Staff report
The State Journal
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — University of Charleston President Edwin Welch announced May 10 he will retire after 28 years at the helm of UC in June 2018.
“Dr. Janet Welch and I have decided to join the Class of 2018 and graduate from the University of Charleston at the end of the next academic year,” Welch said in a news release.
Welch said it had been a “pleasure” to watch the university change and grow, and he was grateful to the staff and faculty members as well as “every donor and friend who has provided the necessary support.”
UC has undertaken 20 construction projects during Welch’s time as its president, including eight buildings and two playing fields. The Clay Tower Building construction in 1994 came from what was, at the time, the largest gift in University history. The recent Wehrle Innovation Project was a $20.5 million campus endeavor.
“Dr. Ed Welch has provided extraordinary leadership in his dedication to this institution, its students and faculty, and to the community. It has been a great blessing for us all,” said Henry Harmon, president of the UC Board of Trustees. “Ed has been responsible for rebuilding the Charleston campus, expanding the University’s curriculum and growing its student population by nearly four-fold during his tenure. His leadership has created a growing and financially strong university at a time of great change in higher education.
Welch said the students have “inspired us, challenged us and rewarded us,” and the university had fulfilled its mission because of the students.
“We look forward to the opportunities still ahead of us between now and June of 2018,” he said. “We wish only the very best for UC in all the years to come.”
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