West Virginia University has made a bold move to combat its enrollment crisis, offering Coastal Carolina President Michael Benson the top leadership role amid mounting financial pressures. The 26,000-student institution faces a 17.5% enrollment drop since 2015, compounded by pandemic losses and $45 million budget gaps under outgoing President E. Gordon Gee.
Benson brings a proven track record in academic fundraising, having secured Coastal Carolina's largest-ever $10 million gift in 2022. His prior achievements include transforming Snow College's athletic sponsorship and outraising 115 years of donations in just five years.
While we'll miss President Benson, his work positions Coastal Carolina for tremendous opportunities,said board chair H. Delan Stevens.
The Utah-born administrator faces three critical challenges:
- Reversing declining student numbers across WVU's Morgantown, Beckley, and Keyser campuses
- Repairing faculty relations after 5% staff cuts drew union criticism
- Managing $45 million debt from new construction projects
Benson's hands-on leadership style, exemplified by personally shoveling a student's driveway during an Eastern Kentucky snowstorm, contrasts with Gee's decade-spanning tenure. The 60-year-old academic holds degrees from Oxford and Johns Hopkins, with presidential experience at four institutions.
WVU's financial restructuring plan under Gee included:
- 8% reduction in academic majors
- Tuition increases
- Satellite campus program cuts
As Benson considers the offer, stakeholders question if his Utah-based higher education strategies can translate to Appalachian demographics. With Coastal Carolina reaching record 11,000 enrollment under his watch, West Virginia bets on replicating that growth through community engagement and corporate partnerships.