Charles Bayless, campus provost at the West Virginia University Institute of Technology, announced today that he will retire from the school effective June 30. Bayless will continue to consult with West Virginia University on energy-related issues.

Bayless, an attorney, engineer and long-time executive in the energy utility industry, was appointed president of the Montgomery campus in 2005. His title was changed to campus provost when the school became a fully-integrated unit of WVU in 2007.

Provost Bayless truly made a difference in his three years of service,said WVU President Mike Garrison.He saw a need at his alma mater, and responded in a way that created great benefits for the students and for the community.

Tech and the state of West Virginia are going to miss Charlies energy and intellect,said Ed Robinson of Charleston, chair of the campus Board of Visitors.He has turned Tech around.

Robinson credited Bayless as the driving force behind the long-delayed renovations of several important campus facilities.Prior to Charlie, we did not have a good residence hall. Under his leadership, weve renovated Ratliff Hall and turned Maclin Hall into one of the best residence halls in the state. The student center was restored to the point where they now serve some of the best meals in Montgomery. Charlie met with the Governor and other state leaders and made a case for the $3.2 million engineering lab upgrade.

He added,The Tech community will miss Charlie and Joan Bayless.

Bayless is a Kanawha County native who earned an electrical engineering degree at Tech in 1968. Later, he earned both a masters degree in engineering and a law degree at WVU .

At Tech, he guided the process that transitioned the campus toward a tighter alignment with the Universitys main campus, consolidating service and support units with their counterparts in Morgantown while retaining management of academic issues in Montgomery.

I believe that Ive accomplished what I came here to do,Bayless said.In the past three years weve been able to provide our students with a state-of-the art engineering laboratory and new residence hall and dining facilities that were desperately needed. Weve increased state funding by $1.8 million a year, and our application numbers for next fall are very strong.

Associate Provost Scott Hurst will serve as interim campus provost effective July 1.