Read this carefully: I’m not saything that WVU, or the College of Business and Economics have given away 72 bogus degrees over the past several years.
Mike Garrison and Alex Macia are saying it.
Garrison’s people have been shopping this story around for over a week now. It’s not exactly a secret.
Alex Macia himself was going around during last week’s interim legislative session telling just about anyone who would listen about these “72″ bogus degrees.
I’m not saying that these “72 degrees” are bogus, either. MIKE GARRISON AND ALEX MACIA are. If there’s any truth to what they’re saying at all (what, these people lie?), it’s almost certainly along the lines of what readers have suggested in the comments: discrepancies over a handfuls of credits and / or minor clerical errors. In other words, apples and oranges.
Who knows if there’s any truth to what they’re alleging. The real point here is that THESE PEOPLE ARE WILLING TO BRING DOWN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSITY TO STAY IN POWER.
But now that the cat’s out of the bag, let’s hope that they think twice about their next move. I for one, would be just as happy if next week goes by and we don’t hear a damn thing about this from Stewart Hall.
May 24, 2008 at 6:47 pm
HK, I really had hopes that the end was in sight. It now appears that MG is in this for the long haul. I would love to see the 1800 signatures so we can see what we are up against.
Thank you.
May 24, 2008 at 6:55 pm
I really don’t believe there are 1,800.
May 24, 2008 at 7:03 pm
We would have no way of knowing, but I want to direct my business elsewhere. I do think they could get 1800 in the bar of Morgantown, some of which are owned by MG’s father-in-law…
May 24, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Aye
1800 signatures really isnt that much…especially if you ever visit sites like Rivals/ESPN/Scout sports msg brds.
WVU folks there live more in a fantasy land. They see nothing wrong with the Bresch deal since “Garrison signed Huggy”. That makes him great in their eyes.
IMO the word needs to get out. If folks realized how much of a threat this could turn into, then you can bet opinions would be changing fast. Some folks wont worry until it threatens their sports enjoyment…and dont have the forsight to understand it could do exactly that.
As I indicated before…if there is one thing I can say about you Mountaineers it would be that “You stick together”.
Which is exactly what folks need to do…and lance them damn boils blighting your state.
May 24, 2008 at 8:09 pm
I loved the “Sparkle Motion” clip but am not sure I understand its relevance?
May 24, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Mass walkouts, students, teachers and other non-safety/medical staff workers may be the only thing left to do. Can it be pulled off?
May 24, 2008 at 11:10 pm
REPOST
Wolverine-
I’ve found that West Virginians are some of the friendliest, most polite and hardest working people I have met. They are also intensely proud of their State, as they should be, it can be a great place to live and is beautiful (looks alot like the UP except it is warmer and gets much less snow). Much of their defensiveness comes from the often unfair portrayal of the State by the national media using largely untrue and/or outdated stereotypes (analysis of the recent Democratic primary is but the latest example). When one of their own turns his/her back on the State, as RR is thought to have done, they are considered traitors. Again, this is due to the I think justified us versus them mentallity. The root problem with WV is the economy, as detailed in last nights discussions concerning income. The State and its people have been taken advantage of by robber barons throughout its history, leaving coal as the major source of income; the gradual greening of the US has de-emphasized coal as an energy source and left the State’s economy in dire straits. So, the average West Virginian is quite-rightly concerned more about supporting their family than the granting of a bogus degree. It is this situation that Manchin and others seek to exploit. They think that they can trash WVU for their own purposes and the voters won’t really care. Sadly, they may be right, outside of the Morgantown area, Manchin received a vast majority of the votes in the recent Gov primary. Fortunately, however, a majority of WVU faculty, a growing number of students and citizens are taking notice and putting their feet down and voicing their displeasure with what has happened at WVU. Hence, the Govs recent statement backing away from his unwavering support of the boy genius. Time will tell if more will follow and change at least the way some things are handled, and may be more of a value will be placed on education.
BTW: I am a Miles man myself…
May 24, 2008 at 11:34 pm
If it is indeed true that Garrison and Macia have been talking up the concept that the entire records system of WVU is unreliable (a deadly insult to the staff that have been carefully keeping the records) and many bogus degrees have been handed out (a deadly insult to the faculty), then that crosses the line into betrayal, comparable to Benedict Arnold.
While Garrison could so far claim that he DIDN’T do something previously (be at The Meeting in October), if he were to take such direct provable action as indicated here, then that elevates it to what others have referred to as nuking WVU — so badly that we will never see its reputation restored in our lifetimes, and the livelihoods of many damaged.
Not living in Morgantown, I literally never know until now how bad things were at WVU, with stories of intimidation and an atmosphere of fear, so that those who are most affected have the least possibility of speaking openly. This all reminds of nothing so much as visiting Eastern Europe in the 1970s.
One idea would be to line up people at rush hours with big signs (”GARRISON MUST RESIGN!” or whatever) at Exit 7 on I-68, on the way from the Cheat Lake-area residence to town, and at every major intersection between there and Stewart Hall, so the message can’t be ignored. The public can be engaged with information as to the millions of dollars of grants NOT coming in to the university and thus to the regional economy due to this problem (from disaffected donors, from disaffected research faculty taking their grants away with them to greener pastures, and from students deciding not to come here). A well-written one-page summary of the problem can be handed out to people so they can understand the seriousness of the matter, and that it is not a normal power struggle, but a great ethical conflict that affects all.
May 25, 2008 at 2:37 am
I’d love to know at least a majority of the “business leaders” and business associated with that list. I’d never do business with any of them.
May 25, 2008 at 6:36 am
me and fairmont: I totally agree. I’m ready to boycott! I’ve switched banks many times and could be running out there, but will figure something out.
Benedict Arnold for certain. WV Blue - that’s the truth. Someone (other thread) mentioned the WV History requirement - brings back ancient memories. They are still requiring it? (I don’t recall my kids bringing the book home . . . hmm)
Wolverine - sticking together reflects a loyalty that runs deep, for many reasons. It will never be all about sports. We are a population of one large city spread out over the mountains. But many small colleges. If the flagship goes - OMG we’ll be rivaling Afghanistan I think! Not quite, I know, but still . . .
If we all prepare for “nothing will surprise me anymore” then perhaps we can still enjoy the weekend and listen to the birds.
Not much of a movie goer - I had to look up Donnie Darko to “get it” this time, HK. Great!
May 25, 2008 at 7:02 am
I’ve been reading these posts for the past month. What I don’t understand is who keeps releasing the “protected” information. First, it was some mystery person in McDonalds who gave up the Heather detail. Now it is someone artfully blabbing about 72 others. What are the motives for someone to do each of these? Can’t we just follow the motives behind the insiders and trace it backwards? Can someone at WVU (some honest player) tell us?
May 25, 2008 at 7:04 am
I’m skeptical when a layman in the field of psychology (such as myself) throws around clinical terms, but I feel fairly secure in brandishing this one in the direction of Garrison if he goes this route: sociopath.
I’d guess Macia is his “enable” and Walker his Good German Shepherd.
May 25, 2008 at 7:05 am
“enabler”
May 25, 2008 at 7:19 am
Could someone explain what the “Regents Bachelors of Arts” would be?
May 25, 2008 at 8:03 am
Don’t be foolish and take the bait re the 1800 signatures. While I agree that publishing this list might have a negative economic impact on businesses in the area BE REMINDED that this is not a numbers game and it is not us against them. This is about right versus wrong; leadership versus insubordination; what’s better for WVU versus what’s not good for WVU.
Don’t allow a list of names to be a distraction. If you base your argument on numbers you will likely lose (assuming a well paid PR firm will do whatever it takes to spin this in their favor).
May 25, 2008 at 8:08 am
The Regents BA has been offered since 1975 through public higher education institutions. It offers non-traditional students an opportunity to earn a college degree through a combination of regular classes and college-equivalent work experience. See http://rba.as.wvu.edu/ for more information.
The work experience is presented as a portfolio and its equivalence to a regular classroom course is evaluated by faculty members who may teach that course. I’ve reviewed many portfolios for classes RBA students thought were the equivalent to some offered by my department. Some were approved and some were not.
May 25, 2008 at 8:40 am
Fairmont, those are great ideas. Thank you.
