Hey, you! Are you a disgraced, corrupt politician who has had trouble finding work in the real world? Then West Virginia University is the place for you! Who cares if State law doesn’t allow straight severance packages — experts like Steve Goodwin will create a custom, bogus project just for you! Because if you can’t ride off into the sunset with dignity, you can at least ride off with a duffel bag full of taxpayer cash.
1. I want to know who the HELL asked Mike Garrison to stay around and “consult”? Who, exactly, wants to keep this lying, corrupt sack of failure on the payroll? We deserve to know. And what subjects has he been retained to consult on? Day-care center design? Issuance of fraudulent degrees? Suicidal PR mistakes? Healthy eating choices?
It’s like asking Nixon to stay on to consult on the integrity of the White House.
2. Steve Goodwin is a compulsive liar. Earlier this week, he announced that Garrison would no longer be an employee of WVU after September 1. Goodwin’s statement was plainly intended to make people think Garrison was leaving WVU. Yet only 2 days later, we learn the truth: Garrison will be staying on indefinitely in a position that looks, walks, and quacks like an employee — it’s just that the school will call him a “consultant” instead. If Steve Goodwin decided to call Garrison “America’s Next Top Model,” would that make it so?
It’s no surprise that Garrison’s sticking around in a big-money job. No, the weird thing is that Goodwin felt compelled to make a clearly deceptive statement about it only 2 days before the truth was announced. He must have known he was going to come off as a ridiculous liar, but he said it anyway. What possible explanation is there for that? I honestly wonder if the man has some sort of unaddressed mental problem.
3. This is proof positive that Garrison can’t get a job in the real world. Believe me, if they could have gotten him out of there, they would have, but no one was willing to pay $250,000 a year for a no-talent politico who reeks of corruption and can’t earn his keep. The only thing Garrison could do to earn his own way is lobby — but he knows he can’t go back to that game if he wants to keep his political future alive.
4. Why the hell is Joe Manchin allowing this to happen? He was well down the road toward putting this thing to bed as a PR issue. Garrison has stepped down. Joe has appointed superstar board members not beholden to WV politicos, and the school had picked a well-respected new interim president. After all that, why in God’s name would he allow a move that will let this scandal fester endlessly, like an ugly, oozing sore?
5. Did WVU’s new interim president really have anything to say about this? Because Magrath must know that the real reason Garrison is staying at WVU is to undermine him. For years to come, Mike Garrison’s job in life is going to be guerrilla warfare against whoever is in charge of WVU. Garrison wants Magrath to fail, and he wants whoever takes over permanently to fail, too, so he and his ass-kissing cronies like Derek Long can tell everyone what a huge mistake it was to get rid of him.
It’s bad enough that so many of Garrison’s backers will be on the Board fighting tooth and nail to humiliate Magrath and his successor. But it’s absolutely insane to have the disgraced former president INSIDE the university actively tearing down everything the new president tries to build. McGrath must be either crazy or a saint to take this job with so many long knives aimed squarely at his back.
6. The public deserves to see Garrison’s new contract. It’s probably being reviewed by the Attorney General’s Office right now. And they would probably hand over the proposed contract if someone sent them a FOIA.
July 11, 2008 at 4:59 am
Crap! Didn’t he even try to get on at Michigan? I stupidly thought that was the landing spot for WVU’s sloppy seconds and losers! I was furious when I thought he was going to be paid $500K to leave! I’m even madder now that he’s being paid to stay! He and Goodwin and all the little toadies just have to be laughing their heads off in between drinks and cigars! Why can’t this just end?
July 11, 2008 at 5:33 am
well HK….once again you point out the weakness at WVU………..we need to rename you, “CAPTAIN OBVIOUS”……….this is what happens at the HsC…..administrators do not have the backbone to get rid of lazy failures, but hell they can sure run productive,energetic,academicians out………….yet,another joke and laughingstock………..and,by the way…..isnt CONSULTANT really a contraction for the 2 words,CONman and inSULTANT?……you might want to ask the ENGLISH Professors
July 11, 2008 at 5:46 am
Your comparison of Garrison to President Nixon is apt. Can you imagine if Congress had kept him around as a consultant, maybe to the FBI or CIA? Just when one thinks things are beginning to sort out at WVU, the Cronies pull another jaw dropping, bone headed move. It would appear that no one else wants to hire Garrison either so they are going to keep him in the public money trough.
