College Profile: Marshall University

Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, founded in 1837 as a private subscription school by several residents of Guyandotte and the surrounding area, on the site once known as Maple Grove (now part of Huntington, but then the home of the Mount Hebron Church). On March 30, 1838, the institution was formally dedicated by the Virginia General Assembly as Marshall Academy, however the majority of its offerings remained below the college level. In 1858, the Virginia General Assembly changed the name to Marshall College. The Civil War closed the often financially-challenged school for much of the 1860s. On June 20, 1863, Cabell County, Virginia was one of the 50 counties to leave Virginia at the height of the American Civil War and the college fell under the jurisdiction of the new state of West Virginia. In 1867, the West Virginia Legislature resurrected the institution as a teacher training facility and renamed it State Normal School of Marshall College. With the exception of the landmark Old Main building, expansion of the facilities and the college itself did not begin until 1907, when the Board of Regents of West Virginia changed the title of the head from "principal" to "president" and allowed the creation of new college-level departments. The West Virginia Board of Education authorized Marshall College to offer the master's degree in six programs (chemistry, education, history, political science, psychology, and sociology) in 1938, as the institution underwent another expansion, which accelerated after World War II. On March 1, 1961, Marshall College became Marshall University as the West Virginia Legislature approved university status for the institution and the legislation was signed by governor W. W. Barron. In 1997, it merged with the West Virginia College of Graduate Studies (COGS), with the latter being renamed Marshall University Graduate College. Marshall's enrollment was 16,500 in 2004. In addition to the main campus in Huntington and Marshall University Graduate College in South Charleston, West Virginia, the school maintains undergraduate centers in Gilbert, Point Pleasant, and Hurricane, West Virginia. In 1989, Marshall was governed by the University of West Virginia Board of Trustees, but this ended in 2000. Marshall University is composed of eight colleges and schools: the College of Liberal Arts (COLA), the College of Fine Arts (COFA), the College of Education and Human Services (COEHS), the College of Information Technology and Engineering (CITE), the Elizabeth McDowell Lewis College of Business (LCOB), the College of Science (COS), the College of Health Professions (COHP), and the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications (SOJMC). The University is also home to the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, a regional center for cancer research and which has a national reputation for its programs in rural health care delivery. The prominent forensic science graduate program is one of only three post-graduate-level academic programs in the United States accredited by the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. In May 2006, Dr. Stephen J. Kopp took over as Marshall University's president and Dr. Sarah Denman serves as the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. The eight college deans are Dr. Christina Murphy (COLA), Mr. Don Van Horn (COFA), Dr. Rosalyn Anstine Templeton (COEHS), Dr. Tony B. Szwilski (CITE), Dr. Paul Uselding (LCOB), Dr. Andrew Rogerson (COS), Dr. Shortie McKinney (COHP), and Dr. Corley Dennison (SOJMC). Dr. Terry Fenger serves as Director of the Forensic Science Center. Dr. Charles McKown is the Dean of the School of Medicine. Marshall University also operates the Robert C. Byrd Institute, with operations on both the Huntington and South Charleston campuses, as well as in Fairmont, West Virginia, and Rocket Center, West Virginia. The goal of the Institute is the transfer technology from the academic departments to private industry with the goal of job development in regional area.

 

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