I would never get into the numbers game, but, since I do spend money and I do like to deal with businesses with integrity, I DO want to know if any of the business leaders I currently support are on the list.
Today, Gene Budig has a column in the Sunday Gazette Mail. It has been a long time since his name has been bandied about; I sure hope he is coming to WVU.
May 25, 2008 at 8:49 am
Regents is an undergraduate degree that can be awarded at WVU (and many other schools) where part of the degree is based on “life credits.” But, the definition of “life credits” is very strict. The student must match what they know from a job or real world experience to a class taught at WVU. They must go through the syllabus of that class and then write a formal, in depth rationale as to why that course is possible to be applied to what they did in the past. It must then be vetted by the prof who normally teaches that class to see if the outside work covers all of the material in the class before it can be counted. If any material was not covered in the life experience, that prof may assign additional work before counting the work toward that class. There are only a limited number of these petitioned courses that can be used toward a Regent’s degree.
May 25, 2008 at 8:52 am
I would like to see the list of 1800 names so that I could go speak to them. I am sure that they all have very strong arguments about why they support MG&Co., and I, for one, would love to hear them. I have yet to personally meet any MG&Co. supporters. I have talked to a few people who basically had no opinion because they just did not care, but it only took 5 minutes for me to explain to them what was actually happening before they were signing the MIR petition.
So, yeah, I would love to talk to someone who has a legitimate reason to support them, and I would love for this person to have no ties, personally, politically, or socially, with Manchin, Garrison, Goodwin or any of the other members of the Axis of Evil
May 25, 2008 at 10:21 am
I got an e-mail last night on my MIX, WVU’s student e-mail account, asking people to sign a petition supporting President Garrision.
The e-mail was from a G-Mail account, and it was from a woman named Shawna Ryan. Does that sound familiar?
I am just curious.
May 25, 2008 at 10:25 am
Where does one sign?
May 25, 2008 at 10:42 am
Please sign me up for one of those life-credit degrees. I am extremely experienced in shitting, so, please ask Mike Garrison to mail me a Ph.D. in Shitology. I have been shitting for over 60 years, most of it placed in the proper place.
Also, please have those boys in Morgantown send me one of those MBA degrees, too. I voted for Manchin (LOL) so, I deserve a Manchin Business Asshole degree.
The above writers are correct…people carrying signs, quietly walking about, will gather losts of attention.
The Garrison and Manchin clan must go, and hopefully soon. Lets all hope the door does not hit them in the ass on the way out.
May 25, 2008 at 10:43 am
Lurking: It was an online petition through ipetition.com.
May 25, 2008 at 10:46 am
Why would one assume that there actually are 1800 pro-garrison signatures on a petition when those who announced it have refused to make it available for the media to review nor explain how the signatures were obtained?
May 25, 2008 at 10:52 am
Anonymous, are the names on such an online petition public and how do I find them?
May 25, 2008 at 11:29 am
I actually just deleted the petition, because I did not want to click on the link. I thought it might automatically record my name.
May 25, 2008 at 11:34 am
Imagine that….another alert to yet another invisible petition supporting MG.
Allow me a moment to recover from my shock
May 25, 2008 at 12:01 pm
It might be interesting to create a table that lists everyone who has come out in support of Garrison (in column A) and then list their relationship to MG and/or how they benefit from him being president in column B. I say this, because it is obvious to everyone on this blog site that no one is ‘independently’ supporting Garrison, only those who stand to benefit by his being President (or who are related to him by friendship or family). I thought it was very funny that one DP editorial in support of MG was written by his wife’s uncle.
As for Shawna Ryan, I couldn’t find that name on the WVU directory, nor could I google it by linking that name to WVU, morgantown or Charleston.
May 25, 2008 at 12:04 pm
72 bogus degrees? This will make all of our degrees suspect if they pull this stunt. And this is being done just to be able to report to the BOG that there WAS a problem with records and that Mike is the go-to-guy to fix the problem? After all, he does have some experience with bogus degrees. What chutzpah!
Homer: Are we gonna die, son?
Bart: Yeah, but at least we’re going to take a lot of innocent people with us.
May 25, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Oh, those funny fellows at Carbolic Smoke Ball (courtesy of MG):
THE MOUNTAINEER CALLS FOR RESIGNATION OF WVU PRESIDENT; VOWS TO RETURN HIS DOCTORATE
(Morgantown) - The Mountaineer issued a statement this morning calling for the immediate resignation of embattled WVU President Mike Garrison. “I cannot, in good conscience, continue to carry a musket and dress in authentic frontier costume on behalf of an institution that sacrifices academic integrity for the sake of nepotism,” he said. “I will no longer preside over post-game riots during football or basketball season, nor will I participate in a single couch-burning until Mr. Garrison departs.”
Mr. Mountaineer punctuated his remarks by firing a solitary blast of his musket into the air, throwing his coonskin cap to the ground and emitting a blood-curdling shriek.
Mr. Garrison is the principal figure in a scandal involving the fraudulent awarding of a master of business administration degree to Mylan Inc., executive Heather Bresch. Ms. Bresch is the daughter of West Virginia Governor Joseph Manchin. She has also been linked romantically to the Mountaineer. Numerous photos of the two of them together have appeared in the society pages of Morgantown newspapers.
This past Saturday evening, Ms. Bresch accompanied the Mountaineer to the Hog Callers Ball, where they mingled with guests and took turns as a “celebrity caller” during the square dance. Nevertheless, the Mountaineer said he “would not allow his relationship with Ms. Bresch to compromise his position as a representative of West Virginia University.” Mr. Mountaineer vowed to return the doctorate in quantum physics he earned from WVU in protest if Mr. Garrison remains in office.
May 25, 2008 at 12:19 pm
I too have been reading this blog and very disturbed and actually becoming ashamed to be a member of the WVU faculty and NOT because of Mike Garrison.
Paul Speaker ran a very shady EMBA program for years and that is widely know. Furthermore, we have all been victims of the ‘Royal’ Hardesty-Lang regime. This was a regime that was hostile to faculty and oppressive and such is the mess that Mike Garrison inherited. The B&E situation was created under Hardesty and Lang’s watch and has nothing to do with Garrison.
Everyone close to the Bresch affair (including Lang) indicate that Garrison did not pressure anyone and anyone who knows how this place works knows that Lang could not be pressured by anyone.
I do agree that the handling of this has been very poor by the President and his men but the myopic and hostile focus on Garrison has me wondering about the analytical capability of the WVU faculty who have been here for many years. It is YOU who are now bringing down this institution.
May 25, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Heather Bresch signed an SEC (securities and exchange commission) document as “Heather Breasch, MBA” in the summer of 2007 and testified in congress as “Heather Bresch, MBA”. So, she committed perjury. So, she calls her Dad and asks him to fix it, he calls Garrison whose minions fix it.
That’s most likely what happened. Hardesty didn’t do that, Speaker didn’t do that and to link any other discrepancies of the eMBA program is to obfuscate the facts - an unearned degree was created for Heather Bresch.
May 25, 2008 at 12:28 pm
OK, then why would Lang allow that? These are the same folks who had just told him to take a hike when he wanted to be President.
Why would he risk his career to help the political forces he was hostile to?
Please help me understand that?
May 25, 2008 at 12:32 pm
LMAO…great post reality check !!
Do you have permission from Mrs. Goodwin to attack Mr. Hardesty? Does she know you boys aren’t playing nice? Good God man, was David C. Hardesty in the room with Macia, Lang, Sears and Comapny? Nope….didn’t think so.
And Mr. Satterfield should at least show some measure of gratitude to Hardesty for making a band director into an economic development genius!! Those economic development grants were the most collosally stupid idea to ever come out of the WVDO. Except for a few developers…hmmmm…how did Petroplus fare with those grants? The rise of Satterfield should be investigated; no question about that!! Pin that on Hardesty !!
But, Heathers eMBA is squarely on Mikey and Alex. Jen Fisher was part of Hardesty’s regime, let’s ask her about cupability.
May 25, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Reality Check: I have no personal knowledge of the situation, so I’m just reacting here to your analysis of events. You ask why he would risk his career to help the political forces he was hostile to, but you’re assuming he was hostile. Applying for a job and being turned down doesn’t necessarily mean he’s now a committed lifelong enemy of the group in power. In fact, he could logically assume that this was the best way to further his career.