July 11, 2008 at 5:56 am
In the professional world, NO ONE stays around after a resignation, even under the best of circumstances. It reflects total disrespect of the new person and is viewed as serious undermining.
I’m surprised Magrath did not insist on the clean sweep. If he couldn’t, then it just reinforces to me how much Garrison has on a lot of people.
The new BOG members (along with the old) may soon be getting a new barrage of mob emails about this. I wonder how long approval of the terms will take before made public- not that it matters. He’s not wanted - period.
July 11, 2008 at 6:14 am
Would letters to Magrath regarding this be helpful, do you think?
July 11, 2008 at 6:26 am
They probably feel emboldened now that Rodriguez and Michigan boosters have agreed to pony up the $4 million. I’ll say one thing for Manchin/Goodwin, they didn’t take their eyes off the ball. They probably alwas saw getting the full four mil as at least as big a PR victory as the degree scandal was a loss. They may be right, too.
July 11, 2008 at 6:36 am
Jay Cole is going to be Magrath’s chief of staff. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08193/896294-298.stm
That likely means that Craig Walker’s offer to remain beyond September 1 won’t be accepted.
July 11, 2008 at 6:51 am
If Magrath was not able to run Garrison out, then I bet MG will be far from Stewart Hall, and probably on the other campus, unfortunately for HSC - but I have no info - just guessing. WVUF is separate corp so they can’t really be forced to absorb his consutling services unless they want them.
There is no real victory for Manchin with the $4million - it was part of a contract, and was standard in Beilein’s - is that across the board fro coaches? If so - then WVU lawyers did their job, like the rest of the world does every day.
WVU’s leader’s needs for attention and milking the PR for all it’s worth is looking like American Idol - it’s pathetic what they’ll do to save face.
July 11, 2008 at 7:09 am
another strong Gazette editorial:
http://wvgazette.com/Opinion/Editorials/200807100624
July 11, 2008 at 7:19 am
Cole knows how to play the game without getting burned but not being even remotely tempted to do anything squalid, either.
Have reliably heard that he found the governor’s narrow, economic development conception of education–what’s the practical value of a degree program or a curriculum in the “real world” where people have those “PhDs in life”–frustrating. At the same time, I doubt that much if any criticism was offered to counter that narrow view.
That, of course, illustrates why Manchin is just another second-rate politico with personal charm, a “W” in conservative Democrat clothing. Skilled politicians with first-rate minds and good educations, whether or not one likes or agrees with them, the Clintons, Jim Webb, Obama, Chuck Hagel, to name just a few, encourage philosophical as well as practical political staff debate about thorny and/or big-picture issues.
July 11, 2008 at 7:34 am
It is so very sad, for the tax payers and good citizens of this state, to have to endure this type of nonsense.
It is even more sad that these individuals are permitted to continue to drag all of us through the political mud.
They can not be expelled over night, but continued exposure will work, just like it did for Spike Maynard.
When the Ethics Commission begins digging, they will find lots of stench. Lets hope it is fully aired out.
The good people of this state deserve to know the facts and real truth.
July 11, 2008 at 8:10 am
alum, as they say, real change happens from the bottom up, and I don’t see that happening here until significant numbers of West Virginians get as exercised over all of this as they did Rodriguez and the $4 million bouyout.
when the masses stir, the elites first, last and always seek to manage that dissent and rebellion to preserve their power & privilege. Thus, the appointment of three credible new BoG members, a man like Magrath as interim Prez, Cole as chief of staff as opposed to an obvious hack like his predecessor. So, give Manchin/Goodwins a passing grade on that elementary test.
But, as HK says, the golden parachute, the undefined “consultant” postion (I guess I could vaguely see that…if it were someone like Hardesty, or if Magrath even needed one), the BoG meeting exec session railroad…keep this thing alive for the powers that be as at least a low-grade fever.
July 11, 2008 at 8:13 am
On the day MG stepped down, I recall posting here: “He’s not going anywhere.” A troll posted: “You’re paranoid.” Everybody on this blog has remained skeptical.
Do you know what the ordinary dedicated WVU employee gets when he/she resigns? After 15 years as a WVU professional, my “severance package” was 18 months of COBRA, for which I paid $403 a month.
I also have what I paid into university retirement, which isn’t enough to retire on. In fact, what I saved during my years of service isn’t as half as much as MG made last year. It’s not as much as Bill Case made last year.
