It was somewhat of a shock on Friday (Feb. 21) when Coastal Carolina University — in Conway, S.C. — announced that West Virginia University’s next president would be Michael Benson. This happened a day after WVU’s Board of Governors, in a self-imposed cone of silence as it sought a new leader to replace departing president E. Gordon Gee, announced it had chosen its finalist — but failed to disclose the candidate.

Benson, who was Coastal Carolina’s president officially until this weekend, has accepted the job. He appears to be an excellent fit for both WVU and Morgantown, and we join the entire WVU community in wishing him well.

“I am honored to be named president of West Virginia University — one of our nation’s oldest land-grant institutions,” Benson said. “My 30-year career in public higher education has prepared me for this singular opportunity, and I wish to thank the Board of Governors for the trust they have placed in me and hope to earn that same level of trust and support from the entire WVU community.”

Board of Governor’s vice-chair Patrice Harris chaired the Presidential Search Committee.

“We are beyond thrilled to welcome Dr. Michael T. Benson to the Mountaineer family,” Harris said. “As our presidential search officially closes and we turn the page to begin a new West Virginia University chapter, we express our sincere appreciation and gratitude for all those who participated. The WVU community’s collective feedback helped us find a leader who exemplifies the right values and qualifications to serve at the helm of West Virginia’s flagship university. We can all be proud of the search process.”

In the end, it appears the search yielded an excellent candidate to lead WVU into the future. But the process by which the board worked over the past several months deserves much scrutiny. Very few people understand the process of which Harris claims we can ALL be proud.

There was little to no transparency. Rather, board members, coming off the public relations mess of the university’s Academic Transformation, wrongly expected faculty, staff, alumni and others to simply trust them. It is difficult to imagine a poorer approach.

Our flagship institution of higher learning will be the most critical piece of West Virginia’s future. Veiling this hire in secrecy lessens the public’s overall trust in the university. WVU cannot afford to make such a mistake again.