E. Gordon Gee (President West Virginia U.)

[stowfan]

Then the Dayton newspaper needs to hire better editors and fact checkers.

With a 300K bonus (which he donated back to faculty and scholarship funds) his total compensation last year was 2.14M.

I found the link, and I miss read the article. In my defense, the author was giving figures that were totaled over what appears to be 5 year period. My apologies, but the author was writing to be as sensational as possible.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news...osu-president-run-into-millions-for-tr/nSGkK/

 

[exhawg]

So let me know if I understand this correctly. Gee would rather retire than offer Bert Bulimia an apology over the phone. A bad ass to the end.

On a serious note hopefully tOSU can find some way for Gee to remain connected to the school to continue fundraising in some capacity.

 

[Coqui]

BTW not to be Devil's Advocate but are we sure this comes from pressure over his comments from BOT or donors or something? Are we sure he isn't just hanging it up because he's tired of the negative press when he says off the cuff stuff? Or is that what we think, that it's the press and not University pressure? I guess I am confused as to what caused this decision exactly...

He's saying it started with the cruise he took with his grandchildren last month. Made him not want to miss things.

 

[OH10]

I wish he had waited a year to retire so that it wouldn't appear as though it was related to his regrettable comments. His legacy deserved better than that.

 

[BayBuck]

Early speculation on Gee's successor.

For about the past five years the speculation at CWRU has been that President Barbara Snyder was waiting for Gee's retirement in order to return to OSU. Snyder certainly has the OSU pedigree having earned her BA from OSU, and more importantly, she has served as both Dean of the Law School and Provost. Her own selected provost at CWRU is William Baeslack, who is a former Dean of Engineering and Executive Dean of the Professional Colleges at OSU. My guess is that if Snyder was selected, she would return with Baeslack. Also, in her first couple of years as President, there was a lot of complaining by the faculty and upper-level administration that everything was compared to how OSU did things by Snyder and Baeslack. Now, I don't know how interested the Board is in Snyder and how legitimate the speculation is, but it was interesting at work today that as soon as Gee's retirement was announced, everyone started talking about potentially losing Snyder.

Having worked at CWRU for the past six years, almost the entire tenure of President Snyder, I believe you get a mixed bag with her. She certainly has done well managing the university in terms of finances. When she took over, CWRU had a $20 million budget deficit, which she eliminated two years ahead of schedule; and she is nearing the completion of a successful $1 billion fundraising campaign. She has done very well in winning over the alumni base and connecting with financial leaders in Cleveland and nationally. On the not so positive side, she rightfully has a reputation for being cold and distant with faculty, staff, and students. In addition, although I think she is a very competent leader for the university, I would argue that she has made some very poor hires at the VP level and allowed an incompetent dean to remain in place for too long as his college lost nationally known faculty and research dollars under his tenure.

Again, don't know where the Board stands, but if she emerges as a top candidate, you heard it here first.

Interesting choice. I believe you are right in many of your assessments of her personality and qualifications. Just to clarify though, she was an Associate Dean at the OSU law school, but she has had a consistent career trajectory to probably be in consideration for OSU now. I have to think it will depend on what kind of president they're looking for: a lifelong Buckeye type, or a big splashy national hire.

 

[matcar]

I wish he had waited a year to retire so that it wouldn't appear as though it was related to his regrettable comments. His legacy deserved better than that.

Something tells me Mr Gee is fine. I doubt he's worried about his legacy.

 

[jlb1705]

He's saying it started with the cruise he took with his grandchildren last month. Made him not want to miss things.

I don't buy it. Presidents don't announce their departure less than a month before the start of the university's next fiscal year if they are leaving on their own terms. If that were the case I would have expected this announcement back in August 2012 for a departure on July 1, 2013. Presidential searches are a long, drawn-out process. There are a lot of steps and there are a lot of of constituents that have to be involved (or at least made to feel involved) along the way.