July 11, 2008 at 8:14 am
Isn’t a consultant a contractor? There used to be a policy at WVU that a person cannot be hired on contract for a certain amount of time after leaving WVU employment. I dug through WVU HR policies yesterday and didn’t find it.
I did see this policy broken for favored ex-employees with impunity. So even if it’s still a rule there are ways around it.
July 11, 2008 at 8:25 am
Remember that Garrison’s contract had the clause about being employed in whatever other capacity the BOG deemed prudent. It was a rather ambiguous clause, but I figure it is the justification for the “consulting” contract. At any rate, the only consulting Garrison will likely be doing is in helping Magrath pick out the paint scheme for Blaney House.
This happens in the professional world all the time. People are paid to simply go away. Give him his cash, and tell him to get the hell out. It would probably get unnecessarily messy, otherwise. At least, that is the reasoning I see.
July 11, 2008 at 8:33 am
Good thinking, Snarky. What is the work MG can do? Maybe I can do it better, and I’m a lot cheaper. But there will be no competition bidding on it.
July 11, 2008 at 8:44 am
Anonymous @ 8:25 Garrison would not be qualified to even pick out the paint scheme for Magrath. There is nothing that man could tell such a well qualified person, except where the skeletons are hidden, and I doubt he is about to do that (perhaps he is there to throw them off the trail).
It really irks me the way Garrison says he was asked by Magrath to stay on. That reminds me of so many other similar aberrations of the truth that he has said. Get the man OUT.
July 11, 2008 at 8:45 am
Just remember that the Satterfield economic game plan has NOT been abandoned…WVU as a”profit source.” The biometrics/homeland security tie-in is most interesting. The energy crisis, too, plays right into their hands.
July 11, 2008 at 8:49 am
What Magrath need to do, assuming he wants to be rid of Garrison, is specify Garrison’s consulting duties: absolutely nothing, and make this public. If Garrison stays then, he’ll at least destroy his already tattered reputation.
July 11, 2008 at 8:53 am
Garrison must be kept happy, or he will talk. This is why everyone involved gets the softest landing possible.
July 11, 2008 at 8:59 am
Now, now. Garrison could be a big help to Magrath. He could give advice, and then Magrath could do the opposite. That might turn WVU around.
July 11, 2008 at 9:00 am
What irks me is that we all know this is really a severance package — which WV law DOES NOT allow. The State is not allowed to pay people for work not performed. I’ll bet you that Dan Angel got a similar kind of “consulting” deal — except he didn’t resign in disgrace.
It’s yet another way that West Virginia’s wealthy elite get away with breaking the rules to protect their own.
July 11, 2008 at 9:11 am
exactly Joe P. He must have some real serious stuff on his supporters.
one way to look at this is that these people don’t know how to put it to rest and that can only hurt the incumbent gov. even if JM wins the election it will be without any real support from the electorate. everything he does will be viewed thru the eyes of this continued mess.
the legis (another mess) needs to address the governance of WVU. It should not be in hands of one executive (gov) to determine who is going to control the BOG.
July 11, 2008 at 9:18 am
The constant deception should be obvious to everyone who’s paying attention.
“No longer an employee” does not mean “no longer employed”? Announcing that one will no longer serve as president after Sept. 1 does not mean “I am resigning”?
“It looks to me like she has met the degree requirements. Does anyone have a problem with that?” does not mean “Get on board, guys! Give her the degree! My boss want’s that!”?
Remaining silent while your spokesperson tells the public about lost records that have been found to justify the awarding of an unearned degree at a time when you KNOW that those statements are not true is perfectly honest and above board?
This administration has generated such a huge trust deficit for the University that it will be a very long time and after a great deal of work that the public will begin to believe again.
July 11, 2008 at 9:19 am
Joe P and mteerfish It certainly seems the case that all of this is an attempt to buy time (till after the election), but I think it cannot be buried forever (or at least, I hope not). If and when the true story breaks, it seems to me that it will be much worse for the entire crew. I am hopeful. but not optimistic, that justice will eventually be served. In the meanwhile, we have HK to thank for keeping it hot.
July 11, 2008 at 9:40 am
I agree horse. I also think it is tied what is going on at Health Services. Too much money and mess there to allow any unbiased control. Something is really stinking in that situation that probably warrants investigation even more than the Bresch matter, imo.