May 25, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Lang has been trying to take down MG since before he was given the job. And yes, the fix was in. No argument there.
And meanwhile you have become Lang’s ground troops…
Viva!
May 25, 2008 at 12:40 pm
I carry the water for no man!! Take down every bleeding crook and corrupt politician that is ruining the reputation of my alma mater and what was once the shining beacon of pride this this state!!
Pour disinfectant on this lot, shine light into every dark corner and squish every little cockroach that goes scurrying.
Add, Satterfield and Nussbaum to my list also.
May 25, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Hey Reality-
When Garrison rode in on his white horse did he clean things up? Did he get rid of any of the “‘Royal’ Hardesty-Lang regime?” No he did not. He either agreed with their tactics or was too incompetent to recognize the problems and address them. Either way he is has shown himsel not qualified to be President of this University. He bears the ultimate responsibility for happens under his watch. Not only did he not confront the pre-existing issues, he added to them by his abuse of power in the Bresch matter. It is too late for Garrison, he no longer has the credibility to make any significant positive change. If you care about WVU, as it seems, you know that to move on Garrison (and others) must go.
May 25, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Conspiracy Theorist: You’ve come up with a theory that depends on an actual relay through the chain of command. I think the point of so many of the posts on this blog is that the inter-relatedness of the people involved — by blood, by marriage, by financial interests, or political interests — makes such direct communication unnecessary. Each one understands the position he occupies and the role he plays, without being ordered. Why is it that when people obtain power, try to accomplish things, and are unsatisfied with the results, they automatically assume it’s because they don’t have ENOUGH control? Maybe they fail because they have TOO MUCH control, and aren’t entertaining enough alternate viewpoints to arrive at a consensus or an optimal solution.
May 25, 2008 at 12:54 pm
For the sake of argument, I’m going to concede reality check’s suggested scenario of events, and ask:
So, would a plausible next logical step for MG and his team not be to call for a special prosecutor here to determine the full scope of all of this–let the chips fall where they may–to determine who exactly broke state law by physically altering public agency records for Bresch, to determine if there were concomitant conspiratorial pressures, as stated by the panel report, and to uncover the breadth of brigandry and corruption at WVU in the awarding of unearned degrees, especially where a pattern of favoritism for “connected” students may have existed even prior to the Bresch decision?
I presume their answer would be, “No. That’s why we have an attorney of Alex Macia’s stature and impeccable reputation here. He’ll take care of it.”
But maybe I’m just being cynical..
May 25, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Lang is a genius!!!
He called PPG to rat out Bresch knowing that she will call Garrison (since he knew all along that he took her to the prom). He knew that Garrison would then get his henchmen together to invite get him to a meeting where they fabricate her degree. Then he gets the Univ to start an investigation into the matter to find him complicite in the affair and have Garrison force him to resign in disgrace. What is his next step, losing tenure? That would really show Garrison up.
Genius I tell you, genius!!!
May 25, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Exactly !!
Hardesty - a product of Goowin, Inc vs Garrison/Macia - a product of Goodwin Inc vs Manchin - a product of Goodwin, Inc.
Yesss…it all makes sense now
May 25, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Re: 72 bogus degrees – with apologies in advance for a long post.
I just reviewed the document index for the Panel’s report to see how many transcripts they may have reviewed. There are transcripts with AR before the number of the exhibit; I assume that AR refers to Admissions and Records, which is the office from which an official transcript would be requested. There are 65 transcripts listed. For those of you who want to check on this, look at AR 25-64, AR 66-70, AR 66-70, AR 82-87, AR 89-96, AR 103-105, AR 110, 111 & 117.
Since the name associated with each transcript is redacted, it is impossible to tell whether all 65 transcripts belong to Heather Bresch (unlikely) or to Heather Bresch and 64 additional individuals. Assuming it is the latter, it would appear that the Panel may have reviewed transcripts for many of the rumored 72 (or 70 or 73) “bogus” degrees. And once again, the Panel’s conclusion was that, “While the Panel has found a number of minor anomalies in some records, it has found no student whose record, or the subsequent modification thereof, is comparable to that of Ms. Bresch” (p. 14).
If a representative of the University issues a report that there were 72 “bogus” degrees, I hope that members of the press will ask the following questions.
1. How many of the 72 were among the cases examined by the Panel? What did the Panel miss that leads the University to conclude that these are “bogus” degrees? Why does the University’s conclusion on those records differ from that of the Panel?
2. Among those cases not examined by the Panel, when were the degrees issued?
3. Among those cases not examined by the Panel, how many credit hours were degree recipients short? How many were missing from 1-3 hours? How many were missing from 4-6 hours? How many were missing from 7-9 hours, etc.? Were there any cases other Ms. Bresch’s in which 22 hours were missing?
4. How many of the 72 do not appear on an official graduation list? How many of the 72 did not pay the graduation fee?
5. Why is the University reporting this at this time? Have they reported this to the appropriate accrediting agencies, since this would appear to suggest the existence of the kind of systematic problem that the Panel concluded did not exist?
In short, I hope that the press won’t allow this to be used as a smoke screen and will press for ways in which these cases may be similar to and different from that of Heather Bresch. It will be important to communicate this in the initial articles reporting this or the general public will but into what appears to be an effort at misdirection.
May 25, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Why would Lang do it? Why would Macia let him do it? Why would Amy Neil be given scripts for on-the-record attribution to the press that were demonstrably untrue (Bresch didn’t pay cap-and-gown fee…scratch that one…records were garbled when the U switch from a paper record-keeping to electronic) and, then…here’s the hard part…Nothing seems to happen for months but stonewalling and, maybe, hoping it will all just go away, or be drummed out by the “Just pay the $4 million, Rich!!!” clamor.
As for Lang, maybe he saw, when Garrison had the job nailed down since probably as early as ‘05 if not ‘04 or maybe even ‘03, an opportunity to get onboard and finally make his bones with the real political, economic and social power behind the WVU Presidency Throne.
May 25, 2008 at 1:14 pm
I agree fattie,
Lang finally figured out the Goodwin pipeline and surmised that it had served him well the past 12 years, he would just play ball, be an ingrate and bootlick along for another ride. He stood every thing to lose and nothing to gain by usurping MG/Macia. Unless, he had a sudden attack of conscience….nahhhh
May 25, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Bray Cary said at the close of decision makers there is going to be a Perry Mason moment next week regarding the RR issue. Does anyone know what that is about?
May 25, 2008 at 1:25 pm
ACADEME, n.
An ancient school where morality and philosophy were taught.
ACADEMY, n.
[from ACADEME] A modern school where football is taught.
Ambrose Bierce
The Devil’s Dictionary
circa 1881
May 25, 2008 at 1:28 pm
I still think the following is most plausible:
May 18, 2008 at 7:12 am
About Lang’s going along, try this on for size: The two personalities (Garrison and Lang) had clashed enough very early so that by October, Steve Goodwin (or even Manchin) made it perfectly clear to Lang that Mike gets what he wants on all things, or else Lang is gone (as we have since seen with people in the med school). Lang’s choice was to give up his bully pulpit, or keep it and quietly defer to Garrison while pretending to share power. As a bully, Lang could not give up his pulpit, and since as a bully he was also a coward, he could not say no to Goodwin.
The above seems consistent with all the personalities involved and with subsequent events.
May 25, 2008 at 1:32 pm
I can see that horse….but I gotta go the short route….Lang was just collecting chits for down the road. Kept track of the bones being buried in years past and was going to do same with new administration. I still think he has a few little tidbits on some BOG members and/or donors and was consequently given the soft landing. Same for Sears, only he was new to the credit/debit game.
May 25, 2008 at 1:33 pm
None of this is relevant to the central issue. The central issue is “Can Garrison run WVU in light of this mess that he is associated with?,”and “Can Garrison take us where we can and should be going- for the students, the state, the faculty, for WV taxpayers?” The answer is “No.” End of discussion. No discussion of how he is somewhat cleared by the report. No analysis of how we got here. No indictment of all of the players who made the mess. No discussion of his guilt, innocence or complete lack of a presidential response to a crisis for the 8 months since this crisis. We are here. We have a national mess that jeopardizes WVU for ten years or more. We need to to get this fixed and get rid of this problem pronto. Can Garrison do this? No. Why? 1. He was part of it. 2. He is perceived to be part of the politics of WV. 3. He really is part of the politics of WV. 4. WVU can only rebuilt its integrity and thus compete nationally for grants and research by becoming fully non-political and by standing for academic integrity. Thus, he must go for the sake of WVU and for the sake of the state and its people who can benefit from a competitive WVU.
