E. Gordon Gee (President West Virginia U.)

[GrizzlyBuck]

Shooter, you're probably giving Gee too much credit for staying up late to greet you upon your return, he was probably hoping you'd include him in your "drunken orgy"

Holbrook may have done a lot for the University academically, but she had the personality of a radish. It is very refreshing to have Gee back at tOSU not only will he do great things for the University, but he has fun and does not take himself too seriously.

 

[rocketman]

On the front page of Nola.com

Pimp.

 

[Buckskin86]

Buckeyes' Leader Believes College Presidents Should Help Contain Sports Spending
By PAUL FAIN

Escalating spending on intercollegiate sports has become an arms race, says E. Gordon Gee. His opinion matters, as he now presides over the superpower of college sports, Ohio State University. With 36 varsity teams, the university's annual athletics budget of about $110-million is the nation's largest.

During his stint as Vanderbilt University's chancellor, Mr. Gee drew national attention for folding the athletics department into the office of student affairs (The Chronicle, October 17, 2003).

But such sweeping changes would be more difficult to pull off at Ohio State, with its outsized emphasis on producing top-flight teams. This week the Buckeyes were scheduled to take the field for their second straight appearance in college football's national championship.

In a recent interview with The Chronicle, Mr. Gee talked about his plans for Ohio State and how he hopes to retain his role as a national leader in keeping college sports in bounds.

Q. What can the top-spending university do about the arms race?

A. Our budget at Ohio State is $4-billion, and our athletic budget is $110-million. When one thinks about it as part of the overall budget of the institution, it's fairly insignificant. And it is a self-supporting unit, the same as many other units within the university. We have to make certain that athletic programs are fully integrated into the ... life of the university, that talented football players and talented cellists are given opportunities to excel, but that it is all part of the academic, social-cultural environment of the institution. And what is happening as part of this escalation is that athletic programs are increasingly becoming separated and segregated, both in structure and function, and even values, from the rest of the institution. And it's bringing that back into focus, which I think is important.

Q. What specific plans do you have for athletics at Ohio State?

A. First of all, we have an environment here in which the coaches and our athletic director are working very hard to make sure that we're having successful programs on and off the field. Our graduation rates and success rates are now consistent with the rest of the institution, which has not always been the case. Secondly, we're looking very carefully to make sure our cost structures are in line, that we're not just simply building to build, or we're not simply paying to pay, but rather that we have a systemic approach to what we're trying to do, and that it is part of the overall planning and strategic positioning of the institution. Third, we're trying to make certain that we have a program that fully reflects, by the way that it operates, its committed relationships to the university.

Q. Would you panic if Ohio State's football coach quit?

A. Let me tell you something-if Coach Tressel steps down, I'm stepping down with him. I think he is the real deal. And in the best sense of the word. He is very loyal to the institution, and the institution is very loyal to him. The problem is this: When you change a major coach, it is done in the broadest light of day. They track your airplane where you're going to go talk with people. Folks leak that they're talking to someone, and then all of a sudden they get a huge bump in their own salary. I mean, it's an interesting dynamic that occurs. And so the answer is that I hope I don't have to deal with that. And if I do, I hope I don't panic.

The Chronicle of Higher Education

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

The Chronicle of Higher Education

if Coach Tressel steps down, I'm stepping down with him

I'd like to take a quick poll of university presidents across the nation and see how many would make this statement about the football coach.

 

[YourEconProf]

What Gee wants...Gee gets.

Positions realigned as OSU cancer program looks ahead - News and Information - The Ohio State University

 

[Buckskin86]

ERIC ALBRECHT | DISPATCH
Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee enjoys the company of students and recently met with these in his office in Bricker Hall. From left are Marco Satala of Westerville, Kelly Ramos of Loveland, Maureen Mork of Sandusky and David Wilkes of Pepper Pike.

FRED SQUILLANTE | DISPATCH

E. Gordon Gee bio
Ohio State's 14th president
Personal
Age: 64; born Feb. 2, 1944

Hometown: Vernal, Utah

Family: First wife, Elizabeth, died in 1991. He and second wife Constance divorced this spring. One daughter, Rebekah, from first marriage.

Religion: Mormon

Fun fact: The "E" stands for Elwood.

Professional
Salary: $775,000, not including benefits or bonuses

Corporate boards: Gaylord Entertainment Co., Hasbro Inc. and Massey Energy Co., from which he earned $501,739 in 2007

? Civic involvement: co-chairman of committee planning the city's 2012 bicentennial celebration and member of the National Hospice Foundation, Christopher Isherwood Foundation and Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation

Experience: Has led five universities: Ohio State, October 2007-present; Vanderbilt, 2000-2007; Brown, 1998-2000; Ohio State, 1990-97; Colorado, 1985-90; West Virginia, 1981-85

Education: Bachelor's degree in history, University of Utah; doctorate of law and education, Columbia University. While at the University of Utah, spent 2 1/2 years in Germany on Mormon mission. After graduating from Columbia, clerked for Chief Justice of the United States Warren Burger for a year.

Sources: Gee, Ohio State University, Securities and Exchange Commission

What he's done
E. Gordon Gee officially began his second term as Ohio State University president on Oct. 1. A look at some of the major initiatives of his first year back:

Announced six goals to turn Ohio State into the "University of the American Dream" (see goals on Page A10)

Vowed to ensure that any qualified student would be able to afford to attend Ohio State

Revamped the team leading the $1.3 billion OSU Medical Center expansion and smoothed over donor concerns that the project would hurt the school's cancer center. Elevated Dr. Michael Caligiuri to lead the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and brought in Dr. Steven G. Gabbe from Vanderbilt to head the Medical Center.

Called for the academic calendar to eventually shift from quarters to semesters and for sophomores to someday be required to live on campus

Completed a comprehensive review of graduate programs, which included the recommendation that 34 be reworked

Started reorganizing the Colleges of Arts and Sciences to save money and make it easier for students and professors to perform interdisciplinary work

Set $2.5 billion target for an upcoming capital campaign and hired Peter Weiler from Penn State University to oversee it

Gee's goals
Create an image of Ohio State as a "single-minded university with worldwide reach" rather than a collection of academic programs

Put students first with all university decisions

Come up with creative ways to attract, keep and reward world-class teachers and researchers

Partner with more groups to boost the university's innovation and research potential

Better understand OSU's responsibilities to Ohio taxpayers and the world

Cut out red tape for Ohio State's operations

Gee's legacy
Gee's past accomplishments that he is benefiting from:

Expanded selective admissions of students (this fall's freshmen are expected to be the strongest ever)

Created Campus Partners to improve neighborhoods near campus (nonprofit helped develop Gateway)

Planned or started construction of the Max M. Fisher College of Business, the Schottenstein Center, the Ohio Stadium renovation and the student recreation center

'It starts with me'
OSU president makes personal mission of running nation's largest university
Sunday, June 8, 2008
By Encarnacion Pyle
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee likes to joke that he is married to Carmen Ohio.

He sort of is, just as he's been devoted to the four other universities he's led.

But that dedication has cost him. Gee believes that his commitment to his work helped cause his recent divorce from his second wife, whom he had met and married during his first term at Ohio State University, from 1990 to '97.

"I loved my wife and didn't want to get divorced," said Gee, whose relationship with Constance Bumgarner Gee ended during his tenure at Vanderbilt University. "But I probably wasn't the best person to be married to. I have always been married to my work."

Coming back to Ohio State allowed Gee to work through a "dark period" in his life, he said.

But since returning to Columbus in July, he has thrown himself even more into his work because he isn't sharing his life with anyone.

"Yes, I want time for my family, myself, my friends; but I just love the university. It is my one and only priority right now. It is my life," he said.

The Columbus Dispatch : 'It starts with me'

 

[LightningRod]

Hoping for the best for Gee and his family.

Gee's family injured in accident

E. Gordon Gee's son-in-law suffered what authorities said were life-threatening injuries Saturday night while riding a motor scooter in suburban Philadelphia with Gee's daughter, Rebekah.

Dr. Allan Moore, 31, was operating the couple's 2001 Vespa when it collided with a sport-utility vehicle. He was in critical condition last night in the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania with abdominal and head injuries.

His wife and passenger, Dr. Rebekah Gee, 32, was in fair condition in the same hospital with a broken leg and other injuries.

cont'd

 

[wadc45]

Was at a meeting the other day on campus and talked to some higher-ups who said they fully believe Gee will have OSU on semesters in the next few years...don't know if that was talked about yet but thout I would stick that in this thread...