If this were retirement on his own terms, then Gee has done Ohio State a disservice by leaving on such short notice. I don't believe that to be the case for a second though. Ironically, I think he's displaying some tact and restraint by attributing it to personal reasons.

 

[BayBuck]

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/06/05/Gee-holds-press-conference.html

I have to say all three men at the press conference sounded very candid and genuine about their reasons for and reaction to the retirement news: I probably revised my gut reaction that he was forced out and maybe think Gee is being honest about making this decision (mostly) on his own. Obviously the tempest-in-a-teapot played a role, but sometimes circumstances like that can be an opportunity for change at such an advanced point in a person's career.

You can tell just from Facebook how much he loves those twin grand-daughters, especially after all he's been through with his daughter. He also mentioned a "significant other" in California, so hey, enjoy yourself Dr. Gee. You've earned it. I do hope we continue to see him involved with OSU, at least as an elder statesman and friend of the University.

 

[BayBuck]

I don't buy it. Presidents don't announce their departure less than a month before the start of the university's next fiscal year if they are leaving on their own terms. If that were the case I would have expected this announcement back in August 2012 for a departure on July 1, 2013. Presidential searches are a long, drawn-out process. There are a lot of steps and there are a lot of of constituents that have to be involved (or at least made to feel involved) along the way.

If this were retirement on his own terms, then Gee has done Ohio State a disservice by leaving on such short notice. I don't believe that to be the case for a second though. Ironically, I think he's displaying some tact and restraint by attributing it to personal reasons.

But also consider the issue of timeliness in regards to Joseph Alutto, who according to The Dispatch was "hours away" from being hired by the Columbus Board of Education to be their interim leader. Alutto has been Gee's right hand man and is a good reason this can happen on short notice without rocking the boat too much. This is also a great opportunity for him not to dragged down by that boat (CBE, ugh).

 

[cincibuck]

As to Kirwan, he's the only one of the 3 that my Fraternity had to file an injunction in Federal Court for violating the 3rd amendment....

They wanted to house ROTC cadets in your fraternity house?

 

[LitlBuck]

Not completely gone:)

Outgoing Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee said this morning that he will continue fundraising for the school and working with students. During a news conference at the Ohio Union on campus, OSU Board President Robert H. Schottenstein said Gee, who has a law degree, might teach in the Moritz College of Law.

http://www.dispatch.com/

 

[Bucklion]

Early speculation on Gee's successor.

For about the past five years the speculation at CWRU has been that President Barbara Snyder was waiting for Gee's retirement in order to return to OSU. Snyder certainly has the OSU pedigree having earned her BA from OSU, and more importantly, she has served as both Dean of the Law School and Provost. Her own selected provost at CWRU is William Baeslack, who is a former Dean of Engineering and Executive Dean of the Professional Colleges at OSU. My guess is that if Snyder was selected, she would return with Baeslack. Also, in her first couple of years as President, there was a lot of complaining by the faculty and upper-level administration that everything was compared to how OSU did things by Snyder and Baeslack. Now, I don't know how interested the Board is in Snyder and how legitimate the speculation is, but it was interesting at work today that as soon as Gee's retirement was announced, everyone started talking about potentially losing Snyder.

Having worked at CWRU for the past six years, almost the entire tenure of President Snyder, I believe you get a mixed bag with her. She certainly has done well managing the university in terms of finances. When she took over, CWRU had a $20 million budget deficit, which she eliminated two years ahead of schedule; and she is nearing the completion of a successful $1 billion fundraising campaign. She has done very well in winning over the alumni base and connecting with financial leaders in Cleveland and nationally. On the not so positive side, she rightfully has a reputation for being cold and distant with faculty, staff, and students. In addition, although I think she is a very competent leader for the university, I would argue that she has made some very poor hires at the VP level and allowed an incompetent dean to remain in place for too long as his college lost nationally known faculty and research dollars under his tenure.

Again, don't know where the Board stands, but if she emerges as a top candidate, you heard it here first.

