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“I am honored to be named president of West Virginia University — one of our nation’s oldest land-grant institutions,� Benson said in a WVU news release. “My 30-year career in public higher education has prepared me for this singular opportunity, and I wish to thank the Board of Governors for the trust they have placed in me and hope to earn that same level of trust and support from the entire WVU community.�

Benson, 59, replaces WVU President Gordon Gee, who is retiring in June. Gee, 81, is in his second stint as WVU president. He announced in 2023 that he would retire at the conclusion of his contract in 2025, which pays Gee a base salary of $800,000 annually.

Benson’s contract runs from July 15 through June 30, 2030. He’ll be , plus annual unspecified performance incentives at the discretion of a WVU performance review panel beginning in the second year of the contract. In addition, Benson will receive annually beginning June 30, 2026, until the end of his contract in 2030.

“The contract anticipates [performance] incentives will be established and approved by the Board,� said April Kaull, executive director of communications at WVU. “This has not yet occurred.�

WVU will buy out Benson’s contract with Coastal Carolina for $500,000, according to Kaull.

According to Benson’s agreement with WVU, he can be fired with or without cause, and can resign with nine months’ notice and receive as much as one-year’s pay.

Benson “was a search committee candidate and recommended to the BOG,� Kaull said. But she would not provide a list of other candidates. Kaull also added, “President Gee was not involved in the presidential search or selection process.�

Challenges ahead for Benson

At the top of Benson’s to-do list might be WVU’s decade-long declining enrollment issues.

With 26,000 students, the university’s enrollment across all campuses has fallen 17.5% since 2015. WVU also had been weighed down by revenue lost during the pandemic and an increasing debt load for new building projects.

When Gee announced his retirement, the university by raising tuition, dropping about 8% of its majors and cutting about 5% of faculty positions. The cuts were denounced as “draconian and catastrophic� by the American Federation of Teachers.

Last summer, WVU announced it was in a more stable financial position as additional bachelor’s degree program cuts were made at satellite campuses in Beckley and Keyser.

Reaction to the Benson hire

The WVU Board of Governors voted to approve the university’s next president during its regular meeting Thursday at the Erickson Alumni Center in Morgantown, according to a previous WVU news release.

“We are beyond thrilled to welcome Dr. Michael T. Benson to the Mountaineer family,� said Patrice Harris, WVU BOG vice-chair and chair of the Presidential Search Committee. “As our presidential search officially closes and we turn the page to begin a new West Virginia University chapter, we express our sincere appreciation and gratitude for all those who participated.�

Officials from CCU acknowledged the hire on Friday.

“The Coastal Carolina University board of trustees announces that University President Michael T. Benson has been extended an offer to become the next president of West Virginia University,� the university said in a statement “which was sent to the [CCU] campus community [Friday night],� according to Jerry Rashid, CCU’s director of university communication.

The CCU statement goes on to say, “The selection of our sitting president by West Virginia’s flagship R1 institution, which also boasts an extensive academic medical center, is a testament to President Benson’s talent and leadership at Coastal Carolina University during the past four years.�

More about Benson

Since January 2021, Benson has led Coastal Carolina, a liberal arts university with an enrollment of tudents. He previously served as president of Eastern Kentucky University and Southern Utah University. He has a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University, and master’s degrees from the University of Notre Dame and Johns Hopkins University. Benson earned his doctoral degree in modern history from the University of Oxford, St. Antony’s College.

During his tenure at Coastal Carolina, according to WVU’s news release, Benson secured a $10 million gift, the largest in the school’s history, and he worked closely with community partners and policymakers to advance initiatives that benefitted CCU.

“I’m looking forward to bringing that same approach to West Virginia as I meet with people from across the WVU System, and from city hall to the State Capitol, along with West Virginians from communities across the state and our incredible network of alumni around the world,� Benson said.

He is the author of several books, including “,� released in 2018, for which Gee wrote the book’s forward.

Like Gee, Benson was born in Utah and is a member of the .

Benson and his wife, Debi, are the parents of three children — Truman, Tatum and Talmage. He has two older children from a previous marriage, Emma and Samuel.