MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — WVU President Michael T. Benson said at his inauguration Thursday WVU will not back down to challenges facing higher education.
Benson told the crowd of students, alumni, residents, and community leaders the university faces headwinds and must improve in key areas to remain competitive well into the next century. He said the task will require a sustained effort and extraordinary hard work from university leadership, staff, faculty and the communities they serve across the state.
“To continue to be relevant through 2067, we must combine expanded access for all populations of students with technology, health, energy, advanced industry, and lifelong learning,” Benson said.
Along with that work, the day-to-day dedication to students and their successes and commitment to communities. Throughout his address Benson made it clear the land grant mission to improve lives and provide a first-class education to all who come will allow them to continue to grow.
“Through our work we will give people reasons to believe in higher education,” Benson said. “That means focusing on affordability, student outcomes, research that improves lives, responsiveness to communities, transparency, and visible service.”
The ceremony was conducted by two-time WVU graduate and West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Justice C. Haley Bunn. WVU Board of Governors Chairman Rusty Hutson presented Benson with the Presidential Medallion.
“In Michael T. Benson we have found a university chief executive officer who brings vital experience, energy, accessibility, and authenticity to the role at a pivotal time in our history,” Hutson said.
WVU SGA Vice President Rosario Jones said the students have felt the energy Benson has brought to campus. In addition to energy, Benson has already begun work on the “Strategic Compass” that provides the basis for the excitement, Jones said.
“I think he gives students a vision of what the future of the university looks like, and I think that is very important when it comes to trying to convince students of the value of their education,” Jones said.
Former student body president and current state Senator Mike Oliverio, R-Monongalia, said Benson has earned trust on campus and off. He cited the energy and the record amount of research dollars raised as an early sign of what they expect from the Benson administration.
“The students are excited about him, and the faculty and staff are going to give him a fair shot of leading this institution into the future, and the successes are starting to add up,” Oliverio said. ‘The classic example is the additional research funding the university has received.”
Other dignitaries at Thursday’s ceremony included U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Johns Hopkins University President Ronald Daniels and U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito.