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Charles A. Wight
Charles "Chuck" Albert Wight is a physical chemist and the 12th president of Weber State University, an open-enrollment public university located in Ogden, Utah.

Early Life
Born in Glen Cove, New York, to a military family, Wight spent a majority of his childhood in Virginia near Washington, D.C. Wight's father left the Navy and became a math teacher then high school principal, and his mother was a reading and language arts teacher. With parents who both turned toward careers in education, Wight also eventually pursued a long career in academia. He earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology (1982) and a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the University of Virginia (1977), where he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. Following graduation from Caltech, Wight spent two years as a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Colorado's Department of Chemistry before moving to Utah.

University of Utah
Wight spent nearly three decades at the University of Utah, filling various faculty and administrative roles. The first 14 years of his career at that institution were dedicated to teaching and research, with Wight achieving the ranks of tenured associate professor of chemistry (1990) and professor of chemistry (1993). His efforts during that time led to several awards. Students selected him for the Outstanding Teaching Award in Chemistry in 1985. He was also an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow (1990-1994) and a fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1994). 1999 was a transitional one for Wight, who increasingly dedicated himself to administrative tasks from that point forward. In that year, he served as president of the Academic Senate, which then transitioned into a two-year (2000-2002) post as academic coordinator for Web-based instruction. His administrative interests then led him to serving as associate dean of Undergraduate Studies (2002-2004), assistant vice president of Continuing Education (2004-2006), associate vice president for Continuing Education (2006-2008) and associate vice president for undergraduate studies (2008-2009). His time at the University of Utah ended with him fulfilling dual roles as dean of the Graduate School (2009-2012) and associate vice president for Academic Affairs (2006-2012).

Weber State University Presidency
Following a national search of 50 candidates, the Utah State Board of Regents selected Wight as WSU's 12th president on Oct. 9, 2012. Wight took over for former WSU President F. Ann Millner, who served 10 years at the institution and later was elected as a representative in the Utah State Legislature. Wight's official tenure at the university began Jan. 1, 2013. Much of his first year was marked with a period of quiet observation, however. "During my first semester at Weber State, I tried to do a lot more listening than talking," he would later remark during his Oct. 22, 2013, inauguration. "As a new president, I felt that the most important thing for me to do was simply soak in this great institution." During his formal inauguration, Wight laid out his five priorities for his presidency:
 * Keeping college affordable
 * Expanding the university's diversity
 * Maintaining beautiful and sustainable campuses
 * Leveraging innovative teaching
 * Fostering community partnerships

Wight's presidency has been in pursuit of realizing those priorities. In the realm of keeping college affordable, Wight became an early advocate of a program set up by his predecessor, the Dream Weber Program. Using a combination of private donations, and federal and state financial aid, the program provides free tuition and student fees for up to eight semesters for eligible low-income students. During his inaugural address, he announced the expansion of the maximum household income for the program from $30,000 to $40,000. In the year following Wight's announcement, the number of enrolled Dream Weber students increased by 52 percent, according to university figures.

Personal Life
A small-plane pilot, Wight volunteers for Angel Flight, a nonprofit that provides free medical flights to patients in need. He has participated in several marathons and ultramarathons, including the Wasatch Front 100. Wight is married to Victoria Rasmussen and has three daughters.