The Times West Virginian

Opinion

July 2, 2009

Dr. Krepel sincerely seeks input to better FSU

Dr. Thomas Krepel proved to be a man of his word.

On Tuesday, serving his first day as the new president of Fairmont State University, Krepel hopped in his car and traveled to Valley Worlds of Fun in Pleasant Valley to serve as featured speaker for the United Way of Marion County’s Celebration of Service luncheon.

It gave him the opportunity to meet a number of local leaders and volunteers in his first speaking engagement as the new FSU leader and to reinforce his philosophy that effective communication is the best way to move forward.

We welcome Krepel to our community and look forward to the opportunity for students, faculty, administrators, alumni and townspeople to interact with the university’s new president

Krepel, the unanimous choice of the search committee to become FSU’s 13th president after serving from 1997 to 2005 as the main man at Chadron State College in Chadron, Neb., and then as assistant to the president at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill., has vowed to do plenty of listening as he undertakes his new position.

When he was named FSU’s president in March, Krepel talked about a “community of shared interests” and how he believes creating one is the best way to move FSU forward.

“What I mean by that is we all have a role in strengthening the institution and moving it forward and making sure we’re providing students the very best opportunity that we can. Yes, the president sets the tone and pace, but everyone has a role to play,” he said. “In administrative leadership, you gain an awful lot when you can step back from a situation and look at it as someone else does. We all have something to contribute. I’m using ‘all’ in a very deliberate and conclusive way.”

Krepel brings a varied background to Fairmont. He left a job as a middle school social studies teacher to go into business with his father as a meat cutter. After that, he became a lobbyist and eventually moved into higher education administration. He’s worked with every group with an interest in higher education, from business and industry to politics, education and the local community.

The political expertise is critical in the extremely competitive pursuit of funds. Krepel said one of the keys to increasing legislative funding is to explain the difference between spending money and investing money to legislators.

One of the early issues for Krepel is the separation of FSU and its sister institution, Pierpont Community & Technical College. The final bits of paperwork separating the two into freestanding schools are being completed. An act of the state Legislature last year mandated the separation, which will leave two schools sharing the same campus.

Krepel stressed that policy makers “want to see collaboration and progress” in such matters rather than conflict, so he brings a positive attitude about the issue.

“If we step outside ourselves, went across the street and looked at this lovely campus, we’d probably say ‘doesn’t it make sense? Aren’t they in the same business?’ We’re here to educate young people,” Krepel said. “I think it’s a neat concept. It was one of the things that intrigued me when I heard about Fairmont State. I thought ‘what a neat idea.’”

The success of Fairmont State and our region is obviously intertwined. Appropriate education of the workforce is essential if North Central West Virgina is to continue its economic performance well above the national average, and FSU must play a central role in meeting that objective.

We wish Krepel all the best in the years ahead, and we trust he’ll find plenty of cooperation in his bid to make Fairmont State into the best university it can be.

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