New WVU president journeys across the Mountain State
Benson at Ascend in Elkins
Michael T. Benson isn’t spending his first days as West Virginia University president hunkered behind a desk.
Instead, he’s on the move – embarking on a “Welcome Home Tour” across 18 West Virginia counties to learn about his new home state, the people, and its wonders.
Graphic titled “President Benson’s ‘Welcome Home’ Tour” highlighting 18 stops across West Virginia. The tour began in Morgantown and ended in Grafton, with visits in counties including Brooke, Hancock, Ohio, Marshall, Wetzel, Tyler, Pleasants, Wood, Jackson, Kanawha, Clay, Braxton, Lewis, Harrison, Upshur, Randolph, Barbour, and Taylor. Stops included hospitals, historic landmarks, courthouses, alumni receptions, and community sites. Download the graphic.
The journey highlights WVU’s land-grant mission in action — serving, listening, and learning from the communities we call neighbors.
Follow along as Benson experiences Blennerhassett Island in Parkersburg, Fiesta Tableware in Newell, the Mother’s Day Shrine in Grafton, and many more West Virginia treasures in this photo essay: go.wvu.edu/bensontour