Stephen James Kopp (March 28, 1951 – December 17, 2014) was an American educator. He was president of

Marshall University Marshall University is a public university, public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1837 and is named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States, chief justice of the Uni ...

in Huntington,

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

from 2005 until his death in 2014. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Notre Dame, and his Ph.D. in Physiology and Biophysics from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He served as a postdoctoral fellow at the St. Louis University Medical Center, and a research fellow and NIH Fellow in the department of biochemistry at the University of Illinois at Chicago prior to joining the faculty of Midwestern University. Prior to his career at Marshall, Kopp had been serving as a Special Assistant to the Chancellor with the Ohio Board of Regents. Dr. Kopp served as Provost at

Ohio University Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...

from 2002 to 2004 in Athens, Ohio. He also was founding Dean of the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions at

Central Michigan University Central Michigan University (CMU) is a Public university, public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1892 as a private normal school and became a state institution in 1895. CMU is one of the eigh ...

, and founding Dean of the College of Allied Health Professions at

Midwestern University Midwestern University (MWU) is a Private university, private Postgraduate education, graduate school with campuses in Downers Grove, Illinois and Glendale, Arizona. As of the 2022–23 academic year, a total of 2,758 students were enrolled a ...

. He also served in a variety of positions for nearly 20 years at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. Kopp assumed the presidency on July 1, 2005, taking over from interim president Michael J. Farrell. During that time, MU invested more than $300 million in new buildings and building renovations, including the new Visual Arts Center in downtown Huntington, the $55 million Arthur Weisberg Family Applied Engineering Complex, the $48 million Robert C. Byrd Biotechnology Science Center, the $23.5 million Erma Ora Byrd Clinical Center, the $44 million Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center, the $17 million Chris Cline Athletic Complex indoor practice facility and the $8 million Veterans Memorial Soccer Complex. Marshall’s academic profile grew dramatically under Kopp with new high-demand majors and degree programs, including digital forensics and the new schools of pharmacy, physical therapy and public health. Facing declining undergraduate enrollment at the beginning of his term, Kopp went on a tour statewide of high schools throughout West Virginia and was able to help Marshall reach record highs for undergraduate enrollment. Under his leadership, the four-year undergraduate engineering program was re-established and is now fully accredited. Also, external funding for research doubled and a $30 million research endowment has been established at Marshall, following the successful mini-campaign to raise $15 million in private gifts. President Kopp was the architect for the West Virginia Research Trust Fund legislation, which has matched dollar-for-dollar the private gifts to Marshall in support research. He was also a key figure in guiding the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine out of its LCME probationary period in 2011 to reaccreditation in 2013 along with Dean Joseph I. Shapiro, whom Kopp was very instrumental in recruiting to Marshall in 2012. Kopp died suddenly on December 17, 2014, of an apparent heart attack.

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Official Marshall University biographyCurriculum Vitae of Stephen J. Kopp, PhDKopp Introduced as 36th Marshall President
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kopp, Stephen J. 1951 births 2014 deaths Zonians Presidents of Marshall University University of Illinois Chicago alumni University of Notre Dame alumni Saint Louis University alumni Ohio University faculty Central Michigan University faculty

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