For those of you around WV, this is the big local scandal that has captured the campus and the state for months:
When he became president of West Virginia University last year, Michael Garrison seemed poised to use his political experience to help build the institution’s national reputation.
Less than a year after taking office, Garrison is struggling to hold on to his job and contain a scandal, after the university granted an unearned degree to a longtime friend, the daughter of the West Virginia governor. On Monday, the Faculty Senate voted 77 to 19 in favor of a resolution of no-confidence in Garrison and demanded his resignation.
“A lot of the sentiment had more to do with the absolute importance of academic integrity and the fact that the president is responsible for whatever goes on in his administration, rather than anything that he did specifically or did not do,” said Steve Kite, a geology and geography professor and chairman of the Faculty Senate.
A huge black eye, and I am glad I don’t have to deal with it. As a practical matter, I don’t know how Garrison will stay as President, particularly after I saw a news story today in which he admitted error (I read it on the bus in the local paper, and I can’t find a link). The Faculty Senate is pissed, and admitting that you were at fault, even obliquely, is not going to calm them down.
Again, glad I do not have to deal with it (I really don’t even know any of the players), but sad and angry the whole thing has happened. It is embarrassing, and it hurts the school’s reputation. It really does have the whole power structure involved- Mylan, our biggest donor, the Governor and the state political machine, and the bigwigs at WVU. Such a mess, and I honestly could not begin to predict how this will turn out.
As a side note, the correction at the top of this WaPo piece is awesome:
Correction to This Article
Due to an editing error, an article in Thursday’s newspaper on West Virginia University misidentified the faculty organization that had approved a resolution of no-confidence in WVU President Michael Garrison.It is the Faculty Senate, not the Faulty Senate.
nightjar
Behold the power of a single letter.
Seitz
You’re gonna see those types of mistakes from people who went to pubic school.
RSA
Well, on the plus side, it does look as if there’s a groundswell of support for doing the right thing. In contrast to what we see going on in business and in politics.
Martin
Same thing, really.
(I speak from daily experience)
jake
Awesomest typo evar.
Maybe now Yale and Harvard will admit their mistakes.
MMM
I’ve read quite a bit about this case…
George W. sounds incredibly competent compared to this Mr. Garrison. Is this the same Mr. Garrison that teaches at that school in South Park? That would explain a lot.
Corvus9
I always love to see signs that people are getting fed up with Nepotism. It probably won’t go away, but really, is it not preferable to see this shit treated as corruption?
Nancy Irving
Universities make a big mistake when they bring in as administrators outsiders who have no conception of the values of academia.
tballou
“The report, released April 23, did not cite evidence that Garrison directly interfered with decision-making but said the presence of some of his top staff members at the meeting where administrators decided to issue the degree created “palpable” pressure.
It concluded that the business school gave Bresch credit for classes she didn’t take and assigned grades “simply pulled from thin air.” The degree, an executive master’s of business administration, was rescinded. ”
That’s it? Seems like pretty thin gruel to me. How about firing the business school dean instead?