After more than a decade of service to West Virginia University Institute of Technology, Campus President Carolyn Long announced her upcoming retirement during a Beckley Campus meeting held on Thursday, April 14. She plans to leave her post as campus president in December 2022.

“President Long has been a strong leader and advocate for WVU Tech, and she was instrumental in the successful move to the Beckley Campus,” said Maryanne Reed, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. “We will miss her leadership, positive energy and collaborative approach. She is one of a kind.”

Under Long’s leadership which began in January 2011, WVU Tech has grown in enrollment and added highly sought-after academic programs. As noted by Reed, in 2017, she oversaw the completion of the transition of WVU Tech from its former home in Montgomery to its new campus in Beckley.

“WVU Tech is growing and thriving, and I want it to continue to do so,” Long said. “This was a difficult decision as I love WVU Tech. I’ve thought about my retirement plans for quite some time, and I feel that now is the right time for me and for Tech that I return to retirement.”

Prior to her appointment in early 2007 to the WVU Board of Governors where she served as the first female chair from 2008-2011, and her tenure at WVU Tech, Long was an educator and business owner. She began her career in 1970 as an elementary teacher and progressed to principal, then became the first female superintendent for Braxton County Schools before retiring in 2009.

“Carolyn has brought her unique brand of dynamic energy to every challenge and opportunity in her professional life,” WVU President Gordon Gee said. “I have tremendous respect for her many achievements and contributions to our University and her tireless efforts to improve education across West Virginia. Above all, I am so very thankful for Carolyn’s steadfast friendship.”

The WVU Office of the Provost will create and convene a committee to identify qualified candidates through a national search for the WVU Tech leadership role. The University hopes to have a permanent Beckley Campus president in place by Jan. 1, 2023.