of life is a big factor, and we want students to think of Marshall as a destination campus, and as a residential campus."
Marshall also is increasing its appeal with its border-state scholarship program, which pertains to potential students in all parts of the five states bordering West Virginia.
"You look at those five states, and it's a natural recruiting base," he said.
Kopp said he would eventually like to extend the program to all of Appalachia, from New York to Mississippi.
"We're looking at extending that to New York, Georgia, Alabama, the Carolinas and Mississippi," he said.
"It's going to take time to build, but look at the progress we've made in three years," he said. "We need to keep our shoulders to the wheel, and within one to two years I think we'll really start to see growth."
Perry said keeping Kopp at Marshall is a priority for the board. Kopp is under contract at the university through 2012.
"He comes to work very early, and he stays late," Perry said. "At this stage, we need a plan to keep him around for a number of years. We're delighted with the quality of job he's doing."
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