Interview with Hopkins
Nov 27, 2007 6:57:00 GMT -5
Post by Raider Country on Nov 27, 2007 6:57:00 GMT -5
WSU president says he is a sports guy
By Marc Katz
Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
FAIRBORN — Of course David Hopkins was there.
Wright State was playing in its first NCAA tournament game in 14 years, and the new president of the university felt he had to be at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, N.Y., to support the Raiders in their game against Pittsburgh.
It was more than just a presidential obligation last March. Hopkins wanted to be there.
He is a sports guy who also is president. He attends lots of athletics events, but doesn't get in the way.
Born in Portsmouth and reared in Elyria, Hopkins played basketball and baseball in high school and college.
"I was a pretty average basketball player," Hopkins said. "But I was an all-conference baseball player — a center fielder — in college, at Wooster. I stayed on and coached the freshman team while earning a master's degree in math."
Later, while working as a professor at the University of Texas in Odessa, one of Hopkins' sons played at Permian High School, the focus of the best-selling book "Friday Night Lights."
"We were there during that time," Hopkins said. "My son played a few years later. I went to the games because my son played. There were 20,000 people at every home game. If you grow up there, you're just indoctrinated; you're going to be in the football program.
"It was too serious in my mind, but the whole town's identity was wrapped up in football."
At the same time, Hopkins embraces athletics at Wright State.
"When the kids came out for that game in Buffalo, the crowd started yelling, 'We are Wright State!' " Hopkins recalled. "We were drowning out all the other people there. Even the Duke fans were yelling with us.
"Wright State is the institution of the future. That showed what we stand for. We stand for people."
Wright State is 40 years old this year, a youth in the education business. By comparison, Miami University is 198 years old, the University of Dayton 157 and Ohio State 137 — which means WSU is young in every aspect, including athletics.
Hopkins, the sixth president of the school, is trying to define what the school is and should be.
"The impact Wright State has in this community is profound," Hopkins said. "There are all sorts of things going on here, in the sciences, the arts. We have a most fantastic theatre program, one of the top five in the nation. You go to a theatre event here, it's like an athletic event. You're seeing the very best."
Hopkins sees as much as he can with his wife, Angelia. They have six children, two still at home. Clearly, though, Hopkins loves sports.
"To me, what last year's men's basketball team personified is what Wright State is all about — what they did as a diverse group of people who didn't care who got the credit," he said. "They just wanted to achieve something. They really cared about each other. They did on the basketball court what we strive to do here every day — provide an environment where people can do great things.
"It's America. Sports is such a tremendous diversion, and in a positive way. It can be a great diversion from everyday life, right or wrong. When I became president, I wanted to be as visible as I could everywhere, and everywhere I went, people were talking about the NCAA. It gave me an opportunity to talk about academics.
"Did you know the largest class from high school came in this year? Do I associate it with this basketball program? I don't think I can say that directly. It certainly didn't hurt. It brought out some of the very best qualities of what we stand for at Wright State."
Even though he didn't officially become WSU's president until February, Hopkins, as the school's provost, was involved in the messy divorce from previous men's basketball coach Paul Biancardi and the hiring of present coach Brad Brownell.
"Brad is mature beyond his years," said Hopkins, who attends most of the home games. "He brings some core values. You're going to see much of what you see in him on this campus."
Hopkins has a window on the second floor of University Hall, looking out on that campus. After a recent interview, he was ready to attend a luncheon of businessmen to spread the word of his school. He knew they'd ask him about the NCAA tourney, and he'd answer about the academics.
It's a job he likes — academics, athletics and all.
www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/college/wsu/2007/11/27/ddn112707hopkins.html
By Marc Katz
Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
FAIRBORN — Of course David Hopkins was there.
Wright State was playing in its first NCAA tournament game in 14 years, and the new president of the university felt he had to be at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, N.Y., to support the Raiders in their game against Pittsburgh.
It was more than just a presidential obligation last March. Hopkins wanted to be there.
He is a sports guy who also is president. He attends lots of athletics events, but doesn't get in the way.
Born in Portsmouth and reared in Elyria, Hopkins played basketball and baseball in high school and college.
"I was a pretty average basketball player," Hopkins said. "But I was an all-conference baseball player — a center fielder — in college, at Wooster. I stayed on and coached the freshman team while earning a master's degree in math."
Later, while working as a professor at the University of Texas in Odessa, one of Hopkins' sons played at Permian High School, the focus of the best-selling book "Friday Night Lights."
"We were there during that time," Hopkins said. "My son played a few years later. I went to the games because my son played. There were 20,000 people at every home game. If you grow up there, you're just indoctrinated; you're going to be in the football program.
"It was too serious in my mind, but the whole town's identity was wrapped up in football."
At the same time, Hopkins embraces athletics at Wright State.
"When the kids came out for that game in Buffalo, the crowd started yelling, 'We are Wright State!' " Hopkins recalled. "We were drowning out all the other people there. Even the Duke fans were yelling with us.
"Wright State is the institution of the future. That showed what we stand for. We stand for people."
Wright State is 40 years old this year, a youth in the education business. By comparison, Miami University is 198 years old, the University of Dayton 157 and Ohio State 137 — which means WSU is young in every aspect, including athletics.
Hopkins, the sixth president of the school, is trying to define what the school is and should be.
"The impact Wright State has in this community is profound," Hopkins said. "There are all sorts of things going on here, in the sciences, the arts. We have a most fantastic theatre program, one of the top five in the nation. You go to a theatre event here, it's like an athletic event. You're seeing the very best."
Hopkins sees as much as he can with his wife, Angelia. They have six children, two still at home. Clearly, though, Hopkins loves sports.
"To me, what last year's men's basketball team personified is what Wright State is all about — what they did as a diverse group of people who didn't care who got the credit," he said. "They just wanted to achieve something. They really cared about each other. They did on the basketball court what we strive to do here every day — provide an environment where people can do great things.
"It's America. Sports is such a tremendous diversion, and in a positive way. It can be a great diversion from everyday life, right or wrong. When I became president, I wanted to be as visible as I could everywhere, and everywhere I went, people were talking about the NCAA. It gave me an opportunity to talk about academics.
"Did you know the largest class from high school came in this year? Do I associate it with this basketball program? I don't think I can say that directly. It certainly didn't hurt. It brought out some of the very best qualities of what we stand for at Wright State."
Even though he didn't officially become WSU's president until February, Hopkins, as the school's provost, was involved in the messy divorce from previous men's basketball coach Paul Biancardi and the hiring of present coach Brad Brownell.
"Brad is mature beyond his years," said Hopkins, who attends most of the home games. "He brings some core values. You're going to see much of what you see in him on this campus."
Hopkins has a window on the second floor of University Hall, looking out on that campus. After a recent interview, he was ready to attend a luncheon of businessmen to spread the word of his school. He knew they'd ask him about the NCAA tourney, and he'd answer about the academics.
It's a job he likes — academics, athletics and all.
www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/college/wsu/2007/11/27/ddn112707hopkins.html