July 11, 2008 at 9:48 am
Here’s what I see… The HSC is broke and folks are scurrying like mad to keep things afloat. The news has focused almost exclusively on the HB degree scandal, with only a blip about the troubles at the HSC. The problems there are to the outside largely invisible, and that’s the way they want it. McGrath knows that the HSC needs are beyond his scope, and thus, will allow the clowning around to continue, under the auspices of hiring a new VP and bringing in consultants, who will this time, tell them what they want to hear. MG, as a consultant to McGraw, will find his way down to the HSC, but because of previous HSC faculty concerns, it is being accomplished in a murkier arrangement. Thus, the filleting of the HSC will continue as planned. Someone, please pass the lemon.
July 11, 2008 at 9:57 am
I can’t imagine how the gov and SG could have messed this up more. Why doesn’t SG hire MG in his law firm? He thinks he is such a great guy, such as asset. Give him a job.
I do have to give MG and the WVU attorneys credit for the way they handled MG’s depo in the RR matter.
I believe in the end this will be a good thing for WVU, politics have outweighed the other aspects of the institution for too long. Too much has been “open for business” out there. that is what the mess at HSC is about.
July 11, 2008 at 10:02 am
for my money, that is where the focus of any investigation should be. HB is really a footnote, a nasty one, but small stuff compared to what is the game plan at HSC. which of course ties back to HB, her employer etc.
July 11, 2008 at 10:03 am
Well done analysis on WV Public Radio this morning about the BOG’s continuning violations of the W.Va. Open Meetings Act.
http://www.wvpubcast.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=3360
July 11, 2008 at 10:05 am
One thing to keep in mind, one statement from Magrath that there is a lack of cooperation in instituting what he thinks needs to be done in this situation will set couchs on fire all over this state. and not in celebration.
July 11, 2008 at 10:25 am
Thank You Also An Alum, that Radio commentary is very informative.
Question for Pat McGinley if he is listening, What recourse do we have?
July 11, 2008 at 10:39 am
There are no rules where blue blood is concerned.
The rest of us must scramble for our bread.
And they’ll remind you, if you haven’t learned
You’re meant to serve their whims until you’re dead.
The tax that’s minted from your blood and soul
Is tribute to their “leadership” and grace.
Your blood for oil, your bones for dirty coal,
And n’ere a trace of shame upon their face.
Have you yet learned? There is no righteous boss
Your faith in “order” licensed yoke and noose.
Blame yourselves. You suffer endless loss
Because you tolerate their bold abuse.
From grade school where they bully, bray and beat,
To Universities that fleece and flout -
The dreams of youth who go forth to repeat
The errors that we rave and roil about.
We go forth to the world to ply our trades
And hope to earn an honest living here.
We eat our bread in sweat until hope fades
And what was faith degrades to silent fear.
One careless word - one empty suit’s desire
To make a quick buck at our job’s expense
And all we’ve earned’s imperiled by the fire
That greed has built to warm its decadence.
So “what is to be done?” How can I say?
I carry on. I rhyme. I hope to turn.
I cherish vision, and await the day
That may not come - the day the people learn.
July 11, 2008 at 10:51 am
My suggestion for the Garrison “consultancy” — the chair of honor in a DUNKING BOOTH between Stewart Hall and the ‘Lair. He would receive the public in a fresh, new way and contribulte to the improvement of morale.
July 11, 2008 at 11:16 am
anon at 8:49 am said, “What Magrath needs to do . . . is specify Garrison’s consulting duties: absolutely nothing, and make this public. If Garrison stays then, he’ll at least destroy his already tattered reputation.”
Condemning people to doing nothing or to menial tasks is a long-standing WVU method for humiliating employees in the hope they will slink away.
July 11, 2008 at 11:30 am
Snarky and inthetrenches:
two good suggestions. I vote for the dunking booth - we could make fortune on it, and start a new scholarship fund. That would eclipse anything MG could drum up as a real lobbyist.
horse & others:
If this is all to buy time, then we need to not sit back and watch the new folks for too long. We need to pressure for “Garrison Must Go” as much now as the first time.
July 11, 2008 at 11:36 am
If the BOG violates the open meeting law, does that mean actions taken at that meeting are null and void? If the “severance/consultant” agreement is presented at a meeting, would the public have an opportunity to comment before it’s a done deal? Lawyers, help me out here.
July 11, 2008 at 11:37 am
P:
Who do you plan to write in this fall? I hear you.