Why are we still having this conversation? Sorry for the guy, but that is the reality check that Reality Check is missing. It is not personal. The longer this takes, the more damage that has to be recovered from. These damages add up by the day, and the Board and its hand picked spokespersons are clearly at fault for not getting the institution past this crisis. It is not about Garrison any more, it is about what we must do to get the ship righted.
May 25, 2008 at 1:38 pm
New Reality: And 5. He really has no knowledge, intuition, or (from his handling of things thus far) intelligence to understand what it means for WVU to attain the next level. Look at the hirings and firings so far. We are going backward very quickly.
May 25, 2008 at 1:38 pm
WVBlue, fattie and Lurking - you’ve almost got it, but your missing a crucial notion. Why would Lang go along? What can he possibly get from “helping out”? Will he ever be promoted? Run for office? Of course not. He would have/will retire in a few years. He has no long term benefit from “going along” or “helping out” except for one, tiny thing.
Anyway, WVBlue, it’s all there in black and white. The faculty objected last year because a) the fix was in and b) Garrison is not competent for that position. Any reasonable person can see this from his resume (even before corrected to remove embellishment). Anyone saying something else is selling you something. The current state of affairs is exactly what this incompetence and inexperience will lead to, and if Garrison is not removed it will continue. You may not see it overtly as much, but it’s there and it is undermining everything WVU and a university stands for. A university is not a business and its brand does not arise from putting “West Virginia University is ruled by the Board of Governors, Michael Garrison, President” on every piece of stationary and publication. This is not how to build a major, national research institution. I know what one looks like since I’ve been to them and worked at them. Does Mikey?
May 25, 2008 at 1:43 pm
me@1:38
Lang follows along-keeps the post of argueably the second most powerful position at the U. Keeps collecting chits and he ensures his soft landing. Seems that his strategy , the 12 years past, worked!!
Does Hardesty have a tenured spot at WVU CoL?
May 25, 2008 at 1:46 pm
New Reality - Finally, this is the point. Regardless of what anyone else may want to believe in the halls of power in Charleston or anywhere else in WV, there is no moving forward with Garrison, only backwards and down. This is not open to debate at this point as the national attention this has drawn has associated WVU and Garrison as its “leader” with academic fraud in its most base form. There is no “rallying around”. It’s done. All that is left is a choice: will WVU right itself and renew its effort to build national respect academically as it was up until about 1.5 years ago? or will it chose to follow a path into less than mediocrity and pure inconsequence?
May 25, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Lurking - I don’t know if you’ve worked in academia, but there is a major difference between the two. Lang ends up where is he now regardless. He might have gone to another school as a president, maybe, but not a Research I so it’s doubtful he’d have ever left. What chits is he collecting and what for? He was tenured long before becoming Dean of ECAS, much less Provost.
Hardesty was tenured in a fait accompli manner with the duress complicity of the faculty at the time. He didn’t deserve it and still doesn’t. Nevertheless, that was not his goal long term politically. The CoL could have kept him on and would likely have done so if he’d wanted, not that he’d have made a good professor. Did he ever teach? do any research?
No, Lang could have gotten a reasonable job somewhere else if he had not been complicit. Better than anything Garrison and the boys could confer upon him. He wanted to stay here and didn’t want anything they could give him. So why’d he do it?
May 25, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Then me-you are suggesting his salary was supplemented or he has family members that are….which would come as no surprise to me at all!!
May 25, 2008 at 1:57 pm
so, tell us, what was the one tiny thing
May 25, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Here’s a story about the Boy King’s “managerial style” dating from before he became president:
A “scion” (for lack of a better, non-gender-specific term) of a highly respectable, pro-WVU family in this state was a contemporary and acquaintance of MG’s back in the day (undergrad days0.
That person ran into him socially some time before last spring’s coronation. They’re anything but best buds, so, at the time of the “bump-into,” there was the usual, hey, what’s-going-on-with-you chit-chat.
MG’s answer was he was going to be the president of WVU. Then he said (this is a paraphrase), “Hey, you want a job? Come on up. Gimme a call. I’ll getcha a job.”
The individual, who was not unemployed, found it to be a mite disconcerting.
May 25, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Another reason the individual found it unsettling is the individual doesn’t hold any fancy advanced degrees and little in the way of professional work experience translating into qualification for a big job at a major university.
May 25, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Of course fatte, that’s how you build political capital…doing people favors…at no expense to yourself.
May 25, 2008 at 2:10 pm
This is speculation, but consider this….
It is widely believed that MG has higher political goals and that the WVU presidency was only to be a stepping stone to greater things.
Senator Byrd is obviously not going to be in office for much longer. He quite possibly won’t make it through the next 4 years.
Gov Manchin has the authority to appoint Byrd’s replacement if he leaves office while Manchin is still Governor.
Will Garrison be the appointee? I don’t think so. I don’t have any idea who it will be, but I know that it will be someone who will bow out in 2012 when Joe runs for the Senate position.
Who will the Goodwin’s chose to be the next Governor? hmmmm…maybe it will be Mike Garrison.
There will be a costly national search starting in 2010 or 2011 for the next WVU president, but when all is said and done, it turns out, as usual, that the best candidate was here all along. After all, he put his career on the line to help out “The Family”. Invitations will be sent out for the coronation of President Lang.
May 25, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Lang went along with what was “expected” of him, in a case where the daughter of the gov, needed some help, and her friend was the president of the U, and Lang could use this, as some have correctly surmised, as a chit to play later on.
And I’ve mentioned this before. Some people say we are too hard on Garrison, because he was damned if he knew, and he was damned if he didn’t know.
They fail to realize there’s a third option. He could have known, and done the right thing, and stopped it when it happened.
May 25, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Me at 1:38. What was the one, tiny thing?
May 25, 2008 at 2:22 pm
bingo. lurking.
BTW, on another topic, I’m still amused that the “fire-breathing” (lol) state “progressive” political website, West Virginia Blue, continues to ignore the gorilla in the room.
So, since that site’s spawned-from parent is the national Daily Kos blog haven in a heartless world, I’ll see if I can have a little fun by extravagantly praising the WV version’s courage. It’ll take a week. It takes that long to receive approval to publish what are called “diaries.”
Anyone interested in collaborating on this particular Diary?
May 25, 2008 at 2:28 pm
I think Reality Check needs to have a reality check. Honey, it’s over. The powers that be are now trying to salvage MG’s reputation so he can have a career after this. Even his friend, Scott, goes on Bray Cary to say he will do the right thing for everyone but that he’s a good, decent guy who did nothing wrong. Some of that is true–he is a good, decent guy who was given a job he wasn’t qualified for and therefore failed. In the business school they call it the “Peter Principle.” When you say it’s well-known that the EMBA program was “shady.” that’s news to me and I spent more than 2 years immersed in it and found it challenging and rewarding. No one EVER questioned my degree until now. For those who don’t know Speaker, watch his interview on Bray’s show and web extras and make your own judgement. If Reality Check IS a faculty member, put yourself in Speaker’s position. I wonder if you would like to see Stewart Hall and a corporation try to destroy your career because you chose to disagree. Speculating about Lang’s motivation will do no good. Some of his closest friends are baffled by his behavior and all he will say is he trusted Dean Sears. So Reality Check, it’s probably too late to campaign on the blogs on MG’s behalf but that makes me wonder if you work for the Communications division. They’ve been behind the curve several times during this mess.
May 25, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Bing - Bingo! IMHO I also believe in the sociopath thread, and that people who are accustomed (raised from childhood) to thinking of self and cronies first, and doing the right thing only if it serves self/crony get so used to it that they don’t care. They just don’t. This was all kept in the president’s inner circle for the purpose of not getting caught. Plain and simple.
