Michael T. Benson
Michael T. Benson | |
---|---|
Michael T. Benson, President, Eastern Kentucky University | |
12th President of Eastern Kentucky University | |
In office August 1, 2013 – Present | |
Preceded by | Charles Douglas Whitlock |
President of Southern Utah University | |
In office 2006–2013 | |
Preceded by | Steven D. Bennion |
Succeeded by | Scott L. Wyatt |
President of Snow College | |
In office 2001–2006 | |
Preceded by | Gerald J. Day |
Succeeded by | Scott L. Wyatt |
Personal details | |
Born | Salt Lake City, Utah | February 28, 1965
Spouse(s) | Debi (Woods) Benson |
Children | Emma, Samuel, Truman, Tatum, Talmage |
Residence | Richmond, Kentucky |
Alma mater | Brigham Young University (B.A.) University of Oxford (St Antony's College) (Ph.D.) University of Notre Dame (M.A.) |
Profession | Higher Education Administration |
Religion | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
Website | EKU Office of the President |
Michael T. Benson (born February 28, 1965) is the current president of Eastern Kentucky University, a position he assumed on August 1, 2013. He previously served as president of Southern Utah University, Snow College, and as special assistant to the president at University of Utah.
Biography
Dr. Michael T. Benson is a son of Mark A. Benson. Mark Benson worked for several years as an employee of the BYU Division of Continuing Education and was the first director of the BYU-Ogden Center.
Benson earned his Bachelor's Degree Cum Laude from Brigham Young University, and then went on to earn a Doctorate in Modern Middle Eastern History from St Antony's College, Oxford. Benson also earned a Master's Degree Cum Laude in Non-Profit Administration from the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame. In recent years he has received national attention for his religious ecumenicism [1] and his humorous use of social media to reach students. [2] [3] [4]
Benson is a grandson of former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and LDS Church President Ezra Taft Benson,[5] and served an LDS mission in Rome, Italy. Benson is an accomplished athlete, having played basketball at Oxford and on the JV team at Brigham Young University. He is also a golfer and marathon runner.[6]
University presidency
Snow College
In 2001, Benson was appointed as the 14th president of Snow College. Age 36 at the time, he was the youngest college or university president in the history of the Utah System of Higher Education. During his five years at Snow, Benson raised more money for the school than in the previous 117 years of the institution's history combined.
Southern Utah University
Benson was appointed the president of SUU on November 10, 2006, by the Utah State Board of Regents. Two weeks into his presidency, Benson secured the largest donation in the school's history, which was used to expand SUU's Science Complex.[7] 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 April 5, 2013, it was announced that Benson was unanimously selected to become the 12th president of Eastern Kentucky University (http://www.eku.edu) as the University's Board of Regents was seeking a "bold, visionary leader." He began August 1, 2013. Throughout his more than 25-year career in public higher education, Benson has devoted himself to students and their academic success. He is an accomplished communicator and scholar committed to diversity and expanding global academic opportunities, and is a proven financial manager who is focused on developing and sustaining political and external support for EKU.
Other appointments
In 2009, Governor Jon M. Huntsman named Benson to a four-year term as member of the seven-person Utah Appellate Courts Nominating Commission. Dr. 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 Research Assistant (U.S. Senate Labor Committee).[8] Benson currently serves as Chair of the Presidents' Council for the Ohio Valley Conference.
Benson is also the author of Harry S. Truman and the Founding of Israel,[9] a book which is considered a landmark work in the area of U.S. foreign policy and presidential history. Benson is an admirer of Harry Truman, on whom he wrote his doctoral dissertation.
Personal life
Benson and his first wife, Celia Benson, divorced in 2004. They are the parents of two children, Emma and Samuel.[10]
He and his second wife, Debi, are the parents of three children: Truman, Tatum and Talmage.[11]
References
- ↑ CNN | A rabbi, a Mormon and a black Christian mayor walk into a room
- ↑ University president answers challenge to shovel student's driveway Today Show
- ↑ This Guy Dared His University President To Shovel His Driveway And He Actually Showed Up BuzzFeed
- ↑ University president responds brilliantly to snowed in student’s Twitter challenge UK Telegraph
- ↑ Church News, November 10, 2001 p. Z06.
- ↑ Robinson, Doug (25 March 2007), "Thinking Big", Deseret News (Salt Lake City), archived from the original on 2010-05-16
- ↑ Deseret News | Regents name Benson to head SUU
- ↑ SUU - About SUU: The Office of the President - Michael T. Benson Bio
- ↑ Praeger, 1997
- ↑ Robinson, Doug (25 March 2007), "Thinking Big", Deseret News (Salt Lake City), archived from the original on 2010-05-16
- ↑ Michael T. Benson
- http://www.suu.edu/general/president/html/about.html
- http://www.eku.edu/news/dr-michael-t-benson-selected-ekus-12th-president
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Michael T. Benson. |
- SUU biography of Michael Benson
- Office of the President
- The Inauguration of Michael T. Benson
- Eastern Kentucky University Office of the President
- Eastern Kentucky University
Preceded by Steven D. Bennion |
President of Southern Utah University 2006 – 2013 |
Succeeded by Scott L. Wyatt |
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