WVU's Gee Pens Farwell Letter to WVU, Morgantown
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on July 10, 2025
As he enters the final days of his presidency, retiring University President Gordon Gee has issued the following message for faculty, staff, students and other members of the University community. His final day on the job is Monday, July 14.
Dear Mountaineer Family,
As I prepare to step down as West Virginia University president, my memories gather around this beautiful state, and what our faculty, staff, students and friends have accomplished for its people.
Each summer, I spent time traveling our state’s highways, byways and winding country roads.
Many of the small towns our team visited are hard to reach. But, when I arrived, when I saw the faces around me radiating curiosity and pride, I relearned the power of showing up and listening.
When I reflect on the past 11 years, I think about some of the University’s major advancements:
Achieving and maintaining Research 1 status,
Bringing cutting-edge health care within reach of all West Virginians,
Modernizing our campus living and learning environments,
And transforming academics to prepare students for today’s job market.
And I know we only reached these and other milestones because all Mountaineers showed up for our University and our state.
More than ever, we are a fiercely land-grant institution. We are a driving force for good, for change and for opportunity for West Virginians.
In 2016, I identified three pillars on which to build our progress: education, health and prosperity. Five years later, drawing upon the pandemic’s lessons, I announced the adoption of a fourth pillar: purpose.
I said that as president, “I want to leave behind a University that encourages people to pursue their passions and their purpose. I want to leave behind a University that provides the opportunities to use that purpose to do good in this world.”
And our faculty, staff and students embraced those pillars and strengthened them beyond my highest expectations.
The accomplishments of the past decade are not mine; they belong to each one of you.
Together, we have positioned West Virginia University for the future.
Going forward, I know you will support President Benson with the same enthusiasm you have always shown for our mission.
West Virginia will always be a place I call home. Mountaineers will always be treasured members of my family. And, with the spirit and dedication I have always observed here, you will forge a bright future for our students, state and University.
Let’s Go!
E. Gordon Gee
President
West Virginia University