May 25, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Trust me, I too want MG and the rest of the political hacks out of WVU. The big danger is that we get an old political hack, Hardesty, back as interim. Hardesty has gotten off scott free for the damage he’s caused to faculty morale and the institution. That’s what I think Reality is getting at.
We need a Truth and Reconciliation Commission at WVU. ALL of the problems of the past must be aired. Garrison leaves, but the problems of Lang and Hardesty should not be swept under the rug either.
May 25, 2008 at 2:45 pm
rml@2:41
Now, THAT’S an ACTION plan !! IMHO
May 25, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Anonymous: just checked and I saw no MIX petition . . . ? someone thought better of it?
May 25, 2008 at 3:02 pm
You are so right, rml.
May 25, 2008 at 3:10 pm
@rml
Ditto on Hardesty. We don’t need to look within WVU, or West Virginia, for a new President. I was on the left coast for all of his tenure. And while I can’t speak of his inadequacies as a leader/administrator, I do remember being apprehensive that the selection committee could only come up with an “insider” for President. I had the same reservations about Garrison’s selection, to the nth power.
Let’s impress upon the BOG, the Governor and the legislature that we’re not going to be tricked again into accepting a mediocrity.
BTW: Any selection committee should include Charles Vest.
May 25, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Lou:
I also reviewed that long list of documents -quite a thorough job, and it had to involve many different transcripts. The words of the panel seem even more stark and striking yet, in view of the neutral attitudes of some staff, and the notion of muddying the picture with bogus degrees. Even Manchin’s “essay” of feeling so darned bad about it all was nothing but a sympathy ploy to extricate himself. And each interview seems even more damning. Don’t read it again if you want to enjoy your weekend.
It almost comes across as naive to believe that doing the right thing is all it takes. Sociopaths (or whatever the disease is) think “right” equals “easy” and “better for me.”
May 25, 2008 at 3:55 pm
There’s an informed thread early on here between Aged Wolverine and WVBlue. WVBlue talks about WVians and our sensitivity to stereotypes and how the history of that repulsion-driven sensitivity stems from robber baron politico-economic exploitation because of our abundant natural resources (mainly coal and timber).
This scandal, however, shows that the most criminal effronteries to our state’s image now are perpetrated largely (though not always in isolation) from within.
Going further, some historians might say that when the from-within occurs, it’s the manifestation of a post-colonial mentality.
Bottom line, and no fancy terms involved? It’s means the scandal furthers our image as a Third World State.
May 25, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Amen! fatmackeral. And if we want to really broaden the importance of academic integrity and freedom, look at China, and academics through numerous governmental systems.
May 25, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Fattie: Sad to say, but there is a sickness here. I think it comes
from the deep poverty of the past.
May 25, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Well said fatmackeral.
Hopefully, we (I’m a Mountaineer by choice not by chance) will recognize that it is not only those from outside WV that can do harm to the State, there are many from within that seek the same type of damage for their own gain. You are correct, the Bresch case is an illustration (though a relatively minor in the larger picture) of this abuse. This behavior only re-enforces the poor stereotypes that WVians are subjected to by much of the rest of the country. That is why it is so important the the Bresch matter and its associated corruption be handled above board and decisively.
May 25, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Ticked: Oh, hell. No denying that. Good grief, no.
Just being simplistic for now, but there’s another “tool” at work in the history of how exploitation and poverty/relative non-affluence have shaped that mentality: The overwhelming emphasis on the instrumentality of education in WV–ie, practical skills rather than learning as an end in itself (even in a modern “corporately modeled” university [read, land grant on steroids], I would think there is a tense balance between pragmatism and theory).
May 25, 2008 at 4:51 pm
I heard my name mentioned :P
FM has said a lot for not saying very much.
As an outsider I can tell ya I am wondering why everyone isnt inflamed over this. Obviously the regulars on this blog “get it”…but go to other sites and not so much so.
The talk of “RR owes us 4 bajillion dollahs” or “Michigan sucks X” far outweigh the “Lets hang Garrison by his scrotum until he confesses to everything” talk.
OK for Steph we will tone it down…that should of read “Lets chop off a toe at a time until he reveals all the details”. :P
May 25, 2008 at 4:56 pm
When I was in Morgantown, the German School’s Critical Theory was an influence among some who were academically and politically promsing.
In other words, polital-economic analysis
Neo-Marxism was there to be studied in its demanding, highly nuanced forms, and added to one’s analytical “toolbox.”
Late Marxist thought was also there to be rejected as a political catechism and religious construct.
Exposure to such exotic ideas is part of what makes a university great. In fact, it’s what makes a high school great, in some parts of the world.
Not in WV. Not much, anyway. Being primed to pass No Child Left Behind demi-sub-group-targeted standardized tests and emphasizing a straight-and-narrow career/social path is the radically enforced norm.
Of course, that means we’re at least keeping up with the Joneses, these days.
Sad, ain’t it?
May 25, 2008 at 4:58 pm
The thing that really is bugging me about this latest possible spin that the Garrison crew is hoping to put on this matter is this:
What difference does it really make if THERE WERE degrees improperly granted prior to the Bresch case? First and foremost, THIS IS NOT WHAT HAPPENED in the Bresch case.
Heather Bresch did not earn an MBA from WVU, and the records maintained by the school were, in fact, correct. The independent panel’s report confirms this.
She was only granted her degree AFTER WVU was questioned about it as part of routine fact-checking call by a newspaper reporter doing a story about her recent promotion at Mylan.
As the panel’s report stated, THE SYSTEM WORKED at WVU in regard to the Bresch matter. Only when Mikey and his crew got involved did the shenanigans start.
If MG had only said to Heather when she first called, “Heather, I’m sorry but our records clearly indicate that you did not complete the program and did not earn an MBA from WVU, you’ll have to deal with this on your own”, we would not be in the mess we are in now. It could have been Heather Bresch’s problem and nobody else’s, but in his ongoing quest to have all-encompassing power, MG decided to toss the truth out the window.
I’ve always taught my children that you ALWAYS tell the truth, no matter what the consequences. If MG had learned that lesson, he would have told Heather Bresch the truth, that it was her problem and her problem alone. The only consequence MG would have faced had he told the truth to her would be that he might have pissed off Joe Manchin or Mike Puskar, but so what? What could Joe Manchin have done at that point? I certainly don’t think he would have stood up in front of a group of reporters and insisted that WVU got it wrong, that his baby girl really did get her MBA and WVU screwed up. I doubt that Mike Puskar would end his substantial support of WVU as a consequence and if he did so, it would certainly be a sign of his true character.
Mike Garrison blew his golden opportunity to shut up his detractors. If he had stood up for the truth in the face of a difficult situation with an influential person like Heather Bresch, EVERY SINGLE person who ever doubted him would be forever forced to say he DID THE RIGHT THING and that their initial worries about him were unfounded. Instead, we all know what we have on our hands now and it is a tragedy of the highest order.
May 25, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Mark PGH @ 4:58
Hole in one…that said it all.
May 25, 2008 at 5:04 pm
Mark: It’s just a way of holding the school hostage.
May 25, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Which Scott was on Bray Carey talking about MG?
May 25, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Mark PGH bangs the gong with some spot-on political analysis.
Garrison, the dumb-@$$, held the upper hand. Induce her into an incriminating phone call–like that would’ve been hard to do–but soon tell her, “Sorry, babe”…then, distant through cronies outside The Immediate Inner Circle, release the tawdry details of the RICO Act violation (extortion) and…Really Be Sittin’ On Top o’ The World…until…Al Neri Visits Stewart Hall.
May 25, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Mark PGH: THere is the movie quote “you can’t handle the truth” and then as you say, ” . . . if he had learned” to tell the truth.
Wolverine: no need to tone it down for me. There is plenty worse to read on this blog that is upsetting, and it’s not anatomical. Hey - the age thing - I took note of it thinking you are still far too young for that list of ailments - hang in there. This blog (and I’m pretty new, too) is all the better for your “flinty” comments.
No matter what BP said - and I couldnt’ get past the first couple sentences - telling people to move on means let the little bad boy get away with it. Telling people to be quiet - what country are you from? You cannot possibly be an American.
May 25, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Amen! Steph
May 25, 2008 at 5:51 pm
[...] is a comment from the Fifth Column blog. It is in response to this post about the rumored report that Garrison [...]
