AN IMPORTANT CHAPTER IN THE COLLEGE’S history is coming to a close as President P. George Benson officially steps down this summer. What he has accomplished during his seven years of leadership is extraordinary and wide ranging.
In his many speeches and conversations, President Benson often used the term trajectory, with his right hand flattened and moving upward, to drive home his point about the College’s prospects and rising importance on the national higher education scene. Under his guidance, the College successfully navigated the financial uncertainty brought on by the Great Recession as well as the tumult of conference realignment that affected nearly every athletics program in the nation.
But perhaps President Benson’s greatest achievement was his ability to see possibility. And he certainly saw it in every corner of campus and beyond. President Benson brought considerable optimism, vision and zeal for what the College could be, what it should be.
From strategic plans to redefining how the College’s programs interact with the greater community, President Benson understood that the College needs to play a central role in Charleston’s latest emergence on the world stage. It’s an idea of thought leadership that everyone in the College community buys into, one that will truly move the needle in making the College a nationally recognized institution. And it’s a simple, yet far-reaching idea that defines the Benson legacy.
