Contact: Jack Bailey Jbaile19@wvstateu.edu (304) 766-4109
INSTITUTE, W.Va. — The West Virginia State University (WVSU) Board of Governors has voted to recommend Dr. R. Charles Byers to serve as interim president of the University effective May 16, 2020.
The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC) approved the recommendation for Byers to serve as interim president on Friday, April 17. He will serve as interim president until a new permanent president for the University is selected. A national search is underway to replace current WVSU President Anthony L. Jenkins who is leaving to become president of Coppin State University.
“The selection of Dr. Byers ensures we continue to build on our mission, and to not lose momentum nor growth objectives in these very uncertain times,” said WVSU BOG Chair Charles E. Jones, Jr.
Byers has served as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs for WVSU since July 2019. He had retired as Provost of the University in 2014 after 41 years of service at WVSU.
“I am looking forward to continuing to serve the University and to working with the leadership team to manage through these uncertain times posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, while also planning for the future of West Virginia State and the brighter days we all know are ahead,” said Byers. “We will continue the work to fulfill the University’s mission of meeting the higher education and economic development needs of the state and region through innovative teaching and applied research.”
Byers is a 1968 graduate of WVSU with a bachelor’s degree in art education. He later earned a master’s degree from The Ohio State University while working as a commercial artist and art teacher in Columbus, Ohio. Later, Byers earned a doctorate degree from Kent State University in higher education administration.
With his appointment, Byers becomes the first alumni of WVSU selected to lead the institution in either an interim or permanent capacity.
“West Virginia State University is an integral part of the fabric of the state and region and has had a profound impact on the lives of thousands of alumni, including my own,” Byers said. “I look forward to continuing to build on the University’s rich history and tradition of providing access and opportunity for all those who choose to pursue a college education.”
Byers joined the WVSU faculty in 1972 and spent the next 17 years as an associate professor of teacher education. He served for 12 years as the Vice President for Planning and Advancement, Title III Director and Executive Director for the WVSU Research and Development Corporation before being named Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
In addition to his professional service to WVSU, Byers served on the Leadership West Virginia Board of Directors and for 10 years he served as a presenter for the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
Byers has served as Chair of the Trustee Board at the First Baptist Church in Charleston and as Chair of the Local School Improvement Committee in Dunbar. He has been a member of the Charles Drew Scholarship Commission and a consultant for strategic planning for Kentucky State University and the Association of Research Directors. He was a member of a Rotary Group Study Exchange Team to India.
In 2015, Byers, an accomplished painter and sketch artist, published “A Place We Love So Dear: A Collection of Campus Drawings,” featuring pen and ink drawings of every building on the WVSU campus.
Byers is married to the former Edithe Rosebourgh of Charleston, a retired public school educator. They are the parents of three adult children, and five grandchildren.
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