Marshall University will welcome its new president today during a reception on campus.
Jerome Gilbert, whom the university Board of Governors hired in October, will be introduced along with his wife at 2 p.m. in the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center lobby in Huntington. He and university officials will speak at the public reception.
Once he officially takes office in January, Gilbert will be the university's 37th president. He'll replace interim President Gary White, who was appointed after the unexpected death of President Stephen Kopp in December 2014.
Gilbert, who has a background in biomedical engineering and has been Mississippi State University's provost since 2010, was one of three finalists for the job.
During presidential search interviews, Gilbert said he wanted to improve the way Marshall markets itself and wanted to see a more focused effort on student success.
He signed a two-year contract with the university last month and will be paid $430,000 a year.