Dr. Chet Cooper

    Dr. Chet Cooper, a professor in the Youngstown State University Department of Biological Sciences, is in his first year as the Athletic Department's NCAA Faculty Representative.
    In his capacity, Cooper serves as a liaison between the faculty and the athletic department, and he will represent YSU in NCAA, Horizon League and Missouri Valley Football Conference matters.
    Cooper came to Youngstown State in 2000 as an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and a member of the School of Graduate Studies. While at YSU, Cooper has twice earned a Distinguished Professor Award for Scholarship - in 2004 and 2009.
    Cooper has been the chair of the YSU Academic Senate since 2008, and he has served on the body in various committees since 2002. Cooper is also active in the University community by serving on the negotiating team of the YSU Ohio Education Association, the Intercollegiate Athletic Council and the Student Government Association as a faculty advisor.
    Prior to coming to Youngstown, Cooper taught at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Case Western Reserve University, Albany Medical College, Russell Sage College, Austin Community College and the University of Texas. He has also worked as the Associate Director of the Center for Medical Mycology at University Hospitals of Cleveland. Prior to his academic career, Cooper was a research scientist at the New York State Department of Health in Albany, N.Y.
    In the community, Cooper is an Elder and Deacon at the Youngstown First Presbyterian Church, and he is a board member for the Mahoning Valley Association of Churches.
    Cooper is also a highly respected umpire at the state and national levels. He has been a licensed Ohio High School Athletic Associate and a member of the Mahoning Valley Association of Umpires since 2003, and he's worked tournaments at the district and sectional levels. He has been a Little League Certified Umpire since 1994, and he has served as the District 2, Ohio Umpire-in-Chief since 2008. He called balls and strikes for the Little League Midwest Championship game in 2005 that was televised on ESPN.
    Cooper earned his Bachelor of Science degree in biology at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown in 1979. He earned his master's and Ph.D. at the University of Texas in 1983 and 1989.
    Cooper and his wife, Karen, live in nearby Canfield and have two children - Chet III and Heather. Heather is a senior nursing student at YSU. Cooper is a native of Rochester, Pa., and a 1975 graduate of Rochester Area.