July 11, 2008 at 12:41 pm
This is the strangest thing I have ever heard of. This state is so inept sometimes. What could he possibly do as a consultant that would be equivalent to a $250,000/year salary? How do we hold them accountable that he is doing enough to earn that large of a salary? Who has oversight of his consulting? Is there any precedence for paying a single consultant this sum of money? Can he do other consulting work? Personally I think we need to take a page out of University of Michigan’s playbook and settle this thing before it gets anymore ridiculous. Pay MG 500,000 and boot him to the curb and move on. No good can come from his being involved in the day to day activities in any part of the University. Kick him to the curb and make a fresh start of it.
July 11, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Snark:
Except in this case it’s a reward and not a punishment.
July 11, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Hey it is great that Jay Cole is going to be Chief of Staff. He was Kay Goodwin’s point person. He cleaned up the Sec. of Education and Arts Office. He got rid of all the dead wood.
It is good Kay will be able to run the University from Charleston.
He will be able to finally execute Hardesty’s Dow deal. You know the one where WVU assumes all the liability for the enviromental mess at the Tech Center in Charleston.
Garrison and Macia have been trying to kill the deal because of the contingent liability.
July 11, 2008 at 2:08 pm
MG can be the liason between the Pres. office, the Gov. and his old friends at BOG.
July 11, 2008 at 2:12 pm
I tried to post a link but wouldn’t work. I knew Cole’s name was familiar:
Jay Cole appointed to Eberly College Advisory Board
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. December 13, 2007: John J. K. “Jay” Cole, a leading expert on higher education policy and the history of American education, has been appointed by President Mike Garrison to the Advisory Board for the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at WVU.
“Jay brings a wealth of experience in international, national and state educational policy matters to the College,” said WVU President Mike Garrison, who made the appointment. “He is also one of our most distinguished alumni.”
Cole is Director of Federal Policy for the College Board, a not-for-profit association whose members include 5,400 of the nation’s leading schools, colleges, and universities. He also advises West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin on educational policy matters. From 2001 to 2005, Cole was Deputy Secretary of Education and the Arts and Senior Policy Advisor in the administration of former West Virginia Governor Bob Wise.
Cole is completing a Ph.D. in Higher Education and Public Policy at the University of Michigan, where his dissertation is a study of the diffusion of science and technology policy innovations across states. He holds an M.A. in Educational Policy and Leadership from The Ohio State University, and a B.A. with honors in Political Science and History from WVU.
While an undergraduate student at WVU, Cole became a Truman Scholar, the nation’s most prestigious academic award for college students who plan to pursue a career in public service. The award, named for U.S. President Harry S Truman, includes a $30,000 scholarship toward the expenses of graduate school.
Cole was also a 1995-96 Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellow, a 1996-2000 Spencer Foundation Fellow, an International Leader delegate to the European Union Visitors Program in 2005, and a 2007 Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Academy of Sciences. He is co-author of a RAND monograph on higher education philanthropy, a book chapter on state higher education policy, a journal article on assessment, and numerous conference presentations in the U.S. and Europe. He also served as assistant editor of the Association for the Study of Higher Education’s 2001 Reader on Higher Education Finance, and participated as a member of the National Science Foundation’s EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) 2020 panel on the future of the program.
He is a member of the steering and nominating committees of the Education Commission of the States, and a member of the Southern Regional Education Board. He is married to Dr. Lisa DeFrank-Cole, an administrator and faculty member at West Virginia University.
“As a proud alumnus of WVU and the Eberly College, I am honored by this appointment,” Cole said. “I received an excellent undergraduate education from the College and I look forward to giving back to the Eberly College and contributing to its continued growth and excellence.
The Advisory Board provides advice and counsel to the Dean of the Eberly College, Dr. Mary Ellen Mazey, and brings the teaching and research activities of the College into closer contact with the life of the State of West Virginia and the nation. It represents points of view and needs of industry and the professions to WVU and helps to bridge the gap between academic procedure and professional practices.
July 11, 2008 at 2:16 pm
I’ll leave it to the rest of you to comment on his in-state ties but isn’t it ironic he’s also a student working on his doctorate from Michigan? The Ann Arbor - Morgantown connection is eerie.
July 11, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Jay Cole and current State Senator John Unger were very close as undergraduate students. My recollection is that you rarely saw one without the other. They were both very active in getting service-learning started.
