Eastern Kentucky University President Michael Benson helped launch a new state police digital forensics lab Friday on the Richmond campus. It came the same week that Benson was under consideration for the presidency of a historic southern college.
Benson was one of three finalists for the head administrative job at the College of Charleston. The board decided to hire University of Toledo Provost Andrew T. Hsu. The 53-year-old Benson admits state funding challenges are wearing on those in his position. He says investment in education affects quality of life directly. “The more education citizens have, the more investment a state makes in its citizens in the form of access to education, the less reliance on all those services that cost us a lot of money.”
Asked about his future Friday, Benson said, quote, “We’ll be here as long as we feel like we’re making a difference for good and as long as the board is happy with the performance that we’re doing.” The Utah native added it’s been a team effort, building on a foundation already in place at EKU.
