Wight Announces Plans to Step Down as WSU President
OGDEN, Utah – Charles A. Wight announced Thursday he plans to step down as president of Weber State University effective June 30.
Speaking at the January meeting of the WSU Faculty Senate, Wight, who is affectionately known as “Chuck” on campus, told faculty and staff in attendance that he loves Weber State, but “the time has come to seek a new adventure.”
Wight explained he wanted to share the news because he is a candidate in several presidential searches at universities across the country.
“Because my candidacy at one of these universities may soon be public, I decided to tell you now, so you can hear it from me rather than from some other source,” Wight told members of Faculty Senate and others in attendance.
He also said today’s announcement will allow the Board of Regents to initiate a search for his successor.
The news comes just over five years after Wight became president of WSU on Jan. 1, 2013. Wight was named the 12th president and the 19th person to lead the school in October of 2012.
In announcing his decision, Wight reflected on the five priorities he set out for his presidency and the significant work toward achieving those goals.
During his tenure, Wight cultivated a strong college-town relationship with Ogden City, expanded the scope of the Dream Weber program to make a college education more accessible, and saw the university complete a successful comprehensive campaign that raised more than $164 million — nearly $40 million above the campaign’s goal. An outspoken champion for diversity and inclusion, Wight established the chief diversity officer and assistant vice president for diversity role at WSU.
The university also experienced growth during his tenure, setting an enrollment record with 27,949 students in the fall of 2017. Wight also witnessed several major campus projects, including the construction of the Professional Programs Classroom Building 
(D3) on the WSU Davis campus, Tracy Hall Science Center, and the renovation of Stewart Library. He also helped secure the funding for the transformation of the Social Science building into Lindquist Hall. Last summer, the university broke ground on the Ezekiel R. & Katherine W. Dumke Center for Interprofessional Education in Health Care, which is scheduled to open later this year.
Since 2014, Weber State has the fastest growing computer science and engineering programs in the state. As a result, Wight plans to dedicate his time during the 2018 legislative session advocating for funding of the Noorda Engineering & Applied Science Building on WSU’s Ogden campus.
Having started as a chemistry professor at the University of Utah, Wight is known for being WSU’s “scientist president” and has enjoyed teaching throughout his presidency. He would conduct scientific demonstrations at WSU events, and he brought the chemistry-themed Faraday Lectures to the university, in what has become a family-friendly holiday tradition.
In a message sent to campus, Wight called WSU a “special, even magical, place” and praised faculty and staff for being so committed to its educational mission.
“That mission is bigger than any one of us, but Weber State owes its success to each of you. Regardless of who leads this institution, I know you will continue to make Weber State great, great, great.”
Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
Additional Resource:
President Wight’s message to campus:
weber.edu/WSUToday/011818_WightMessage.html
For high-resolution photos, visit the following link:
wsuucomm.smugmug.com/Presidents-Office/President-Wight-Announcement/
John Kowalewski, director of Marketing & Communications
801-626-7212 • jkowalewski@weber.edu- Contact:
Allison Barlow Hess, Public Relations director
801-626-7948 • ahess@weber.edu