Several promising and established science faculty have left CWRU recently...that's all I can comment on regarding her, but I wouldn't consider that a good sign for her going to OSU.

 

[buckeyegrad]

Several promising and established science faculty have left CWRU recently...that's all I can comment on regarding her, but I wouldn't consider that a good sign for her going to OSU.

She is not to blame, at least in the sense that her leadership did not create the problems which resulted in recent losses. The problems existed before she came here, so the only failure I see is not doing enough to correct them, which in my opinion would have been a Herculean task. Too much of the old administration has remained in place and the few replacements she has made have not been the best in terms of change-agents, which is what CWRU needs. However, if she walked into a well-functioning university with great leadership already in place, she could do quite well.

I think BayBuck is correct. If the OSU Board wants someone with ties to the university who will continue to steer the ship in the direction Gee has it going, Snyder would be a good choice. However, if they want a national, dynamic leader who might bring about new changes, she would not be the right fit.

 

[cincibuck]

When put into context, these are the kinds of jokes we have with our friends over a beer. There's nothing really there. Mountain out of a molehill. Seems the AP was saving it for a slow news day.

Yeah, but you and your buddies aren't University presidents. What university presidents do and say does make a mountain and with a high 6 salary figure you expect a president to know where the lines are. Maybe it's a Mormon thing.... thinking of Romney's "campaign killer" comments about the 47%

Just found out that his poke at the SEC about not being able to read and write was in response to being asked about some SEC folks claiming we can't count since our conference name is the Big Ten.

Why get into a pissing contest with a bunch of louts from Tuscalosa or Baton Rouge? We already know what the schools in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi are about.

But the lovable, goofy Dr. Gee does contract foot-in-mouth disease from time to time. At that disaster they referred to as a press conference, when asked if he was going to fire JT and he responded, "I just hope he doesn't fire me", I put my hands in my face and let out a groan.

However, my 25 year old son was lhao at Gee's most recent comments. He thought his shots were hilarious. One media outlet said that he once referred to some incompetent group as the "Polish army" (I missed that one), but my son rolled off the coach onto the floor, eating it up. He said that when he was in Iraq, his unit got shot at by.... the Polish army!! He said they liked it better when the French were in the area because they never had to worry about them shooting anyone. :)

I can think of better armies to joke about than the Poles. The cemetery near San Pietro says all you need to know about bravery and dedication to the cause of the Polish Army.

I can understand that your son might find Gee's comments funny, but his bread-and-butter audience is made up of folks forty and up and that kind of humor works only when you are sure it's going no further than the room where it's spoken.

Gee has accomplished much in his two terms, not the least of which is to win the political battle in Columbus against Miami and to ignite an endowment fund that was a joke when compared to Michigan's. Unfortunately he didn't have the ability to fully grasp the political/public nature of his position. It's a major loss for the University he served so well in other areas.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

I don't buy it. Presidents don't announce their departure less than a month before the start of the university's next fiscal year if they are leaving on their own terms. If that were the case I would have expected this announcement back in August 2012 for a departure on July 1, 2013. Presidential searches are a long, drawn-out process. There are a lot of steps and there are a lot of of constituents that have to be involved (or at least made to feel involved) along the way.

If this were retirement on his own terms, then Gee has done Ohio State a disservice by leaving on such short notice. I don't believe that to be the case for a second though. Ironically, I think he's displaying some tact and restraint by attributing it to personal reasons.

I think it's more of a middle ground. It wasn't a "resign or we fire you tomorrow" situation like JT. From what I've heard, he realized that he had gone too far this time and the university was receiving a fuckload (justifiably or not) or bad press. The board was pissed--especially after the other recent episodes which he should have learned from--but he still had their support (and Kasich's) to stay on with a Bobby Knightesque zero tolerance policy in place.

I think he realized the damage he had done and did what was best for all. I too hope that when all this dies down, he still maintains an active role in the fundraising campaign.