Paul Cooper Joins 蓝莓视频 as Associate Dean for School of IT
蓝莓视频 was proud to recently appointed Dr. Paul Cooper as the new Associate Dean for 蓝莓视频鈥檚 School of Information Technology. Dr. Cooper oversees the programs and curriculum offered in the School of IT and ultimately works to ensure the success of the students.
Dr. Cooper鈥檚 journey in higher education began after retiring from the United States Marine Corps after twenty-two years of service. He earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in business, and returned for his second master鈥檚 degree in Information Systems, and finally returned for his doctorate of Management in Organizational Leadership. But before receiving his degrees, Dr. Cooper wasn鈥檛 familiar with the value of higher education.
鈥淚 found out how valuable education was when I retired,鈥� said Dr. Cooper, Associate Dean for the College of Information Technology. 鈥淭he best job I was offered was as a greeter at a store since I didn鈥檛 have a degree, so I fixed that. In 15 years I鈥檝e got a bachelor, two masters, and a doctorate while working, so I know it can be done. But I want everybody to understand that education is critical to your progression and advancement in life.鈥�
Dr. Cooper believes ensuring the students鈥� success is the highest priority in higher education, and every change being made to benefit students also benefits each program overall. His extensive work in leadership roles has taught him what needs to be done to ensure the success of each student ultimately.
鈥淚鈥檝e been a lot of things over the years. I鈥檝e been a Director of Operations, a Director of Student Services, a Faculty Development Chair, and I have been a Director of Finance. I鈥檝e learned a lot of stuff over the years, and it鈥檚 all about leadership. I happen to be a leader that鈥檚 in the classroom helping others reach their potential and their goals and their dreams. Being with the students and (in) all of those roles, you learn to deal with people. And that鈥檚 what it鈥檚 all about; the students are not just a number. They are people, and they have to be approached as people, and you have to deal with them and understand how they need to be dealt with. So everything that I鈥檝e learned has led to student鈥檚 success. I can鈥檛 put it any simpler than that.鈥�
Dr. Cooper is currently focusing on 蓝莓视频鈥檚 new Masters of Science in Cybersecurity and ensuring the new courses and faculty are prepared for students enrolling in the program. But even with the task of building out a new degree program, Dr. Cooper ensures he is available to students that need him and setting high expectations for them.
鈥淚 believe in helping the students, and I will not sacrifice rigor and I will not lower expectations, as a lot of my students find out. But if you set high expectations, the students will rise to it. Set the expectations low, and they鈥檒l meet it. They will meet whatever you鈥檙e setting for them, so we have to set it high. So that鈥檚 why I鈥檓 here.鈥