Refocusing the attention of errant students was only one of Robert Copeland's roles during his 27 years as advisor and, eventually, as dean in LAS's Student Academic Affairs Office. When he died this past June, students also said good-bye to a father figure, a therapist, and a friend who kept their needs front and center.
Copeland grew up in tiny Hendersonville, North Carolina, where his neighbors had him pegged to become a minister. Instead, he channeled his compassion into education, first as a high school biology teacher and then, after obtaining his Ph.D. in science education, as a student advisor and dean. The concern for human rights that drove him to participate in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s manifested itself repeatedly during his tenure in LAS. He was an advocate of programs to aid underrepresented populations and also was a firm, caring figure ready to help any student in a time of trouble.
"He has been the person at the apex of the world of our students," says Jesse G. Delia, dean of LAS. "He has turned around countless young lives."
Charles Brock will attest to that. While a junior in LAS in the 1970s, Brock turned to Copeland for advice about finishing school when he learned he was losing his eyesight due to diabetes. Brock never forgot Copeland's response: "Sometimes you have to take life as it comes, and when life throws you curves, you just have to dig in, set yourself, wait for your pitch, and whatever pitch that is, swing as hard as you can." And, says Brock, when he did lose his eyesight, he swung at life as hard as he could, and that is why he finished school and is successful today.
Copeland's open-door policy and reputation for "brutal honesty" won him the respect of hundreds of students over the years, many of whom are still in contact. "He goes to more weddings, christenings, and graduations than anyone I know," says Joanne Hodges, who has worked with Copeland all 27 years. "Former students always visit him when they are on campus and are now bringing their children to meet him."
Faculty and staff are also quick to praise Copeland. One colleague described him as a "great man" because of his integrity and refusal to be intimidated. "If a wrong is committed and it is Copeland's job to act as the advocate for someone who is right, he will be absolutely fearless."
At his retirement banquet, the college showed its appreciation for Copeland by announcing the establishment of a fund in his honor to help students who face emergencies while at school.
"Today I feel like the luckiest man in the world," said Copeland at the banquet. "It was worth staying 27 years just for the fund."
