Story by Joe Nelson
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — WVU has announced Coastal Carolina University President Michael T. Benson will be WVU’s 27th president.
WVU made the official announcement on Monday after the WVU Board of Governors approved moving forward with contract negotiations with Benson in a 15-2 vote last Thursday MetroNews reported the hiring Friday.
WVU Board of Governors Chair Rick Pill said Monday he feels confident in the decision based on the interviews taken with Benson, where the new president detailed a combination of ideas and goals he hopes to achieve for the university.
“I think Mike is a very balanced and very diversified person,” said Pill. “He’s extremely educated, I think he has a very good knowledge of sports, and he has a great academic background and understanding for teaching and understanding the needs of the students.”
Benson, 59, has agreed to a five-year contract that will pay him $850,000 a year. There’s also a chance to earn more through incentives. The deal also includes $300,000 in deferred compensation that Benson will receive annually beginning in the summer of 2026. Benson made $500,000 at Coastal Carolina.
27th WVU president Michael T. Benson pledges to lead by example and with enthusiasmhttps://t.co/J1Fshexqyu
— WVUToday (@wvutoday) February 24, 2025
WVU will be Benson’s fifth presidency undertaken during his academic career. Prior to his arrival at Coastal Carolina in 2021, Benson previously served as president of Snow College, Southern Utah University, and Eastern Kentucky University. While at Coastal Carolina, Benson implemented several programs to increase student recruitment and retention and that stood out to Pill and other members of the selection committee throughout the interview process. With ideas such as direct interactions with students in middle school and up,
Pill said some of those could be implemented in the Mountain State.
“Retention is important for him but also recruitment for him, and he really instituted some really good programs at Coastal Carolina,” Pill said.
Aside from Benson’s experience as a president of several universities, Pill also pointed out the new WVU president’s ability to secure large-scale funding for universities as another of his positive qualities. During his tenure at Coastal Carolina, Benson secured a $10 million gift, which was the largest in the school’s history, while working closely with community partners to implement successful policies and increase relationships with potential donors. While the WVU Foundation is considered financially strong, Pill has optimism into what Benson can bring to the table.
“I think he’s very good at fundraising,” said Pill. “Coastal Carolina’s fundraising has increased dramatically in the years since he’s been down there, while our foundation is doing a great job in fundraising, I think he’s only going to help elevate that.”
Pill mentioned that the announcement of Benson as the 27th President of West Virginia University has received initial praise from soon-to-be-departing WVU President Gordon Gee and other WVU administrators. This includes support from the WVU Athletic Department, WVU Medicine, and the majority of the over dozen academic departments that encompass the university.
“I think we’ve gotten a very positive response from Wren Baker, our athletic department, from the medical field, and those people who were involved in the interview process also,” Pill said.
With the final obligations of Benson’s contract with Coastal Carolina set to be completed in the next few months, Pill and the rest of the WVU community are ready to welcome the 27th president of the university.
Benson’s appointment will begin in July.