Is he a good guy? I don’t know. I’d feel better if he didn’t have some of the ties that he does. I’d heard rumors that Magrath was bringing his own chief of staff with him but assumed it was someone with no WVU ties.
Unless Cole has a leave of absence from the College Board, the odds are he intends to stay at WVU. Thus, he may be here after Magrath is gone. Again, I don’t know if that’s good or bad.
July 11, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Jay Cole is taking a leave of absence from the College Board. He plans to return there.
July 11, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Now I hear that the Governor has a new ad campaign aimed at those of us who left the state, asking us to “come home.”
Come home to what? The very things that led us to leave in the first place, grown even worse?
My spouse and I have four graduate degrees between us, long careers of service in other states, good retirement incomes to start in the decade ahead, and we would love to have a retirement home in WV. But it is not likely to happen. The status quo and the cronyism will have to change to lure natives back, not ad slogans. All the ads they can buy can’t cover up what has happened at WVU this year and make people with options want to live in the midst of such a mess.
July 11, 2008 at 4:10 pm
I believe Mountie is correct. Cole has stated that he is not interested in doing this on a permanent basis.
July 11, 2008 at 4:11 pm
WVU has put out a press release about Garrison’s departure at http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/news/page/6961/ . The termination agreement was signed by the BoG Chair today.
It says that he’ll serve as an adviser to McGrath during the month of August and end cease being a WVU employee on September 1. It doesn’t indicate what happens after September 1.
July 11, 2008 at 4:28 pm
I read the release (which is also an email to all WVU employees) as implying that the consultancy plan has been abandoned.
July 11, 2008 at 4:28 pm
I think this was even too stupid for them to pull off.
July 11, 2008 at 4:32 pm
whatever hack wrote the press release (e-mailed to all WVU employees) ought to be ashamed. Talks about all of Garrison’s great accomplishments and notes that although he was asked to stay longer, he didn’t feel that was in the best interest of the University. I think I will throw up now.
July 11, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Throw up indeed. Talk about propaganda.
July 11, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Ugh, with all of this vague language:
“I have made a decision to continue to serve as president of WVU until September…”
“…the president would complete his service at the University Sept. 1.”
“He announced in June plans to complete his presidency.”
Is there any wonder that questions still remain as to exactly what MG will be doing, where he’ll be doing it, and for how much compensation after Sep.1??
July 11, 2008 at 4:49 pm
The Press Release speaks of a “Transition Committee.” Who is on it? How were its members selected? What is its authority?
July 11, 2008 at 4:49 pm
At least he’s gone September 1…that’s good news!
July 11, 2008 at 5:14 pm
My impression of Jay Cole is that he had a “coffee suck” job as the Governor’s Education Policy Advisor. He is a nice guy but it’s hard to know what his values are. I could see it either way — he took a good salary from hardworking WV taxpayers to suck coffee and work on his degree or he didn’t know that was the job when he took it, and and got the hell out of Dodge as soon as he could.
July 11, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Ya think S Goodwin gives an interview to the press and then wakes up to check what hippiekiller is saying? It sortof looks that way.
July 11, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Perhaps Mr. Garrison could be motivated to contribute positively to WVU in his remaining time on the WVU payroll.
I recommend that his salary is immediately replaced with a pay-for-results incentive scheme based on restoring and increasing those donations by alumni withheld in protest during the debacle of his presidency. For example, he could be offered 1% of all incremental donations larger than $50,000, to a maximum of the salary he could have earned as president plus the otherwise non-reimbursable expenses he incurs securing the donations.
I’m sure his interpersonal skills and lobbying expertise qualify him admirably for this task, and I’m equally sure his potential donors would be grateful to WVU for offering them the opportunity to communicate, in person. their opinion of Mr. Garrison as President to Mr. Garrison as supplicant.
July 11, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Or, do you think S Goodwin gives an interview to the press, and then Joe Manchin wakes up to check what hippiekiller is saying, and calls Steve, “WTF are you doing?”
Yeah, that’s it.
July 11, 2008 at 6:16 pm
Overheard at a WV legal function this week, one old timer big firm partner talking to another: “Thats not as bad as what he did at our firm before we fired him.”
The two partners were a little drunk, and discussing Garrison.
July 11, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Lots of secrets, going both ways. They are afraid to fire him.
