Gilbert Ready for Challenge as Marshall President

The Marshall Board of Governors hosted an event Wednesday afternoon introducing Jerome Gilbert as the next President.

Credit Clark Davis / WV Public Broadcasting

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WV Public Broadcasting

The Marshall and Huntington Community’s welcome Jerome Gilbert and his wife Lee to Huntington. Speakers at the ceremony included board Chairman Michael Sellards and Marshall interim President Gary White. Gilbert said he’s ready for the challenge to lead the university into the next year and has some different ideas for the university already. 

“I’m interested in building on the strengths of the past and it’s been a strong liberal arts university over the years and combine that liberal arts with the STEM areas and medicine,” Gilbert said. “It really presents a very broad based education that prepares students for jobs in this century.”

 Gilbert was hired last month as Marshall’s 37^th president. He had held various positions at Mississippi State since 1988, including that of provost and executive vice president since March 2010. The Higher Education Policy Commission has approved a two-year contract for Gilbert in which he will be paid $430,000 annually. Gilbert said he understands that right away he’ll be dealing with the budget cuts at the state level, but he has ideas about how to approach the lack of funds in different ways.

“On the flip side of budget cuts I’m also looking at increasing enrollment as a way to increase revenue and I’m going to be very actively involved in looking at ways to recruit additional students from West Virginia and also from the surrounding states, so that’ll be on my agenda as well, looking at new ways to recruit students to Marshall,” Gilbert said.

Gilbert will start the position of Marshall University President in January.