After four years with Coastal Carolina University, President Michael Benson will be starting his next chapter as the 27th president of West Virginia University (WVU).
Benson will finish the spring 25’ semester with CCU, while assisting the board of trustees in their search for the next university president, but will begin his time at WVU July 15, 2025, according to a campuswide email from the Office of the President.
As the third president of CCU, he made a lasting impact on students and faculty alike.
“That’s the best part of my job, is I get to meet these students, do letters of recommendation for them, follow their progress in whatever they choose to do,” Benson said.
Benson is confident that CCU will continue to make exceptional progress.
“As much as we’re sad to leave here because we’ve got some great forward momentum, I believe we’re leaving it better than how we found it,” he said. “We found it in really good shape, but now it’s even better.”
West Virginia’s academic medical center, strong athletic standings and vast research portfolios drove Benson to reconsider their offer after initially expressing disinterest.
After more research on the position and discussions with WVU’s board, Benson realized this opportunity presented an exciting challenge: to lead WVU forward, just as he has CCU.
The board of trustees launched an immediate search for the next university president. Benson will assist with the onboarding process to ensure smooth leadership changes. He advised students not to fret over a precarious transitional period, assuring them that university leadership can handle the challenge.
“We’ve got a good team in place, and we’re keeping the ship moving forward,” Benson said.
Benson was, and will continue to be throughout the rest of his term, highly visible and accessible to students. He hopes the next university president offers students the same opportunities.
For Benson, an ideal candidate for his replacement would be a person who loves the students, is committed to education, committed to understanding the history of CCU’s unique community, is involved in campus life and will be accessible to students
While CCU’s beautiful campus will always have a place in his heart, he said he will miss faculty, staff and students the most. Namely, the late Chief of Staff Travis E. Overton.
“Right now, I miss Travis the most,” Benson said. “Travis has not only gone from campus, he’s gone from our lives, and that’s been really hard.”
He will miss everyone on campus he had the pleasure of interacting with on campus.
“I’ll miss my team. I’ve got a really great president’s council, and they’ve all become wonderful friends. But I’ll also miss the students that I’ve become closer to, the custodial staff that come in every day and make sure everything’s clean,” Benson said.
