Early life and education
Benson graduated with his bachelor's degree in 1990, cum laude, from Brigham Young University,where he was elected to Phi Kappa Phi. He then worked in Washington,D.C.,for the U.S. Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee as a research assistant. Benson earned a doctorate in modern history from St Antony's College,Oxford in 1995,where he was a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar. His dissertation committee included Daniel Walker Howe,Robert Dallek,and John Lewis Gaddis. While at Oxford,Benson served as an officer in the Oxford University L'Chaim Society,led by founder Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. [2]
Benson also earned a master's degree cum laude in non-profit administration in 2011 from the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame,and a master’s in liberal arts in 2021 from Johns Hopkins University where he was elected to the Association of Graduate Liberal Studies Programs (AGLSP) National Honor Society. Two years after completing his degree from Notre Dame,the Mendoza College of Business recognized Benson with its Recent Alumni Service Award. [3] In recent years,he has received national attention for his religious ecumenicism [4] and his humorous use of social media to reach students. [5] [6] [7]
Benson played JV basketball at Brigham Young University,and was a member of the Oxford University Men's Basketball Team that won the 1993–94 British University Sports Federation (BUSF) National Championship and placed second at the British University Sports Association (BUSA) National Tournament. He is also a golfer and marathon runner,having won his age division in the 1983 St. George Marathon (personal best of 2:41) and placing among the top 30% of all runners in the 1984 Boston Marathon. He was inducted into the Southern Utah University Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa in 2012. [8]
Career
Snow College
In 2001,Benson was appointed as the 14th president of Snow College. At the age of 36,he was the youngest college or university president in the history of the Utah System of Higher Education. During his tenure,Benson raised the private funds to construct the Eccles Center for the Performing Arts, [9] made Snow an All-Steinway school, [10] and brought Elie Wiesel to campus for a lecture and to receive an honorary degree. [11] Benson was inducted into the Horne School of Music Hall of Fame at Snow College in December 2022. [12]
Southern Utah University
Benson was appointed the president of Southern Utah University on November 10,2006,by the Utah State Board of Regents. [13] Two weeks into his presidency,Benson secured the largest donation in the school's history,which was used to expand SUU's Science Complex. [14] He was also instrumental in gaining admission for SUU into the Big Sky Conference [15] and landed the largest gift in the university's history from the Sorenson Legacy Foundation to help construct the Beverly Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts. [16] In March 2014,Benson returned to Cedar City to help celebrate the conclusion of "The Future is Rising" campaign which brought in a record $105 million in seven years for Southern Utah University.
Eastern Kentucky University
On August 1,2013,Benson became the 12th president of Eastern Kentucky University.
In 2015,Benson worked with retired EKU archivist Charles Hay and senior Damir Siahkoohi and proposed to EKU's board of regents that Dr. Mary Roark,Eastern's “acting”president in 1909–10,be named officially as Eastern's second president. The board took this action at its February 2,2015,meeting. Dr. Mary Roark assumed the presidency when her husband Ruric Nevel Roark died suddenly after a short illness,and was the first female to serve as president of any public college or university in the state of Kentucky. Benson thus became Eastern's 13th president. [17]
During his six-and-a-half-year tenure at EKU,Benson oversaw nearly $300 million in capital improvements to the campus that included the largest state appropriation in the University’s history ($66.5 million) for phase II of a Science complex. [18] He also launched the most aggressive fund raising campaign ever:Make No Little Plans. [19] Retention and graduation rates also increased as did annual fund raising totals. [20]
On December 11,2019 President Benson announced his resignation from Eastern Kentucky University effective January 6,2020. He was subsequently named President Emeritus of EKU and spent 2020 researching and writing his latest book on Daniel Coit Gilman for Johns Hopkins University Press. [21] In May 2023,Benson was inducted into the EKU Society of Foundation Professors as an honorary member in recognition of his teaching and scholarship during his service as president. [22]
Coastal Carolina University
