WSU’s Hopkins to retire in 2017

David Hopkins

Age: 67

Job: Sixth president of Wright State University; has held position since 2007

Education: College of Wooster, bachelor's in physical education and master's in math; Indiana University, doctorate in kinesiology

Family: Married to Angelia, six children

Quote: "I could not be prouder of our successes and historic milestones because we have accomplished it all together."

WSU highlights under Hopkins

Capping an era of rapid growth and lingering controversy, Wright State University announced Monday that President David Hopkins will fulfill his current contract and retire next year.

Hopkins, 67, will retire after a 10-year run as WSU president when his contract expires June 30, 2017.

“I have no regrets,” Hopkins said. “I think everything we’ve done has placed Wright State as a much more valuable asset for the community.”

Hopkins is credited by the university for leading during a time of expansion of the Fairborn campus, record levels of enrollment and fund-raising, as well as bringing the first 2016 presidential debate to the Nutter Center.

WSU said Hopkins intended to retire in 2015 but agreed to a contract extension in order to finish work on projects such as the debate and the “Rise.Shine” fundraising campaign, which has raised $152 million thus far, WSU Board of Trustees chair Michael Bridges said.

“This is natural timing for me,” said Hopkins, who said all six of his children will have graduated from college by June 2017.

Wright State has been embroiled in controversy over the last year, including an ongoing federal investigation into the school’s use of H-1B temporary work visas. But Hopkins said the Board of Trustees did not push him to retire.

“To be very clear for you, this is something that was planned for a long time,” Hopkins said in a phone interview.

Added Bridges: “This was solely his decision.”

‘Natural timing’

The federal investigation became public a year ago. Top university officials were suspended — and one was later fired — in May 2015. This newspaper later revealed the reason why: WSU’s use of the temporary work visa program.

WSU also has come under fire for its relationship with consultant Ron Wine, who was paid nearly $1 million in 2014 without a written contract in effect.

“We certainly realize we have challenges on our plate right now,” Bridges said. “We have to work through those, and we will. We certainly appreciate the patience of the university community.”

Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger, a graduate of Wright State, earlier this year advised colleagues to be wary of any dealings with Wright State.

“I said use caution on everything because clearly they can’t handle themselves right now,” Rosenberger said in February.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced in February that an investigation into whether Wine violated state lobbying laws did not find evidence of wrongdoing.

Of the controversies, Hopkins said, “That had no bearing on this, because I knew the facts and I knew what the truth was.”

Hopkins lamented what he called the “dismantling” of relationships between public universities and 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. “You must find other avenues for revenue.”

Executive moves

The federal investigation has hovered over the university in a year when the first presidential debate will come to the Wright State campus.

In August 2015, the university paid $300,000 in a separation agreement with its top attorney, Gwen Mattison, who had been on paid leave during the H-1B visa probe. A former adviser to the provost, Ryan Fendley, was fired the same month.

University Provost Sundaram Narayanan and a researcher at the Wright State Research Institute both were demoted to faculty jobs and placed on paid leave.

“In any institution of 20,000 people, from time to time, there are going to be individuals who do things that are not in the best interest of the university,” Bridges said Monday. “I wish those things would not have happened.”

Hopkins said the university’s use of H-1B visas — used to bring immigrants to the United States to fill job openings — was “not a big part of our strategy” in strengthening the university as a research institution.

“I think that we’re talking about one particular grant or contract with one business in 2010,” Hopkins said Monday. “I don’t know the extent of our relationship with the business. It’s very small.”

He added, “I think it was a $750,000 contract that is under investigation out of $700 million (in federal research contracts over a decade).”

He said he had nothing new to add about the investigation and said the university continues to cooperate.

Good and bad

WSU Faculty Senate President Carol Loranger said Hopkins’ announcement was not unexpected. The president often has said he would retire after his 10th year as president, she said.

“His decade as president has been good for the university,” said Loranger, an English professor. “We can point to a number of benefits that have come to us. I think our profile as a research and an academic institution have been enhanced.”

Loranger, however, thinks Hopkins’ reputation has taken a hit. “The events of the past year have colored his long-term legacy,” she said.

Jeff Hoagland, president and chief executive of the Dayton Development Coalition, said Hopkins “has been a really bold leader and is a visionary.”

Hopkins and others saw an opportunity to focus on human factors and effectiveness research after the 2005 BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) process, Hoagland said. The BRAC moved the Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, the Air Force Institute of Operational Health, and other functions to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base from San Antonio.

“The Dayton region is just extremely lucky to have had him for the last 10 years,” Hoagland said.

“Dave Hopkins has been an extraordinary champion and leader for his university who has made his impact known as a leader in this community,” Sinclair President Steve Johnson said in a statement.

“More personally, he has also been a great friend to me for many years. I congratulate him on a great career that has seen many successes and thank him for being such a great partner to Sinclair College and for his tireless work for this region.”

State support

The announcement gives the university 14 months to conduct a nationwide search for his successor, Bridges said.

“He has been a passionate leader,” Bridges said of Hopkins. “He has extended the university’s reach well into economic development while at the same time continuing to grow our core mission for student success.”

That success includes stretching into areas of neuroscience engineering, growing nationally recognized arts programs and continued growth as an institution.

“My entire career has been about building an environment where students from all backgrounds can achieve their dreams of an affordable, high-quality education,” said Hopkins. “In addition, I have tried for 10 years to enhance our engagement with the community and bring greater visibility to Wright State. I’m really proud of what we have done.”