EKU president stepping down after more than 6 years at college. What’s next?

Michael Benson, Eastern Kentucky University’s president since 2013, is stepping down, he announced Wednesday in a letter to the EKU community.

Benson said he will remain as an adviser to the Board of Regents through a transition period following his exit as president, effective Jan. 6, 2020. The arrangement allows him to continue to earn the remainder of his presidential salary until his contract expires at the end of July.

Benson, who has degrees from Brigham Young University, Notre Dame and Oxford University, had an annual salary of $400,000 in a contract that also offered him the opportunity to get performance bonuses. The previous president, Doug Whitlock, made $250,000 a year.

In addition to assisting the next administration, he said he will use the next year to write a book, which is under contract with Johns Hopkins University Press. The working title of his upcoming book is “Every Epoch Requires a Fresh Start,” Benson said.

He called leading EKU “one of the great privileges” of his life and his six years at the university “some of the most exciting and rewarding years” of his career.

Earlier this fall, Benson was a candidate for the University of Mississippi chancellor position, but former Mississippi Commissioner of Higher Education Glenn Boyce was chosen for the role.

Benson was also named as one of three finalists last year for the College of Charleston’s top job. That position went to Andrew Hsu, who was previously the provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of Toledo.

Prior to coming to Richmond, Benson was the president at Snow College and Southern Utah University. Next month will mark his 19th year as a university president.

“EKU has continued to grow academically on campus and online, formed critical public/private partnerships to transform our appearance, addressed many immediate and long-term financial needs, planned for future prosperity, and, most importantly, transformed the lives of thousands of citizens,” he said in a statement Wednesday. “And all of this has been done despite some very significant and persistent financial headwinds.”

EKU cut 153 jobs, eliminated two sports and closed its Danville campus last year due to a $25 million budget shortfall. At the time, Benson called it a “perfect storm” of decreasing enrollment, declining state support and increased pension costs.

The Board of Regents will meet Thursday and Benson is on the agenda. The university will establish a search committee and coordinate a national search for its next president.

“I wish the best for Dr. Benson and his family as they move on to the next chapter of their lives,” Board of Regents Chairman Lewis Diaz said. “I will work with the president to ensure that the transition is seamless as possible while keeping a laser focus on the success of EKU in serving students.”

This story was originally published December 11, 2019 at 10:38 AM.