Appointed by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, Christopher “Chris” Miller, William “Bill” Noe and Sandra Thomas will serve the university for a four-year term ending in 2023.
- Miller is a Cabell County resident and is general manager and vice president of Dutch Miller Auto Group—his family’s longtime car dealership in West Virginia. Miller was not able to attend today’s meeting.
- Noe, a Marshall University graduate, is the retired chief operating officer of NetJets Inc., located in Columbus, Ohio.
- Thomas, who graduated from Marshall with an accounting degree, is a partner at Dixon Hughes Goodman in Charleston.
The trio replaces outgoing board members Phyllis Arnold, David Haden and Wyatt Scaggs, who received praise for their service from Board Chairman James Bailes and Marshall President Jerome A. Gilbert.
Dr. Daniel Holbrook, professor of history, and new Student Government Association President Stephanie Rogner will represent the faculty and student body, respectively.
Additional action from the board today included approval of a revised Intercollegiate Athletics policy put forth by its newly revived Athletic Committee. Over the past few years, the board has operated with two standing committees: Academic and Student Affairs, and Finance, Audit and Facilities Planning. The report today from the Athletic Committee is the first such report from the re-formed committee.
The board also approved the investment earnings update for the last quarter; and, in an ongoing effort to review and revise campus policies, the board approved more than a dozen updates.
Following executive session, the board voted to allow negotiations to proceed on a land purchase, details of which will be disclosed at a later date.
Board members also authorized a $40,000 pay raise for Gilbert. Bailes said the board had wanted to give Gilbert a raise in prior years, but that the president had declined the proposed increases because of the university’s budget constraints. This is Gilbert’s first pay raise since he joined the university in 2016.
In other board discussion, Marshall Health, along with Cabell Huntington Hospital and the Marshall’s schools of Medicine and Pharmacy, reported a plan to create additional parking for the Fairfield health sciences campus. Consideration is underway for a proposed four-story parking structure to be built between Charleston and Columbia avenues on an existing surface lot. Marshall Health is planning to apply for tax-exempt bonds to finance the construction of the parking garage.
During his report to the board, Gilbert briefed the group about an upcoming international trip to Japan and South Korea. Gilbert, several Marshall staff members, and representatives from the West Virginia Department of Commerce and Appalachian Power will embark Sept. 22 on the 10-day exploratory research and development trip. Their itinerary includes stops at several aerospace and automotive companies, as well as four universities. Gilbert said they will be exploring research opportunities for Marshall, talking to companies that may want to locate in the Mountain State, and discussing student recruitment and exchange programs.