When former chief of staff Bill Bissett resigned in February, President Kopp was looking for a replacement. He found that replacement in Matt Turner, a former Marshall graduate.

“It was a unique opportunity here,” said Matt Turner, chief of staff. Turner previously worked for West Virginia Gov. Manchin as director of communications. “I really enjoyed working for the governor, but this was … an opportunity that I didn’t want to let go without trying for.”

Turner has many responsibilities as the new chief of staff involving a wide variety of subjects. “I’m a liaison between the President’s office and a lot of the public and also the different groups on campus,” said Turner. “The Emails are pretty frequent,and on a variety of topics ranging from arrangements for a football game to questions about the students that parents may have.”

Although Turner was last a student here in the late 1990s, he says the campus has grown a lot, both in student size and in building additions. “Things change here pretty rapidly, and I think the campus has grown very quickly in the last few years. There’s a very positive buzz about campus and, I think, about the future of Marshall,” Turner said.

One of Turner’s main focuses at Marshall is student success. While things like new buildings, campus growth and enrollment rates are important, Turner says he wants students who come here to succeed.

Turner is very clear that he didn’t come into this position ready to change the way things are done. “I think this job is so complex and there’s a lot of responsibility. A good portion right now is listening.” He says that he’s listening to the concerns of the students, faculty and community to see how they can collectively improve the university.

“I think Marshall’s on the move. I think it’s headed in a very positive direction. They’ve got the progress to prove it, and we’re going to continue in that direction.”