“In a state like West Virginia, univer-
sities have a larger role to play than in
wealthy states where economic vibrancy
is not an issue,” he says. “I put as one
of my goals that Marshall would be in-
volved in economic development. We
can partner with industries, try to create
jobs and position ourselves to be of
assistance to the state.”
To get the ball rolling, Gilbert reached
out to several other universities in the
southern part of the state to form the
Alliance for the Economic Development
of Southern West Virginia. The group is
made up of two- and four-year colleges
pooling their collective talents and re-
sources to attract businesses and promote
growth in their region.
“West Virginia’s universities have things
to offer companies that want to come
here,” says Gilbert. “From the expertise
of our faculty to tailored programs for
our workforce to help with research and
development in terms of ideas a compa-
ny may have about new products, the
alliance allows us to operate in an ad-
junct or support function to the com-
merce department, the governor’s office
and the state.”
Gilbert also works with West Virginia
University and the West Virginia Depart-
ment of Commerce on West Virginia For-
ward, an initiative focused on leveraging
business and education to help address
statewide issues, which he considers to
be complementary to the work of the
alliance and Marshall University.
“We have to leverage education to
attract industry,” he says. “I think our
community here in Huntington has gotten
its act together in the past couple years.
We’ve had challenges with the opioid
epidemic, but we’ve gone beyond that
now. We’re starting to see an uptick in
economic activity. I’m hoping that with
initiatives like these and others, we can
capitalize on that upswing as a university
and a community by attracting more
people and more students. I do think
brighter days are ahead for the state
and for Huntington, and I’m excited
for what the future holds.”
Impacting the Community
When he is not busy running a Division
I university, meeting with prospective stu-
dents or attending economic development
meetings, Gilbert can be found serving
the Huntington community on a civic
28
WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE
level. He is most heavily involved with
the Fairfield Alliance, a group working
to revitalize the community of Fairfield,
which is adjacent to Marshall’s campus.
“Fairfield used to be a very vibrant
community up until about the 1970s,”
he says. “There were a lot of businesses
in predominantly black communities
like this that were duplicating services
offered in white communities—grocery
stores, law offices, you name it. With in-
tegration, the need for those businesses
was not as great, and, as a result, a lot of
those supports and jobs have gone away.”
While the community has lost a lot of
infrastructure in terms of business, the
Fairfield Alliance is looking at ways to
reinfuse it with opportunity. One of the
most exciting gains the group has made
came in June with the groundbreaking
of a new facility for Marshall Univer-
sity’s pharmacy school, which will be
located in Fairfield near Cabell Huntington
Hospital.
Gilbert leading the annual Marshall University unity walk.
Photo by Ryan Fischer/Marshall University.
Gilbert and other university administrators
volunteering for Habitat for Humanity.
Photo by Rick Haye/Marshall University.
Finding a Home in West Virginia
Gilbert has set the bar high for uni-
versity presidents and West Virginians,
making his home here without hesitation
and working hard to make the Mountain
State a better—and more inclusive—
place to live. One of the things he is most
passionate about is making Marshall
University a place where students feel
welcome. As part of this commitment,
Gilbert helped create the President’s
Commission on Diversity, Equality and
Inclusion and the President’s Commission
on Women with the goal of diversifying
the campus and exposing students to a
more varied population.
“My favorite thing about my job is the
opportunity to impact students’ lives—
it’s why I’m still in higher education,” he
says. “We have the opportunity to not
only prepare students for a career but
see them grow and mature. West Vir-
ginia is a very homogenous state, and
it’s important as an institution of higher
learning that we give students the op-
portunity to interact with a lot of dif-
ferent people so they get a sense of what
is out in the world and what the global
society looks like. It’s important for our
students to get to know each other on
a one-on-one basis so they can see they
have more commonalities than differenc-
es. You learn that by knowing someone
on a personal level.”
Gilbert reacting to Marshall’s defeat of Wichita State in the
first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Photo by Rick Haye/Marshall University.
Gilbert has truly hit the ground running
in his short time at Marshall University.
Like most who come to West Virginia,
he feels the pull of the Mountain State.
“There is a really strong draw here to
the pla ce and the land and the moun-
tains, and I think I have a sense of what
people here feel is important,” he says. “I
feel very much at home in West Virginia
and very comfortable with its people.
I’m not one to put on airs or think of
myself any differently than anybody else.
I can relate to West Virginians, and that
is important to me—to be able to treat
people with respect. One of the things
I am most proud of at Marshall is our
creed that talks about respect, valuing
relationships and being part of a family.
I feel strongly about helping this family,
and I think higher education is a great
and fun place to do that.”