May 25, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Lang’s one little thing. Well, how exactly did MG charge him after the call from Bresch? “Lang, I want you to take care of this.” or some similar thing (I have no direct knowledge; this is speculation). Given the prevailing climate and perceived threat to his job, this could be interpreted to mean, show that she has the degree, not find out if she had the degree. In either case, Lang could establish that he was directed to “make it happen”. The presence of Walker and Macia in a situation that is clearly the purview of the provost and dean with no need for oversight until after the decision is made implies that this is likely what happened.
May 25, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Mark PGH is spot on. How about asking her to provide 22 credits worth of
registrations
cancelled checks or credit card receipts
graded papers, exams, and projects
any correspondence from faculty with graded comments
a TRANSCRIPT
and while she is gathering those, how about providing
pictures of UFO’s, unicorns, and . . .
May 25, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Working title of my Daily Kos blog:
Joe: The Buck Don’t $top Here; Scandal at WVUl
Again, anyone interested in contributing?
May 25, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Make that:
Aging Dem Boy Toy Joe Manchin: “Buck Don’t $top Here at WVU Scandal”
May 25, 2008 at 6:31 pm
fatmackeral:
I too have been looking for contributors for GarrisonMustGo.com. I have not had any luck. As anyone who has visited my site can see, I am not a writer. That is why GMG has mainly been news articles and links.
Anybody that has anything to say is welcome to post it on GMG. I had hoped to provide a forum that would be a little easier to navigate that sorting through the hundreds of comments here at 5th Column.
HK, please don’t take that the wrong way. This site has provided an amazing forum for everyone to express their views, but sometimes it is hard to wade through all the comments.
Anyway, if anyone is interested, feel free to contact me at Garrisonmustgo at gmail dot com
May 25, 2008 at 7:07 pm
garrisonmustgo: looks like a really good site. Explicitly political, too. Could get myself into a lot of fun trouble over there.
However…why divide our resources? This site already has Underground Cult Status.
Why split that up?
Just asking, that’s all. Really.
May 25, 2008 at 7:25 pm
find it interesting too that this has been going on in WV for years but comparably little seems to have been done to take advantage of it. From Friday’s MetroNews:
05/23/2008
Print this story Print this story
Ready To Land
Reuben Perdue
WAJR-FM, Bridgeport
The Phoenix Mars Lander will begin its descent to the surface of the Red Planet Sunday.
The scientists and astronomers at the Green Bank Observatory in Pocahontas County will be the first in the world to know if it makes it successfully.
Frank Ghigo, a member of the Scientific Support Team, says the Green Bank Telescope at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory will monitor the descent from start to finish.
“It’s one of the largest telescopes in the world and we hope to be able to detect the signal as the spacecraft lands on the surface of Mars and that will give the first indication of how it’s doing,” Ghigo told WAJR-FM in Bridgeport.
Once Phoenix jettisons the cruiser, it will communicate with deep space orbiters through low frequency radio waves. It’s those waves that the Green Bank facility is watching.
Peter Ilott of Jet Propulsion Laboratory says monitoring those signals is essential. “If something goes wrong and we don’t hear from the Lander again we have to be able to recreate and figure out what happened and what went wrong so we don’t make those kind of mistakes again,” he said.
The Green Bank Telescope will serve as a redundant monitoring system to the communications relayed through the Deep Space Network - a collection of listening stations in California, Spain, and Australia. That backup system is not just in place to make corrections in case of failure. Ilott says the data recorded Sunday will be helpful in the future even if the landing is successful.
Once the Lander touches down, it will drill beneath the surface to search for and analyze water ice. If the makeup of that ice is similar to that of Earth’s, then there’s a possibility Mars could sustain life as we know it on Earth.
If you want to know more about the mission or follow it, you can track it on NASA television or online at jpl.nasa.gov or gb.nrao.edu. You can also track the Phoenix’s descent live at the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences in Charleston Sunday night from 7-8.
May 25, 2008 at 7:35 pm
By “this” I meant NRAO, more than landing on Mars.
Although the two are intertwined, ultimately.
May 25, 2008 at 8:05 pm
[...] Sometimes I Doubt Your Commitment to Sparkle Motion [YouTube] Read this carefully: I’m not saything that WVU, or the College of Business and Economics have given [...] [...]
May 25, 2008 at 8:10 pm
fatmackeral:
No intentions of dividing the resources. Just wanted to provide a place where it is a little easier to navigate. I have been a reader of this blog for coming upon 4 years now. As a matter of fact, this blog is the one that inspired me to create my own blog. I would never do anything to try to slight the 5thC. Not that I could if I tried, but I would never try.
With that said, sometimes it is hard to find things here. Sometimes I check this site and there are 70 or more new comments here and sometimes I find it hard to sort through them all. Also, sometimes people post important info or links in the comments, and it is difficult to find that info later (i.e. the link to Bailes salary info, or the email addresses for the BOG.) This type of info would be more useful if it is posted in a place where it is easier to locate.
So anyway, that is the point of Garrison Must Go. The only problem is I don’t have the time to add all the important stuff to the site. Also, what is important to others, I may not add. Sooooooo….. I need some help.
Thats all….Im just saying…..
May 25, 2008 at 8:56 pm
Still would like to wait for some strategic Hippie Killer views on this.
I personally think a lot of ideas on here might be combined to create something new in the Regional WV/WVU-areas blogosphere.
But, for now and for sure, this is the place to post.
May 25, 2008 at 9:02 pm
So why is the “Morgantown buisness community” supporting Garrison? I’m not basing this assumption on the supposed petition residing in the mayonaise jar on Funk and Wagnell’s porch, I’m basing it on talking to these guys. The answer, of course, is money.
The small to mid-sized business owners were promised by Garrison that he will continue to increase enrollment. So far, he has kept this agreement. Students need housing, buy clothes and booze, which equals cash to local businesses. I know we all have wondered why apartment buildings have been springing up all over (have you seen the one on Beechurst?), well it is to accomodate the promised ever larger classes of students. Incidentally, the retention rate of freshman is rather poor due to the slipping of academic standards to permit these large classes. If Garrison goes, and a responsible President takes his place, one of the first things he/she will do is freeze future classe size until the number of faculty can be increased to effectively teach these students, or reduce class sizes to match the ever dwindling number of faculty. A potential bright spot is that some of these guys are seeing the light, they are coming around to the conclusion that enrollment may decrease because of Garrison, so he must go. Either way, stay or go, some of them will end up losing a significant amount of money on their gamble.
Some of the bigger developers (at least one is a BOG member) are losing their shirts on the Waterfront develoments. There was/is a deal in place with Garrison (and likely the BOG of course) to bail these guys out by buying up some of the real estate on the Waterfront for “future University projects.” This plan is likely on hold while things with Heathergate get sorted out, making a large number of these “gentlemen” very upset with MG.
May 25, 2008 at 9:16 pm
Magic Rat, After Garrison resigns, what happens to the consultants and the restructuring of HSC WVUH UHA
May 25, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Maybe I’m dreaming, but I think if MG goes, the VP search committee may proceed (chaired by hank barnette) as a legitimate search, which would identify a legit candidate. If that happened, Juilan Bailes would have alot to lose and he would likely leave. From there, the HSC/WVUH/UHA reorganization takes shape with real leaders who know what they are doing. Wouldn’t that be refreshing. Regardless, an interim Pres would have to give the stamp of approval for the VP search to proceed. To date, the VP search committee has not be emailed or asked to meet. Stay tuned.
May 25, 2008 at 9:36 pm
BTW, when I referred to my own blog in my last post, I was not talking about GMG. I was speaking of my other blog that I started a few years back. I was inspired to start it after discovering this blog back when Lawbot, Offroute and Hippie Killer were the writers here.
May 25, 2008 at 9:38 pm
HK - how are the donations coming along? I need to pony up, and so should others. This has been a great place to exchange ideas and to keep the heat on. Donate everyone! I will ( I promise).
May 25, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Good question Mikey. The “boys”were up at HSC last week making nice with the Chiars, saying all the right things. So, the Plan is still on. They will write their report saying that the organizations and, importantly, the WVU Healthcare system should all be integrated. This report will then sit on the Pres. desk. It will then be up to the new Prez to decide what to do, and what Manchin wants. Will he still think that he can manipulate the new Prez to get the money? Time and election resluts will tell.
