Gayle is not a career education professional, and if the governor had tried to get her appointed superintendent of schools, it would have been every bit as objectionable as this Garrison thing. But she does have a great deal of experience in various areas of education practice and policy, in addition to a strong understanding of the political realities of education. Those qualifications make her a good candidate for a school board.

By the same token, I think Garrison would be a fine choice for the WVU Board of Governors, for all the reasons cited by his supporters as evidence that he should be president. His political and policy experience, his passion for the university, his professional and political contacts — those are typical credentials for a university board member. But they don’t qualify him to step in with no academic experience and run the state’s foremost academic institution, any more than Gayle’s education credentials would qualify her to be state superintendent of schools. They just don’t.

The alternative would be to put the univesity in the hands of someone who can’t make it on his own merits, but instead has to use the smoke and mirrors of murky, West Virginia politics.

It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if Garrison got it. I’m sure he’d muddle along just fine. He’s not an idiot, clearly. Machiavellian tactics require a certain degree of cleverness, if not actual brilliance.

“Those who can do, do and those who can’t teach”

Great lets put our University in the hands of some proffesor who cannot make it in the real world.

Sorry guys running WVU is like running a large company, atleast Garrison ran the state when Wise was Governor and has managed his lawfirm’s Morgantown office.

More importantly did you see the Daily Mail article on Callaghan’s
wife.

It would be interesting to see who the 8 semi-finalists were.

I will, however, pass some more of my wisdom along: The president of Portland State has 10 years of experience (doctorate or not) under his belt, you said it yourself. You have yet to tell us why Mr. Garrison is more qualified than someone with these credentials.

Well, I guess it’s a good thing that Bernstine dropped out, because he didn’t have a PhD either. You had better inform Portland State that he hasn’t met your prerequisite for the last ten years. I don’t know how the heck they’ve gotten by without your wisdom.

Also, you’re muddying the issue with misinformation. What the heck does scholarship in a discipline have to do with leadership of a university? As you search for a PhD program, are you also looking up the academic resumes of the unversity presidents? If not, your post is little more than hyperbole.

My point with Gayle wasn’t to say she was the most qualified person in the state, I was suggesting that this Garrison business is worse.

Holy f*cking sh*t! Will you people listen to yourselves?! Are you taking crazy pills? It should be a prerequisite of any PRESIDENT of any UNIVERSITY to have completed a doctoral thesis. It means they’ve gone through the motions. It shows dedication. It means they actually give a damn about betterment through academia and higher education in general. Would you rather see “Mr. Garrison, president, WVU,” or “Dr. Garrison, president, WVU?” Look at him as a candidate for the job, not a friend, and you’ll make the right choice.

As I search for a masters/PhD program myself, I am constantly reading papers that faculty members (at potential schools) have published. I want to receive the best education and research/publishing is a proxy for how dedicated and knowledgeable a professor is. I look up to my professors with the title, “Dr.” I probably will not seek references from “Mr., Ms. or Mrs.” when applying to grad school, point blank.

BTW, how DOES one get such a prestigious title “in this day and age?” This all looks like old-fashioned glad-handing and c*ck-sucking to me!