Dr. Robert P. Alexander (1999-2000)

Dr. Bob Alexander, an Air Force veteran of the Korean War, entered Marshall in 1953 and served as Student Body President. He earned a B.A. in History and Business Principles from Marshall in 1957, an M.A. in Educational Administration from Marshall in 1960, and a Ph.D. in Business Administration Education from Ohio University in1969. He was employed at Marshall for 44 years until his retirement as Professor Emeritus in 2003. Over the course of his career at Marshall, he served as the first Director of Placement, as Director of the M.B.A. program, as Chair of the Department of Management, and as Dean of the College of Business. In 1991, he was granted the title of Distinguished Professor of Management in the Elizabeth McDowell Lewis College of Business. In 1993, he traveled under a CIBER grant to Japan, Hong Hong, China and Singapore to study economic development. He served for sixteen years on the Huntington City Council, including one term as Mayor. He is a former President of the Marshall Alumni Association and of the West Virginia Municipal League; and he was the First Vice President of the Tri-State Airport Authority. Among numerous honors, Dr. Alexander is the recipient of the M.U. Alumni Association’s Community Service Award, the American Legion Civic Improvement Award, and the WV Municipal League’s Outstanding Service Award. He was twice selected as the Teacher of the Year in his college and was elected to the Lewis College of Business Hall of Fame, to the City of Huntington Wall of Fame, and the Milton High School Hall of Fame. He was an exchange professor at Universidad Antoio de Nebrija in Madrid, Spain, and was selected for the Faculty Service Award in 1998. Dr. Alexander is a member of Beta Sigma Gamma and was chosen as the West Virginia Tree Farmer of the Year in 1990. He continues his 20 years of service on the West Virginia legislative interim committee of the Forest Management Review Commission and owns and operates a 300-acre farm in Mason County and a 10-acre orchard in Putnam County.