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Water Tower Lighting radio spot - May 20, 2026
Transcript
Shauna Johnson: This is West Virginia University. President Michael T. Benson is closing his first academic year as the university's 27th president with optimism about the future of WVU.
Michael T. Benson: It's a beacon of hope. It's a place where people come, they kind of go up and they learn and they become trained and educated and get experience to go out and make a difference in their communities.
Shauna Johnson: Now serving as a beacon for all of Mountaineer Nation is the updated and electrified water tower on the Evansdale area of campus, a project made possible with support from Hope Gas. The lighting of the water tower during commencement weekend marked the final stop on President Benson's Welcome Home Tour, a tour that took him to all 55 Mountain State counties with more than 180 historical, cultural and educational stops across upwards of 6,700 miles.
Michael T. Benson: It's the best experience I've had in 30 years of public higher education. Seeing the state, listening to people, hearing how we can do better and how much they love West Virginia University.
Shauna Johnson: The end of the tour, he says, is just the beginning.
Michael T. Benson: I want to get into more high schools, I want to get into more communities and talk about what we can do to help those respective communities. I want to get out and really recruit prospective students.
Shauna Johnson: Students who will be the university's future.
Michael T. Benson: There was already a strong foundation that was in place, but our task is to build on that and to take it to that proverbial next level and I think we're doing it. In fact, I know we're doing it. And that's what gives me great optimism and a sense of hope in what we can accomplish.
Shauna Johnson: So let's go. Follow our stories at wvutoday.wvu.edu.
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