July 11, 2008 at 6:55 pm
MOUNTAINEER E-NEWS
July 11, 2008
Garrison to conclude service Sept. 1, assist with transition during
August
Concluding a year highlighted by a successful legislative session that
resulted in increased state funding for WVU, including research dollars
for the Bucks for Brains initiative; the initiation of a child care
center on campus; and the largest pay raise for faculty and staff in
recent history, including full funding of the salary schedule, West
Virginia University President Mike Garrison and the Board of Governors
agreed today that the president would complete his service at the
University Sept. 1.
The Board initially offered Garrison a longer arrangement, but he said
he believes this time period is in the best interest of the University
community. “This is a job that should primarily be about service to
the University,” Garrison said.
The transition agreement was formally signed today (July 11) by Board
Chairwoman Carolyn Long and Garrison.
It takes effect Aug. 1, with Garrison serving as an adviser (and
University employee) during August to transition with Interim President
C. Peter Magrath, who begins his official duties Aug. 1 and his
transitional role in mid-July.
“On behalf of the Board, we want to say how much we appreciate
President Garrison’s service, his administration’s many successes
this past year and his love for West Virginia University,” Long said.
“We also appreciate that he has agreed to be available to advise and
assist with Dr. Magrath and with the Board during the month of August
for what we believe will be a very productive and important time of
transition.”
She added, “And while President Garrison was offered an opportunity
to serve his alma mater in this capacity for a longer period of time, he
has indicated that this is best for the University.”
Long noted that Garrison’s original employment agreement called for
employment through June 30, 2010.
Garrison said, “As I indicated in June, I have decided to remain at
WVU until Sept. 1 and then will be departing the University. I look
forward to spending some increased time with my family and friends as it
has been a very busy year.
“Until then,” he added, “I am focused on assisting Dr. Magrath
with a successful transition.
“As I have said before, I will always stand with this University,”
he said.
BOG Chairman Emeritus and head of the Transition Committee Curtis
“Hank” Barnette said, “The committee is extremely pleased that
President Garrison will be assisting in this important phase of
transition. Any meaningful change in an administration takes careful
time and planning.”
Garrison, a WVU graduate, former student body president, attorney and
public servant, became WVU’s 22nd president Sept. 1, 2007. He was
elected to the post by the BOG in April 2007. He announced in June plans
to complete his presidency.
July 11, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Sorry, but this crap makes me puke.
July 11, 2008 at 7:36 pm
me too
July 11, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Ascance, at 5:23 pm,
Your idea of a percentage-of-funds raised pay scheme for Garrison is perfect for him, since it would violate the code of ethics of professional fund raisers. He would probably feel right at home with it.
July 11, 2008 at 8:52 pm
I wonder how much MG paid Scott Widmeyer to write that bulls*t?
July 11, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Taxpayer dollars, that is. Arrgh!
July 11, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Widmeyer’s still around? Good grief…
July 11, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Come On ETHICS COMMITTEE of WV.
Now is your chance to shine!
You have taken a poor old county commissioner to the wood pile for selling a 10.00 part to the county, that he had no reasonable way of knowing that it took place, but this crooked shit keeps going.
I believe in the Ethics Act, I believe in the Ethics Committee, and I believe in Mr. Brewer.
Step Up, now is your chance to show what right vs. wrong, ethical vs. unethical, good vs. evil is all about.
Come On Ethics Committee!!!! WE are ALL for you!
July 11, 2008 at 10:06 pm
As I’ve said before, MG will no doubt be a consultant at hsc, to assist with transitioning, no doubt!
July 11, 2008 at 10:06 pm
I wonder if this entire mess is too great for the Ethics Committee.
July 11, 2008 at 10:16 pm
I’m believing West Virginians are at the mercy of a dictatorship, free to do the bidding of a few in power.
July 11, 2008 at 10:25 pm
Has it been independently verified? We cannot depend on what WVU News Services tells us (or omits). Even if Garrison is gone, the HSC mess looms large. Will there be an honest search for HSC VP? There are also the loose ends such as: the ethics commission for the whole gang, the WVU Integrity Committee for Lang, Sears, Lothar, Barkley, Macia, Walker, Case, and Garrison himself (hmmm, if MG and his three henchmen leave, will that mean there won’t be an investigation into their parts?), and any investigations by the county prosecutor and the legislature. I would not hold my breath on the last two unless the PPG people (or anyone else with knowledge and guts) drops another shoe.