In October 2020,Coastal Carolina University announced the appointment of Benson as its third president and ninth leader. Benson began his tenure on January 1,2021. [23] He replaced David A. DeCenzo,who retired after serving for nearly 14 years as the University's president. Benson's first 100 days in office were chronicled in a series of campus-produced videos by the CCU communications team. [24]
In August 2021,CCU welcomed its largest and best-prepared freshman class in history. [25] The university also landed at spot #5 in Best Value School for the Southern region in the latest U.S. News &World Report rankings. [26] In September 2021,former head football coach and CEO of TD Ameritrade,Joe Moglia,made a substantial gift to Coastal Carolina University to complete funding for a new soccer facility as well as a multi-purpose building that will constructed in the south endzone of Brooks Stadium. [27] In May 2022,Coastal Carolina announced the largest gift in its history:$10 million from Conway Medical Center to name and endow a new College of Health and Human Performance. Funds from the gift will provide scholarships for students and also help construct an indoor practice facility on the south side of Brooks Stadium. [28] [29] In August 2022,the Coastal Carolina University Board of Trustees unanimously voted to extend Benson’s contract as president through 2028. [30]
An early priority of Benson’s administration was working with Horry County Schools,and Horry-Georgetown Technical College (HGTC) to secure the renewal of the Horry County Penny Sales tax. In November 2022,the measure was approved with over 68% voting in support of the tax which is now in place until 2039. [31] In recognition of his service to CCU,Horry County,and the partnership with HGTC,Benson was named Distinguished Patron of the College in May 2023. [32] October 2024 saw the largest number of students ever enrolled at CCU —11,225 students —along with a record retention rate. [33] Recently completed facilities include a new soccer complex and Thompson Library. Just prior to his departure,Benson oversaw the ribbon cutting on a brand new 93,000 square foot indoor practice facility,considered to be one of the best among the current Group of Six schools. [34] [35]
In late 2024,Benson led the completion of CCU Reach,the university’s strategic plan as well as a campus master plan featuring the following projects:a new Center for Health and Human Performance,to be named the Moglia Center;a pedestrian overpass which will span across state Highway 544;an expansion of the Lib Jackson Student Union;a new PGM Academic Facility and Clubhouse at the Hackler Golf Course;and a proposed Convocation Center on the corner of state Highway 501 and University Boulevard (with a Phase II addition of a Center for the Arts). [36]
On February 21,2025 local Myrtle Beach news outlets published a story stating the Benson would be leaving CCU to become president of West Virginia University. [37] He was replaced by James J. Winebrake on July 7,2025. [38]
West Virginia University
On July 15,2025,Benson officially began his presidency at West Virginia University. Benson based his decision to come to WVU on the opportunity to lead an R1 (very high research activity) university with powerhouse athletics and a renowned academic medical center. [39]
He promised to become acquainted with the state of West Virginia and its people by visiting all 55 counties within his first year on the job. Not even three months into the role,Benson passed the halfway point,touching through 28 counties as of September 26,2025. [40]
Benson has tapped into local WVU and Morgantown traditions and landmarks early on:In September 2025,he announced Hope Gas would sponsor improvements for the iconic WVU Water Tower on the Evansdale area of campus. Additions to the Tower will include the installation of LED lighting —designed by City Neon —around the Flying WV logo. [41] Weeks later,Benson announced during his first State of the University address that the iconic Woodburn Hall would be relit for the holidays,a years-long tradition that stopped around 2015.
In that same address,Benson revealed that WVU earning membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities would be one of the primary goals of his presidency. “I believe WVU belongs in the group of 71 universities that are on the leading edge of innovation,scholarship,and solutions that contribute to scientific progress,economic development,security,and well-being,”Benson said. “This will be a challenge,but it’s one we can take on together as Mountaineers." [42]
In November 2025,Benson unveiled his Strategic Compass,which includes five priorities —education,discovery,health,service,and experiences —with foundational areas to accelerate institutional success in people and culture,finance,core infrastructure,and institutional reputation. [43]
All are united by five guiding principles centered on “Let’s Go!”—the University’s rallying cry.
