Marshall Magazine Spring 2022

including a provost, an athletic director and sev eral deans. Academically, he is empowering the pro vost and faculty to ensure Marshall’s curriculum is grounded in general edu cation while being market driven and future focused. He plans to increase acces sibility to online classes and distinguish Marshall from other universities. “We are in the 21st cen tury, where higher learning is being changed and dis rupted, and I want to help leadMarshall through this transformation. It is my aspiration that Marshall will rank among the elite universities in the nation in preparing young minds to compete in this new future.” Smith should feel right at home in Huntington. Throughout his career he returned numerous times to the area to see his mother and two broth ers, with whom he is very close. “I love the Huntington area,” he said. “There is a pride and sense of purpose in both Huntington and Marshall that is different from many of the places I’ve been. Look at what

PHOTO BY AUSTIN O’CONNOR

Brad D. Smith was named the university’s new president at a press conference on Oct. 28, 2021.

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this community has accomplished since the plane crash. It has been hit with tragedy and fought its way through, and it just keeps coming back. And I think that is the secret to life.”

Marshall’s new president is hard at work with his transition team, which has laid out a game plan for his first 100 days. High on his list of priorities is a listening tour to take the pulse of the university and the commu nity. He has had 36 different sessions scheduled with faculty, staff, students, alumni, state and community leaders and health care professionals — all occurring in his first 40 days. Smith also has high-level positions that need to be filled,

Jack Houvouras is the publisher of Marshall Magazine and Huntington Quarterly . He is a 1988 graduate of Marshall University. In 2021 he was inducted into the university’s W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications Hall of Fame.

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