Hopkins, 67, will retire as president when his contract expires June 30, 2017, Wright State said.
“I have no regrets,” Hopkins said in an interview Monday. “I think everything we’ve done has placed Wright State as a much more valuable asset for the community.”
Hopkins said there was no board movement to push him from office early.
“To be very clear for you, this is something that was planned for a long time,” he said.
>> RELATED: Year of scandal and success at Wright State
The university credited Hopkins for leading the university during a time of expansion of the Fairborn campus, record levels of enrollment and fund-raising, bringing the first 2016 general election presidential debate to the Ervin J. Nutter Center and more.
The university said Hopkins had originally intended to retire in 2015, but agreed to a contract extension in order to finish work such as the university’s “Rise Shine” fund-raising campaign and joint visits from Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks and Pulitzer Prize-winner David McCullough, as well as hosting the first presidential debate.
“This is natural timing for me,” said Hopkins, who said all six of his children will have graduated from college by June 2017.
At the same time, Hopkins’ administration has been marked by controversy and scrutiny, with a federal investigation into the university’s use of immigration visas and questions about paying an outside consultant $1 million a year for development advice.
At one point, Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger, a graduate of Wright State, said he advised colleagues to be wary of any dealings with the university.
“I said use caution on everything because clearly they can’t handle themselves right now,” Rosenberger said last year.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said in February that an investigation into a Wright State consultant’s possible status as a lobbyist did not find evidence of law violations.
Of the controversies, Hopkins said, “That had no bearing on this, because I knew the facts and I knew what the truth was.”
He lamented what he called the “dismantling” of the relationships between public universities with state and federal governments. He said just 20 percent of Wright State’s revenue today comes from state support.
“We need to strengthen that relationship again,” he said, adding later: “You must find other avenues for revenue.”
“Serving as the president of this great university has truly been the most gratifying experience of my 42-year career in higher education,” Hopkins said in Wright State’s statement. “My goal was to lead Wright State to become a more relevant public research university in meeting the 21st century needs of our students and the communities we serve. To achieve that, we have aspired not to be the best university in the world, but rather the best university for the world.”
First report:
Wright State University President David R. Hopkins plans to retire when his contract expires on June 30, 2017, the university announced today.
Hopkins, 67, the sixth president of Wright State, has held the office since 2007.
“Serving as the president of this great university has truly been the most gratifying experience of my 42-year career in higher education,” Hopkins said in a release. “My goal was to lead Wright State to become a more relevant public research university in meeting the 21st century needs of our students and the communities we serve. To achieve that, we have aspired not to be the best university in the world, but rather the best university FOR the world.”
>> RELATED: Year of scandal and success at Wright State
Hopkins had originally intended to retire in 2015, but agreed to a contract extension in order to finish important university initiatives, including campus expansion, the Rise. Shine. Campaign, high profile joint visits from Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks and Pulitzer Prize-winner David McCullough, and hosting the first general election presidential debate in 2016.
Under Hopkins’ leadership, the university has built the Student Success Center, which features high-tech, active-learning classrooms as well as writing and math support labs; the Neuroscience Engineering Collaboration Building, which promises to spawn pioneering research and medical breakthroughs by housing the collective brainpower of top neuroscientists, engineers and clinicians; and opened the Wright State Research Institute.
“President Hopkins has been a passionate and visionary leader for Wright State University,” Michael Bridges, chair of the Wright State University Board of Trustees, said in a release. “His service has led the university to excel in countless areas, including neuroscience, student success and the arts, just to name a few. Our work will begin today to identify and hire the next great leader for Wright State.”
In addition, a record $152 million has been raised in the Rise. Shine. fundraising campaign, co-chaired by Hanks and Amanda Wright Lane. This effort will further elevate the school’s pre-eminence by expanding scholarships, endowing professorships and supporting construction of state-of-the-art facilities such as the Tom Hanks Center for Motion Pictures.
Hopkins came to Wright State from Indiana State University, where he served from 2001 to 2003 as senior associate vice president for academic affairs and interim dean of the School of Business.
He served as provost of Wright State from 2003 until his appointment as president in February 2007.
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