Dr. Stephen J. Kopp became president of Marshall University in July 2005. During his tenure, Marshall has thrived, experiencing unprecedented growth in enrollment and development of the university's infrastructure and academic programs.
Nearly $200-million in new buildings and building renovations have been completed on his watch. New high-demand majors and degree programs have been implemented successfully, with additional ones on the near horizon, including physical therapy and public health. These new programs will build on Marshall’s nationally ranked School of Medicine and its #1-ranked master’s degree program in forensic science.

Discovery and innovation are also on the upswing at Marshall, with funding for research doubling during the last five years. The engineering program has been revitalized, accredited and is the fastest-growing undergraduate major on campus, and the Rahall Transportation Institute has advanced to become one of the top university transportation centers in the country.

Student enrollment is soaring thanks to President Kopp’s leadership. This fall Marshall University welcomed the largest freshman class in its long and illustrious history. He has revitalized Marshall athletics and led the university community through the making of the “We Are Marshall” movie, which brought Marshall into the households of hundreds of millions of people around the world. Dr. Kopp believes the personal touch provided by Marshall University plays a key role in student success. He takes great pride in congratulating every student who marches for graduation, a time-honored tradition commonly lost among large universities today.

Dr. Kopp joined Marshall following leadership positions with Midwestern University, Central Michigan University and Ohio University. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology in 1973 from the University of Notre Dame, and his Ph.D. in physiology and biophysics in 1976 from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He was a postdoctoral fellow at St. Louis University Medical Center, department of physiology, and a research fellow and NIH fellow in the department of biochemistry at the University of Illinois at Chicago.