Dr. Bethany Meighen

Dr. Bethany Meighen has returned to the mountain state as president of our fellow Mountain East Conference school, Concord University.

Although the new president grew up in Florida, her desire was to go out of state for college. “My mom (Cynthia Russell Gerkdik, ’72) said I could go to UC because we had family in Charleston, and if I did well and matured, then I could go anywhere I wanted. The planned 16 weeks in Charleston became 16 years—I just fell in love with it. It was so transformative for me: I figured out my career and I met my husband. Drew lived in the same residence hall as me when I became a graduate assistant. My GA package was better than his—I had the room with cable TV—so I would often invite him down to watch ESPN.”

Meighen was involved in student affairs from the time she was a student herself. Doug Walters, ’65 alumni and former UC Dean of Students, mentored her to be involved with student organizations, step into leadership roles, and encouraged her to explore a career in student affairs.

Doug shared, “Bethany stood out from the very beginning and exuded confidence with a pleasant smile. She had a tremendous work ethic—which is something we picked up on very quickly. It was nice to know her as both student and colleague. She will do a great job at Concord, and we are all very proud of her.”

Meighen graduated from UC in 2001 as an English major and stayed on campus to work in student affairs as a graduate assistant with Susan Spangler. After a year in that role, she assumed the Director of Alumni and Parent Relations position. Before leaving UC in 2012, she earned her master’s degree in human resources (’05) and also held the titles of Director of Marketing and Alumni, and—her favorite—Dean of Students.

“During my professional time at UC, I was fortunate enough to have a great mentor, Dr. Ed Welch. I was there when we brought back football, established the pharmacy school, and built three residence halls. He had this wonderful plaque in his office—it was the word ‘nothing’ carved into a stone. Get it? ‘Nothing is written in stone.’”

“He led in such a student-centered way, and it really influenced my own leadership and success. We accomplished so much. With each project, we’d figure out what needed to be done, and we’d do it quickly.” I just assumed that was the normal rhythm of higher education.

“The other thing he taught me was to ‘fail forward.’ There were some things we did that we shouldn’t do again—but we learned from them, got through them, and ‘nothing is written in stone.’ We failed forward.”

“I could have stayed at UC forever, but my husband’s career took us to North Carolina, where I had the opportunity to earn my doctorate from UNC Wilmington.”

Before returning to the Mountain State, Meighen served as the Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs at the University of North Carolina System, where she was the chief student affairs officer and a key liaison between the UNC System Office and its 17 constituent institutions.

“I was in the UNC System for almost 10 years, and I was in a space with so many brilliant people. I was never the smartest person in the room, but I was always one of the hardestworking people. I approached projects with this attitude of, ‘Of course we can get it done, why wouldn’t we get it done?’ I learned that approach at UC. Again, because Dr. Welch and Doug Walters always set me up for success.”

Many special relationships were formed during Meighen’s time at UC. Jenny Adams even earned the title “Gammers” not long after their introduction in 2001. Jenny was a Morris Harvey College graduate – Class of 1944, wife of former Golden Eagle Coach Sparky Adams, Golden Eagle Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, and Alumnus of the Year in 2002.

“There was a period of time I was driving from our system office to Wilmington on Tuesdays, and I would spend an hour of that drive on the phone with Jenny. She was my ‘ride or die,’ and we had a very special bond.”

Jenny passed away in January 2025, but on the day Meighen’s presidency was announced, Jenny’s son called to share how excited and proud Jenny would have been.

“I owe UC a lot, and I am excited to be back home. My career has been focused on education access, so I am thankful to be at a public institution that is serving that need for higher education in southern West Virginia—producing social workers, educators, and leaders for our community.”

A special installation celebration will take place for Dr. Meighen in February 2026.