L —Lead with pride.
E —Empower through education.
T —Transform lives.
S —Stake our claim.
G —Grow our reach.
O —Outperform our competition. [43]
Other appointments
In 2009,Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. named Benson to a four-year term as member of the seven-person Utah Appellate Courts Nominating Commission. Benson served as Chair of the Presidents’Council for the Summit League,SUU's Division I athletic conference. Benson also served on the Advisory Board of the Cedar City Airport. Benson has completed a two-year term as the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Utah State Campus Compact. He is a past member of the Zions Bank Central Utah Board of Advisors,and the Wells Fargo Southwest Utah Board of Advisors. He has been employed in many other capacities,including:Associate Director of Major Gifts (University of Utah),Consulting Historian (Harry S. Truman Library),Academic Advisor and Essayist (Skirball Cultural Center),Visiting Lecturer (Brigham Young University,University of Utah),and Professor (adjunct) at the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame. [44]
Benson served as Chair of the NCAA Honors Committee and Chair of the Presidents' Council for the Ohio Valley Conference and on the NCAA Division I Presidential Forum. [45] [46] In October 2021,Benson was appointed to the NCAA Board of Governors Committee to Promote Cultural Diversity and Equity as the FBS presidential representative. [47] [48] He is also a former chair of the Higher Education Consortium for Bluegrass Tomorrow and a member of the Steering Committee of Kentucky Rising. He currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Northeastern Strategic Alliance (NESA) based in Florence,South Carolina;on the Advocacy Council of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce;on the Conway advisory board of Coastal Carolina National Bank;on the Executive Committee of the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation;and on the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. [49] In May 2021,Benson was elected to the Board of Trustees for the Omicron Delta Kappa Society (ODK) and Educational Foundation,Inc.,and is currently chair of the board. [50]
In December 2024,Benson was elected to the SACSCOC Board of Directors (the South Carolina delegation) to serve a three-year term. Benson is also a member of the Council of Presidents for the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) and serves on the regional executive council for the American Red Cross of South Carolina. [51]
Publications
Benson is the author of Harry S. Truman and the Founding of Israel [52] and,with co-author Hal Boyd,published College for the Commonwealth:A Case for Higher Education in American Democracy [53] with the University Press of Kentucky (2018). The volume expands the arguments of Benson and Boyd's article,"The Public University:The Democratic Purpose of Higher Education." [54] Their work was nominated for the University of Louisville 2020 Grawemeyer Award in Education.
Benson's third book was released in 2022 by Johns Hopkins University Press. Titled Daniel Coit Gilman and the Birth of the American Research University,this work recounts the life of Johns Hopkins University's first president,Daniel Coit Gilman,and the establishment of America's first research university in Baltimore in 1876. [55] [56] Benson delivered the keynote address at the annual Johns Hopkins Master of Liberal Arts Colloquium in May 2021,focusing on his Gilman research and writing,and was invited back to campus for Alumni weekend in 2023 and interviewed by Hopkins president Ron Daniels as part of the JHU Press “Meet the Author”series. [57] [58] In December 2023,the Gilman title was named among the best education books of the year by Forbes. [59]
Benson is regularly sought after for public speeches and appearances. He was a featured contributor to the Huffington Post for five years; [60] has written articles for the Jerusalem Post,Lexington Herald-Leader,the Louisville Courier Journal,the Kansas City Star,the Deseret News,and the Salt Lake Tribune,among others;and appeared on ESPN's Paul Finebaum Show. [61]
Personal life
Benson and his first wife,Celia Barnes,divorced in 2004. They are the parents of two children,Emma and Samuel. [8] Emma is the medical specialist for KSL-TV in Salt Lake City,Utah. [62] Samuel is a writer for Politico in Washington,D.C. [63]
Benson and his wife,Debi,are the parents of three children:Truman,Tatum and Talmage. [64]
Benson is a grandson of former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and LDS Church President Ezra Taft Benson,and served an LDS mission in Rome,Italy. His older brother Steve Benson was a Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist. [8]
