The Student: What are you looking forward to most about this school year?
Cooper: I think for me, it was that I extended my contract. It was supposed to be my last year and now it’s not. I get to be here for another four years at least, which is great. When I saw the freshman class come in, I was like, “This is my class. I get to see them graduate.” We also added women’s wrestling as a varsity sport, which is the first time Springfield has added a sport in 46 years.
The Student: Are there any challenges the college is facing?
Cooper: Certainly. There is an enrollment decline in the Northeast. We expanded our reach last year to Pennsylvania and now we’re moving into Washington D.C. We can’t be dependent only on Connecticut and Massachusetts students primarily. Enrollment is always a challenge, but we did meet our numbers. A lot of schools didn’t.
The Student: Do you have any advice to first-year students?
Cooper: It was great to see all our new students with their beanies. It’s been a great start to the year and of course Annie [Warchol] and her team have done a great job with all of their events. It’s really a simple message. It was to say yes. Because when you come here and it’s a finite time, if somebody says, “Let’s do this,” do it! Because the opportunity may not present itself again. When I look back on my college days, I wish I had said yes to more things.
The Student: Why is going to sporting events and being active in the community important to you?
Cooper: It’s mostly the joy that you get because of seeing people do what they really love. I’m in the gym almost every day, and it’s seeing people working out and doing what they love. It’s the same with clubs like Best of Broadway and CAB.
The Student: Do you feel any pressure at all about new buildings on campus?
Cooper: We’re moving where we have money, right? Students will find a way to say what’s on their mind. That’s how we got the Learning Commons open 24/7 or the new Health Science Center. These committees make decisions based on what students say. Gulick was a prime example of that. It wasn’t ADA compliant and it was a confusing build. Once the second chiller went out, it wasn’t going to be air conditioned, it lost its charm. What kind of residence hall do we need? Right now we have capacity for all of the students, but do we take another residence hall down and build something bigger? I do feel a level of responsibility for how much resources students spend, and we have got to give them the best student experience that we can. It is my responsibility, so yes, I worry about that.