The only problem with your dream conspiracy is the “real leaders who know what they are doing” part. Replacing the VP and Pres is only a begininng to getting a reorganization done in the right way. Currently, there are not many “real leaders who know what they are doing”, certainly you cannot be refering the clinical chairs. Check out their bottom lines, they can’t even run their own Depts let alone lead a very complex melding of the HSC.
May 25, 2008 at 9:44 pm
I think Magic Rat has filled in a lot of the questions with what is going on involving Garrison.
Money…what some folks wouldnt do to get it.
An image of the Good Ole Boy Network is really starting to take place…it is all about money…and how they can use WVU to accomplish their mission.
These crooked bastards need to be exposed nationally for what they are.
May 25, 2008 at 9:48 pm
The reorganization is an inevitability. There is no one at the HSC that has the breadth of experiences to do this job … maybe John Prescott, but that’s it. So, the search will have to bring in a real VP. The concern at the HSC was that the new VP would be a ‘puppet’ and that Bailes would be pulling the strings from the background (retaining his big salary without an admin title that requires a lower salary). Bailes is not qualified. He’s a good surgeon, but he fails in every other aspect of the job, no knowledge of research, education, physician practice plan, clinical trials, administration, etc.
May 25, 2008 at 9:55 pm
MagicRat, How can the reorganization occur is the parties involved do not want it to, for instance WVUH and UHA are private corporations aren’t they?
May 25, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Again, a great question from Mikey. You are correct, so it will require their cooperation and some legislation. UHA will be/is fine with the Plan as a whole, why not they will get bailed out of a hole by the money. WVUH is a comletely different matter, it is there from where the money will flow. From all indications they are not going to go along willingly, at least at this point. I have heard rumors that before Heathergate broke, Prez was getting very frustrated with WVUH admin, very frustrated.
Reorganization is one thing (though some Med Centers are dividing up to become organized the way the HSC currently is configured), and it may be a good idea, but the plan to pull the HSC budgeting process to Charleston (which is the ultimate goal of the Plan) is another thing. The ultimate goal is get their hands on WVUH money to offset the pop tax repeal and help with the State budget. You can decide if you think that is a good idea. Bye the way, the movement of a key HSC financial figure (no, not JH) downtown is the first step in this process. When John Dillinger was asked why he robbed banks he said, “because that’s where they keep the money.”
Conspiracy you are correct Bailes was positioning himself for the VP job he either did or planned to resign from VP search committee so that he could take the job. The consensus is that the “Bailes Letter” and the associated bad pub has made him too hot to handle for the VP spot. Imagine the uproar if a member of the Prez’s search committee who organized an awkward and tainted letter supporting said Prez was annointed as VP. In the current climate, no Pres., Garrison or anybody else could do that and not get a mention in the PPG.
There will be no VP search until the Garrsion situation is reslolved and a reputable interim is in place. Even then, the search may have to wait until a permanent Pres is named. Once the search is started and no smart person applies (who would want the VP job with HSC’s current state and the reorg battle looming?). In rides the noble savior willing to take on the role of righting the ship, could his initials be FB?
May 25, 2008 at 10:29 pm
And FB is a shell man, so nothing will change will it?
May 25, 2008 at 10:45 pm
FB is a smart guy that takes orders well, he survived the Bob reign of terror didn’t he? He will do what the new Prez tells him to do. Garrison is telling him to follow the Plan and that is what he is doing. If he is given different direction by a new Admin he will do that with as much energy (new found energy). Clearly, the HSC needs gallons of new blood to get back on its feet both financially and academically. New blood will be very hard to attract given recent events, the bleeding has to be stopped first.
The next fun sport will be watching what is going to happen with the all but dead SRP, the top-heavy Research Admin and BRNI, but that discussion will have to wait for another night- things are in flux with the new wind blowing in from the East.
May 25, 2008 at 10:49 pm
June 6, 2008 is the 64th anniversary of D-Day … and the date of our next BoG meeting. Hopefully, the tide will turn on this day and MG will be out. If so, and if the interim Pres lets the VP search for the HSC move forward legitimately .. then this is symbolic that WVU is back.
Regardless, I am so proud to call myself a member of the Faculty of WVU. Whether we oust these guys or not, I am proud to say that that the faculty stood up to these guys … no one stood down, no one backed down. We gave these guys our best shot and they know it. On June 6 … we will all know what the outcome will be. If Garrison stays … the best and brightest of WVU faculty leave, and that will be a sad year, watching us peel off. If Garrison leaves, we stay, and the future will be bright again.
I think we win … and I think WVU thrives.
May 25, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Right on Theorist… couldn’t have said it better myself.
May 25, 2008 at 11:20 pm
Donnie Darko = ++
May 25, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Theorist et al: Many are very proud of you.
May 25, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Do you have inside info that a member of the BOG (Petropalos) has been losing his tail on the the Waterfront? Also, I dont think Petropalos does much residential stuff, so he might not benefit as much with increased enrollment as the other developers would, such as the Biafora’s. I have the same rumors that WVU may buy the Waterfront Hotel and the condos on top. How could that be considered an arms length transaction. What would the University neeed hotel that size for? New dorms?
I have been following this throughout, and it is amazing all of the connections and links to the folks involved. Also, does anyone know how Andrew Payne got on the BOG? I live in Charleston, and Ive never heard of him doing anything great. Didn’t he just inherit his money? Did he even go to school at WVU? Does anyone know if that is his son on the basketball team?
May 25, 2008 at 11:30 pm
My previous post was directed to MagicRat. Sorry.
May 26, 2008 at 12:10 am
Petroplus is on the Board. Petroplus used to have the hotel under Radisson and that was too expensive, so it is now unassociated with a national chain. I think Garrison goes there frequently, as does Puskar of Mylan, who is a partner with Petroplus in the hotel. Many WVU events are held at the hotel now. Petroplus is building a building right now for office space. Is it full? He owns a waterfront restaurant nearby- which is not busy. A three bedroom condo on the top of the hotel runs $800,000, which is a big number in Morgantown. What would WVU do with a hotel? WVU leases the Foundation/OIT space at One Waterfront and parking garage from Petroplus/Puskar and Platinum Properties. Petroplus plans to build a big events center next to the hotel, which will look for business from WVU to fill it. Yes, it is Payne’s son. And, fellow BOG member Farmer negotiated Huggins’ contract, right? Wells is a good friend of Garrison. Goodwin is connected with Manchin via his son who works for him, named Carte. Garrison was connected with Wise, and then with Manchin. Petroplus and Cappellanti are on the Discover the Real West Virginia board together, along with Tom Jones of UHA.
May 26, 2008 at 1:41 am
Dumbshit republicans. Big article in today’s gazette about how they are going to make this a political issue. Fucking 6 months to the election. God, just when you think the GOP can’t be any dumber, they constantly prove you wrong.
Look, I have NO problem making this a political issue. But NOW is not the time. GET Garrison, Goodwin, et al, OUT first, THEN use that as the issue.
And don’t do it 6 months ahead of time. Average joe schome democrat in wv will have forgotten, and gotten tired of the issue by November.
May 26, 2008 at 1:49 am
conspiracy theorist-Bailes isn’t going anywhere…he has never got a third of what he is making now at WVU anywhere else he worked and won’t anywhere he would go to
May 26, 2008 at 3:57 am
Bingmanch,
You are wrong. This is exactly the time. And, this is the only way to get them out of office. Listen, Garrison and Goodwin are directly associated through Manchin..take out Manchin and you take out the rest of them.
We all know Joe isn’t going anywhere, but at least the GOP should act like an opposition party.
You are dead wrong, bro. They are doing exactly what they should have been doing weeks ago: Beat this dead horse.
The Democrats are all too chickenshit to say anything. The Gazette has absolutely FAILED the fucking people of W.Va.
Now, it is time for someone to step in.
May 26, 2008 at 5:24 am
Mountain Daddy: Huh? The Gazette’s editorial board certainly hasn’t failed anyone, the state or professional standards. I’ll grant you that, had it not been for an out-of-state newspaper’s reporting, the Gazette wouldn’t have had the opportunity to step up to the plate editorially, but the same can be said of every newspaper in the state.
