First candidate for new Marshall president visits campuses

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall University’s South Charleston and Huntington campuses welcomed Dr. Denis A. Wiesenburg Tuesday for the first of three visits this week of the school’s final presidential candidates.

Wiesenberg is the former provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of Southern Mississippi. He said he saw some similarities between the two schools.

“I’m interested in Marshall because it’s an incredible opportunity. It’s a well-run university. It has great potential for the future,” Wiesenburg said. “Coming from Southern Miss, it’s a very similar skill. Same number of students, same faculty size, endowment size, about the same budget and the same issues.”

He thought that Marshall has to take advantage of opportunities to grow both its endowment and its student body. He described what he enjoyed most about higher education.

“We’re able to change people lives. I think that’s why most people go into education. It’s because helping students find their full potential, find their life calling, is something so enjoyable when we’re able to help students do that.”

With so many recent shootings on college campuses, Wiesenberg also touched on the topic of making universities safer.

“The big issue on everyone’s mind these days is campus safety,” he said. “We need to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to keep campuses safe.”

Dr. Jerome A. Gilbert, provost and executive vice president of Mississippi State University and Dr. Christopher G. Maples, president of Oregon Institute of Technology are the two other finalists.

Gilbert will visit on Wednesday and Thursday, and Maples is scheduled for Thursday and Friday.

Marshall’s Board of Governors hopes to have a new president by the new year.





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