 

[osugrad21]

Dispatch

Gee's daughter to recover at OSU

Monday, July 21, 2008 4:01 PM
By Encarnacion Pyle


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

File photo
Allan Moore and Rebekah Gee in Columbus in July 2007



The daughter of President E. Gordon Gee has been moved to the Ohio State University Medical Center to recover from a motor-scooter crash, but her husband remains in a coma in Philadelphia.
?It just breaks your heart,? Gee said.

Dr. Rebekah Gee arrived in Columbus today from the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, where she has been treated since July 12. She and her husband, Dr. Allan Moore, were injured when their 2001 Vespa collided with a sport-utility vehicle.
?It was a difficult decision to separate Rebekah and Allan,? President Gee said. ?It?s awful for her. It?s awful for me. But it?s the only choice we have at this time if she is to recover fully."
Moore, 31, who was driving the scooter, suffered abdominal and head injuries. His condition has been upgraded from critical to serious, a spokeswoman at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital said today. But Gee said Moore is now battling pneumonia.
Cont...

 

[brodybuck21]

here's to hoping that both Allan Moore and Rebekah Gee recuperate as fast as possible!

 

[LitlBuck]

My thoughts and prayers go out to both families but I just don't understand why they don't transfer her husband to Columbus. I know that he is in very serious condition but in these days you can transfer someone without really doing any further damage. It is such a tragic thing.

 

[osugrad21]

BG$--Gee talks Pryor, Ohio State-Michigan week

President Gee talks about The Game, how proud he is of TP, and a possible college playoff.

 

[osugrad21]

Dispatch

OSU notebook: Gee would love to talk to Obama about a playoff

Tuesday, November 18, 2008 3:06 AM
By Ken Gordon


The Columbus Dispatch



From one president to another, E. Gordon Gee said he's looking forward to talking with Barack Obama about the possibility of a college football playoff system. But don't expect Gee, Ohio State's president, to waver in his opposition.
Obama first expressed his desire to see a playoff when he was interviewed at halftime of Monday Night Football the night before he was elected president. He repeated his stance in a 60 Minutes episode that aired Sunday.
"It would add three extra weeks to the season," Obama said of instituting an eight-team playoff. "You could trim back on the regular season. I don't know any serious fan of college football who has disagreed with me on this. So, I'm going to throw my weight around a little bit. I think it's the right thing to do."
Yesterday, Gee said he admired Obama, saying he was "absolutely delighted that we have a president interested in collegiate athletics."
However, Gee added, "The collective presidents of America's major universities believe that the playoff system is not in the best interest of intercollegiate athletics or of our universities. And frankly, from what I know of him, I look forward to having an opportunity to talk to him about that issue."
Gee had some one-liners on other subjects:
? "I will not declare a tie our greatest victory," he said, referring to his infamous declaration of a 13-13 tie against Michigan in 1992. "Thank God we can't have ties anymore, so I'm grateful for that."
Cont...

 

[Mac]

- On the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry: "There are many great rivalries in America: The Hatfields and McCoys, Aniston-Jolie, but this is the greatest rivalry in college sports."
- On the issue of poor fan behavior after games, specifically the 2002 riots in Columbus after Ohio State beat Michigan: "It's old news. The last major incident happened six years ago. Our current freshmen at that time were only 12 years old, so the hooligans and the nutcases who caused problems in 2002 have all moved on. They're probably reality-TV contestants or Alaskan fishermen. We now have a new era, a spirit of sportsmanship on this campus which I think is unprecedented and unparalleled."

I love my school's president lol. It seems like I gain more and more respect for him everytime I see an article about him or something he said. He's just a genuine person who really loves this University. And the fact that he hates scUM, is just icing on the cake.

 

[JimsSweaterVest]

I just received this email:

[FONT='PrimaSans BT,Verdana,sans-serif']Dear Students:
Thanksgiving nears, and our thoughts turn to those things for which we are most grateful. As president of this great University, I feel blessed beyond measure for countless reasons. Below, I share the Top 10 things I am grateful for this Thanksgiving:
10. Your 384,000 hours of community service last year
9. Warhol at the Wexner Center
8. Our remarkable faculty, whose research ranks us 9th nationally
7. The Best Damn Band in the Land
6. Ohio State?s most-qualified freshman class ever
5. Senator John Glenn, for his service to the University, the state, and the nation
4. Students? overwhelming participation in this month?s elections
3. Our first LEED-certified building (Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center)
2. Ohio State?s huge contingent of international students, 14th-largest nationally
1. 42-7 ? enough said!
Best wishes for a relaxing and enjoyable holiday.
Gordon Gee
[/FONT]