UC Renames Campus Building in Honor of Former President Dr. Edwin H. Welch.

Dedication ceremony set for September; building will house two of UC’s growing graduate health programs

The University of Charleston will rename one of its signature campus buildings Welch Hall in honor of Dr. Edwin H. Welch, who served as the University’s president from 1989 to 2018 and led one of the most transformative eras in its history.

A formal dedication ceremony will be held Thursday, September 24, at 5:00 p.m. at Welch Hall. Members of University leadership, the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, students, and the campus community will be in attendance.

Welch Hall, formerly home to the School of Pharmacy, now houses two of the fastest-growing graduate programs in the University’s School of Health Sciences, the Physician Assistant (PA) program and the Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP), which together develop advanced healthcare providers for West Virginia and the Greater Appalachia region.

“For nearly three decades, Ed Welch gave this University his vision, his energy, and his heart,” UC President Marty Roth said. “So much of who we are today, our momentum, our campus, our belief in what’s possible, traces back to his leadership. Naming this building Welch Hall ensures that every student who comes through its doors will walk in the legacy of the man who helped make their education possible. Renaming this building in his honor is well deserved, and we are excited to celebrate his achievements and passions in September.”

During his 29-year tenure, Dr. Welch redefined the University’s mission, expanded academic opportunities, achieved record fundraising, increased full-time enrollment, and earned national recognition for innovation in outcomes-based learning and student assessment.

Under his leadership, UC elevated academic standards, launched new undergraduate and graduate programs, expanded to Beckley, entered the adult online education market, and constructed seven of the buildings that define today’s campus, including the building that will now bear his name.

Together, Dr. Welch and his late wife, Janet, helped shape a defining chapter in the University of Charleston’s history, a legacy that continues to inspire generations of Golden Eagles.