Special Collections

MICHAEL JOSEPH FARRELL – EIGHTEENTH PRESIDENT (INTERIM), 2005

michael farrell

When Dan Angel resigned on December 31, 2004, Michael Joseph Farrell, a member of the University’s Board of Governors, took over as interim President the next day. A. Michael Perry, chairman of the Board of Governors and a past Acting President himself, stated, “He has tremendous background and experience in academic affairs, having served on the Board of Regents and Board of Trustees and most recently on the Board of Governors. He is a longtime supporter of Marshall University and he has the support of the administrative staff at Marshall.” He outlined a number objectives for his short term: principally to promote the academics in order to attract more students and to develop an outreach to areas outside the campus. He addressed these objectives by producing a video that highlighting the faculty achievements, so that people would know that there is more to the University than athletics. During his tenure work on a biotechnology center and a health and wellness center continued forward. All in all, Farrell’s six months in office helped the university progress.

Michael Joseph Farrell, the son of Dr. Joseph M. Farrell, M.D. and Annie (McGuire) Farrekk, was born on January 7, 1947, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He graduated from Marshall University with a B.S. degree in 1969. After his graduation he joined the U.S. Army, completing his service in 1971 as a First Lieutenant. He then returned to school, graduating with a J.D. degree from West Virginia University in 1974. He was hired as an associate by the law firm of Preiser & Wilson of Charleston, West Virginia, in 1974, and left in 1977. He returned to Huntington, taking a position at Jenkins & Fenstermaker, where two years later he became a partner and chief of litigation at Jenkins, Fenstermaker, Krieger, Kayes & Farrell. He continued in that position until 1995, when he left to create his own firm Farrell, Farrell & Farrell, PLLC, of Huntington, with two of his brothers, Paul T. Farrell and Joseph M Farrell, Jr, where he was the managing partner. In 2011 he became the manager partner in Farrell, White & Legg, PLLC, where he works at present. He is licensed to practice in West Virginia, Kentucky, as well as Federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. He has served on two occasions as a Special Assistant Attorney General, State of West Virginia.

Over the years he has had an especially close relationship to Marshall University. He was a student senator (1964-1966) and student body president during 1967-1968. He was MARCO, the university mascot, from 1966 to 1968. Since 1997 he has held two faculty appointments in the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine: “These academic appointments were bestowed in recognition of his fifteen years of presenting mock trials and seminar lectures, without compensation, to the students, faculty and staff of the Marshall University School of Medicine.” He served on the Board of Advisors (2000-2001) and Board of Governors (2001-2004 and from 2005 to the present).

He married Anita L. Gardner, who is a Marshall University graduate, class of 1971. They have four sons.

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