May 26, 2008 at 5:47 am
On the other hand, Mountain, here’s the take by the Gazette’s Phil CAB-ler (his column today), a guy who dishes “insider” info in his role as Fanny Seiler’s successor yet somehow managed for months to surefootedly avoid any serious discussion of this incident and any possible political fallout from it. (I missed it if he in any substantial way took this one on, at any rate.) “This sounds to me like a real as-it-stands-today “insider smart guy” (lol) “take on the scandal:
“Listening to attorney Harvey Peyton on his radio show recently, reading résumés of presidents of flagship universities in neighboring states, it occurred to me that Mike Garrison got the wrong job at West Virginia University.
“Not for the reason Peyton was stressing - that Garrison lacks the academic credentials of his colleagues. (David Hardesty didn’t have the traditional academic credentials, either, and he oversaw one of the greatest periods of growth and improvement in the university’s history.)
“I mention Peyton because, during that broadcast, he said I had written a column a year and a half before the fact that said Garrison was going to be named president. (Actually, I went back and looked at the column. It wasn’t quite that definitive. By the way, for future reference, the pronunciation is CAB-ler.)
“At any rate, it occurred to me that Garrison’s true calling should have been in a position such as vice president for institutional advancement - a position where he could have worked contributors and worked the Legislature for funding.
“As it stands, Garrison helped get two landmark pieces of legislation passed that have had or will have tremendous benefit for WVU:
“As chief of staff under Gov. Bob Wise, he got passed the funding source for the Promise Scholarships, with the sizeable majority of Promise scholars over the years attending WVU. This year, he helped get the Bucks for Brains program passed, which will provide a total of $70 million for high-tech research initiatives on campus.
“When Garrison was named president, I commented only half-jokingly, “Give him 10 years, and every other college in the state will either be a branch campus of WVU, or will be shut down.”
“It’s clear now, however, that his tenure will be nowhere near that long. While it’s plausible that he had no direct involvement in the Heather Bresch controversy, there’s no way to begin to remove the stain of that fiasco unless Garrison steps down.
“As for whether I believe Gov. Joe Manchin directly intervened in the matter, the answer is no. Then again, he didn’t need to, just as he didn’t order agency heads to leave upward of 10 percent of all state job positions vacant - he just made it clear he wanted to reduce the size of state government, and his appointees followed suit.
“However, it’s clear that Manchin’s image has been tarnished to the point he felt compelled to issue the two-page, 11-paragraph statement last week basically distancing himself from the whole affair.”
May 26, 2008 at 5:51 am
My take on Kabler’s comments: It’s like they say about watching a dog count to 10 on command. You’re impressed with the effort if not the math.
It’s amusing, too, that he takes pride in only having halfway reported way back when what was an open secret–that Garrison was a lock for the Big Job.
May 26, 2008 at 6:46 am
Anon at 12:10 AM. Do you mean Euro-Suites Hotel? I know that hotel “hosts” many WVU sports-related visitors, like prospective student athletes. I’m sure there are big money ties. Same person who owns the hotel own that sports bar in Suburban “mall.” Keglers?
May 26, 2008 at 6:49 am
Sorry. I guess you meant Waterfront.
May 26, 2008 at 7:22 am
The top-of-the-front-page-article in today’s Clarksburg Exponenet telegram outlines how The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business is AWARE of this situation, and is following it with concern, BUT has not yet received even one complaint about the mess!
WVU’s business school has been accredited by AACSB since 1957, and it is up for renewal in 2009. Wonder who Garrison & Manchin have planted in that organization? How else could there have been NO complaints? Apparently one can register a concern or complaint on their website at http://www.aacsb.edu/
The Family is alive and well in WV. It has cancerous roots spreading out all over the state, as noted above. The Manchin Family must go, so lets start with Garrison and Goodwin, and then work on to the others.
May 26, 2008 at 8:11 am
It took absolutely no guts for what Kabler wrote. He hedged on everything, gave “plausible” doubt to Garrison. Thank Heavens the Gazette’s editorials have been more realistic.
May 26, 2008 at 8:12 am
A story in the Gazette about gas compnaies and their pressure tactics, reminds me of one more WVU-Manchin-BOG connection. Scott Rotruck, Lobbyist Extraordinaire (don’t be fooled by the bogus VP title) is one of Manchin’s BFF and the defrocked Morgantown Chamber of Commerece President. Hardesty had him in some BS economic development role there for a while, where he bootlicked Satterfield,Weete er al. now thie LOBBYIST, is a point man for all of Manchin’s economic development initiatives. I refer you to fattie’s story about a dog counting above…
May 26, 2008 at 8:15 am
Any comment about the Peter Kalis Op-Ed in yesterday’s CGazette?
I missed it but found it today, and am sorry to be inept about posting the link here. It is a good plan to consider for presidential replacement. I can’t debate the merits of the details, but such a plan must be in place prior to a Garrison resignation. No doubt MIR is already on this as they prepare to meet with BOG. I hope the take an antiemetic before they go.
May 26, 2008 at 8:32 am
See, I knew this would turn into “Vote Republican” - like they won’t do the same thing. They will. Do you think the same people that brought us Vic “Giggity, Giggity, Aw-Riight!” Sprouse and George “HeckofaJob, Brownie” Bush are any better? No.
They’ll just use it to get bogus degrees and all MTRs, all the time. This is exactly how Republicans use this sort of thing to get people to vote against their own best interests.
So stop campaigning, Bro, and let the pols of both parties know we’re not putting up with this shit anymore.
May 26, 2008 at 8:34 am
Anything short of the plan Kalis laid out in yesterday’s Charleston Gazette won’t restore WVU’s reputation. Sounds like the say to go.
Here’s the link: http://www.wvgazette.com/Opinion/Op-EdCommentaries/200805240262
May 26, 2008 at 8:37 am
Uh, that’s WAY to go.
May 26, 2008 at 8:54 am
Agree Jay@8:32
The best the WVGOP can come up with is : “See we’re not Joe Manchin”.
When I get a satifactory,non-evasive, from the WVGOP gubenatorial candidate on this question:
“Do you consider the Monaco vacation of Spike and Blankenship a conflict of interest? Why or why not?”
Then and only then will I consider listening to what he has to say on any other issue. Since he is unwilling, or unable to answer that conflict of interest, I have no inclination to hear the WVGOP’s position on Manchin’s conflict of interest.
Besides, Frank Deem says that the WVGOP should leave Joe alone.
May 26, 2008 at 9:12 am
Thanks, Snarky for posting the Kalis link.
I was also moved by the word choice of Prof. Julie Hicks Patrick’s letter in todays’ Dominion Post. Midway through she states “I cannot defend the actions that took place within this administration.” On Memorial Day we somberly remember those who lived for, and died for the highest ideals.
This also brought to mind a “kid” who joined the service before graduating from high school. He was having second thoughts. Friends were discussing his plight, but someone pointed out that “It’s too late - he has no choice -he already took the oath.”
We all know what that oath is - and Dr. Patrick’s statement takes on deep meaning today, of all days. She is doing her job - she has no choice.
Strangely - I cannot locate the oath of office of the president of WVU. Strangely, I cannot even access the state government web site at all, or the Code. Maybe the Inauguration is still on a video clip somewhere.
The Special Investigative Panel has much more to say about WVU leadership than the Bresch degree which she “did not earn.” Anyone who actually obtains the 1800 names and really wants to talk with the signers - make sure you have a copy of the Panel conclusions. It is not legalese, not long, and is as clear as a kick in the butt. Wolverine: that’s ass, right? Mild, compared to your remedy! Personally, I can’t wait to boycott, and stop in just to let them know.
The WVU syllabus statement of academic integrity states that integrity “cannot be sacrificed to expediency, ignorance, or blatant fraud.” No gray areas. The Special Panel concluded that all three were sacrificed by WVU leadership, by design or omission. Whatever the words, Garrison violated the oath. He has no choice. “Move On” certainly applies.
May 26, 2008 at 9:23 am
If someone has electronic access to the Morgantown Dominion Post and could copy Julie Patrick’s letter here, it would be a good thing. It is a powerful letter. I hope that she also submitted it to the Gazette,