List of presidents of West Virginia University

President of West Virginia University
Incumbent Michael T. Benson since 2025
Appointer	West Virginia University Board of Governors
Formation	1867
First holder	Alexander Martin (1867–1875)
Website	Office of the President

This list of presidents of West Virginia University includes all who have served as president of West Virginia University. ^{[1] [2]}

Presidents

No.	Image	President	Term start	Term end	Ref.
President of the Agricultural College of West Virginia (1867–1868)
1		Alexander Martin	1867	1875	[3]
Presidents of West Virginia University (1868-present)
2		John Rhey Thompson	1877	1881
3		William Lyne Wilson	1882	1883	[4]
4		Eli Marsh Turner	1885	1893
5		James Lincoln Goodknight	1895	1897
6		Jerome Hall Raymond	1897	1901
7		Daniel Boardman Purinton	1901	1911
8		Thomas Edward Hodges	1911	1914
9		Frank Butler Trotter	1916	1928
10		John Roscoe Turner	1928	1934
11		Chauncey Samuel Boucher	1935	1938 [a]	[5]
12		Charles Elmer Lawall	1939	1945
13		Irvin Stewart	1946	1958	[6] [7]
14		Elvis Jacob Stahr	1959	1961 [b]	[8]
15		Paul Ausborn Miller	1962	1966 [c]
acting		Harry Bruce Heflin	1966	1967	[9]
16		James Gindling Harlow	1967	1977
17		Gene Arthur Budig	1977	1980 [d]
18		Harry Bruce Heflin	1981	1981
19		E. Gordon Gee [e]	July 1, 1981	June 30, 1985 [f]	[10] [11]
interim		Diane L. Reinhard	July 1, 1985	April 14 1986	[12]
20		Neil S. Bucklew	1986	1995
21		David C. Hardesty, Jr.	1995	August 31, 2007	[13] [14] [15]
22		Mike Garrison	September 1, 2007	July 31, 2008 [g]	[16] [17] [18] [19]
interim		C. Peter Magrath	August 1, 2008	June 29, 2009	[20] [21]
23		James P. Clements	June 30, 2009	December 30, 2013 [h]	[22] [23] [24]
interim		E. Gordon Gee [e]	December 31, 2013	March 3, 2014	[25]
24			March 3, 2014	July 14, 2025	[10] [11] [26]
25		Michael T. Benson	July 15, 2025	present	[27] [28]

Table notes:

1. Resigned to lead the University of Nebraska.
2. Resigned to become United States Secretary of the Army.
3. Resigned to become Assistant Secretary for Education in the U.S. Department of Health Education and Welfare.
4. Resigned to lead University of Kansas.
5. Gee is the only person to serve two non-consecutive terms as WVU president.
6. Resigned to lead University of Colorado.
7. Forced to resigned.
8. Resigned to lead Clemson University.

See also

• List of people from Morgantown, West Virginia
• List of West Virginia University alumni

References

1. "WVU Presidents". West Virginia University . Retrieved July 30, 2024.
2. "Past WVU Presidents". West Virginia University.
3. Sullivan, Ken. "Alexander Martin". The West Virginia Encyclopedia. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
4. "WILSON, William Lyne, 1843 – 1900". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
5. "Chauncey Samuel Boucher". University of Nebraska–Lincoln. October 3, 2016. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
6. Flannery, Gerald V. (1995). Commissioners of the FCC, 1927-1994. University Press of America. ISBN   9780819196699 . Retrieved July 30, 2024.
7. Barnes, Bart (December 27, 1990). "Obituaries". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
8. "Education: Heavyweight Champion". Time. May 11, 1962. Archived from the original on December 7, 2010. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
9. "Harry Heflin Family Papers". West Virginia & Regional History Center.
10. "Gee appointed West Virginia University president -- for a third time". WVUtoday. March 3, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
11. "Board names Gordon Gee as WVU president". Charleston Daily Mail (Press release). Morgantown, WV. Associated Press. March 4, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
12. "Portrait of Diane Reinhard, Acting President, West Virginia University". West Virginia & Regional History Center.
13. "Faculty | College of Law | West Virginia University" . Retrieved July 30, 2024.
14. "David C. Hardesty Jr". www.be.wvu.edu. Archived from the original on June 23, 2010. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
15. "Hardesty announces Sept. '07 retirement". WVUtoday. August 19, 2006. West Virginia University President David C. Hardesty, Jr. announced today (Aug. 19) his plan to retire effective Sept. 20, 2007. At that time, he will have served as the longest permanently appointed president in WVU history.
16. "WVU President Resigns Over Degree Scandal - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. June 6, 2008. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
17. Pace, Fred (June 7, 2008). "Garrison to step down as WVU president". Times West Virginian. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
18. BONE, TOM (June 19, 2008). "A lesson to be learned: What Mike Garrison could have said but didn't". Bluefield Daily Telegraph. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
19. "Mike Garrison: A year in office". The Daily Athenaeum . June 11, 2008.
20. "Binghamton University – News and Events: Inside: News and Notes". Archived from the original on May 25, 2010. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
21. "Former NASULGC CEO, University President Magrath named WVU's interim president". WVUtoday. July 8, 2008. C. Peter Magrath, senior adviser to the College Board and President Emeritus of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC), will become the interim president of West Virginia University, effective Aug. 1, and will begin the transition July 15.
22. "President James P. Clements, Ph.D. - Biography". Clemson University. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
23. Lammers, Carlee (June 14, 2024). "Clements to leave WVU after 4 and a half years, will become Clemson University's 15th president". The Daily Athenaeum . Retrieved August 10, 2024.
24. "Clements named WVU's 23rd president; says he can't wait to call Morgantown, WVU home". WVUtoday. March 6, 2009. James P. Clements, current provost and vice president for academic affairs at Towson University in Maryland, was named president-elect of West Virginia University today (March 6) and will become the University's 23rd president, effective June 30, 2009.
25. "Gordon Gee to return to WVU as president on interim basis; will retain Ohio, national higher education responsibilities". WVUtoday. December 6, 2013. President Emeritus of The Ohio State University and former West Virginia University President E. Gordon Gee was named today as president of WVU, effective in early January.
26. Schulz, Chris (June 13, 2025). "WVU Board Of Governors Bids Farewell To President Gee, Departing Members". West Virginia Public Broadcasting . West Virginia University President Gordon Gee will retire from his position July 14 after the board approved a minor contract extension until incoming university President Michael T. Benson takes the role July 15. Gee was originally slated to retire June 30.
27. "27th WVU president Michael T. Benson pledges to lead by example and with enthusiasm". WVUtoday. February 24, 2025. Following contract negotiations after the WVU Board of Governors meeting Feb. 20, Michael T. Benson, the current president of Coastal Carolina University, was officially announced Monday (Feb. 24) as the 27th University president. His appointment will begin in July.
28. Gilmartin, Tanner (July 15, 2025). "WVU introduces 27th President, Michael Benson". WDTV. West Virginia University's 27th President, Michael Benson, starts his tenure on Tuesday.