Already the Daily Mail has said that Manchin has stepped up,
http://www.dailymail.com/Opinion/Editorials/200807090158
so it may be that the wv media will now turn tail?
July 11, 2008 at 10:37 pm
Why has there not been an investigation? Why have those in question been offered other positions, good pay? Has justice been replaced with intentional blindsight and payoff?
July 11, 2008 at 10:43 pm
This scenario will no doubt have great impact on any institution of higher learning. It is now permissable to alter any falsification to any record, get away with it, and stay employed within that same institution. New case history, “WVU vs people of West Virgina”!
July 11, 2008 at 10:46 pm
There’s no doubt a couple of books in the making–”Higher Education, the WV Way”, or “Higher Ed Fraud for Dummies”
July 11, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Has anyone reported how much MG will be paid for the month-six weeks? Just the regular salary or a big consulting fee? PPG says he’ll get moving expenses.
That opening sentence on that press release is rather embarrassing for an institution with an English department and a journalism school. Maybe the writer was under stress and told to bury the important news.
July 11, 2008 at 10:55 pm
And now, all of a sudden, hsc is offering complete transparency? What a joke! If it were only funny, I’d laugh. They’re definition of transparency is to the extent of what those in power wish to reveal. How transparent is that, I ask you? Just more ruse, more smokescreen, more bull…and more time, and still, no justice for WV.
July 11, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Excuse me…Their
July 11, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Confirmation: He is leaving.
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x2102944471/Garrison-to-leave-WVU-Sept-1
July 11, 2008 at 11:05 pm
It’s not August 15, yet. MG just might become the new vp of hsc, just never can tell how this will pan out.
July 11, 2008 at 11:06 pm
Thanks for posting Fox Hunter. Most telling was this statement below. TODAY they reconsidered.
Earlier this week, the WVU Board of Governors had offered Garrison a short-term consulting position but declined to say what it would pay or how long the appointment would last. On Friday, both sides reconsidered, said board Chairwoman Carolyn Long.
July 12, 2008 at 12:14 am
Check out how PA is handling its corrupt politicians:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08193/896353-178.stm
More good work by the Pittsburgh press.
July 12, 2008 at 12:15 am
Maybe it’s paranoia, but these statements from the transition agreement STILL don’t make me feel 100% confident that MG will be completely cut loose from WVU on Sep. 1:
“1. Pursuant to paragraph 16 of the Employment Agreement dated June 29, 2007, between you and WVU, the Board recognizes and acknowledges that it has a legal duty to employ you for 22 months from September 1, 2008, through June 30, 2010, at your current salary of $255,000 per year, even if you cease being the President.
2. The Board and you mutually agree, however, that you will not continue as an employee beyond August 31, 2008, but that it would be in WVU’s best interest to recognize and continue to utilize your service and expertise as President and we ask that you are available to assist with the transition to the Interim President and others as may be appropriate.”
—
I really hope it’s just paranoia!
July 12, 2008 at 12:21 am
Former WVUF:
I agree. Every statement that has been issued regarding his leaving has been worded in ways that seem to leave “weasel room.” Nothing is ever what it seems to say. These people must be selecting their words carefully to keep the truth from everyone as long as possible, and to leave as much room as possible to maneuver. And then they wonder why no one believes anything until we actually see it happen, why even then we wonder if what we see is smoke and mirrors, and there is no trust.
July 12, 2008 at 12:24 am
FormerWVUFaculty: It’s not paranoia, they’re just that corrupt!
July 12, 2008 at 12:30 am
When you folks check the newspaper links don’t forget to read the comments, they’re the best part.
P.S. And leave a comment, I love to read them!
July 12, 2008 at 2:14 am
These degenerates are still empolyed, but under what terms? Did anyone else read that Macia et al were facing contracts that expired June 30? The key players are still on the taxpayer’s dime - What are the terms of the new contracts? I know that the “people in THE room” who were not academics serve at the will and pleasure of the then-President, who is (until Sept 1) Mikey G - does anyone have the text of the new contracts for the demoted-with-still-huge-salary offenders?
July 12, 2008 at 7:48 am
While repairing the damage that Mike Garrison has done to WVU’s reputation will take years, today is a day of celebration. He’s really going to go.
July 12, 2008 at 7:52 am
Sherlock, I’m glad to hear a voice of reason. There are still people on this blog uncertain about that, but I am with you. He is out of here.
July 12, 2008 at 8:08 am
From your Looselips to God’s ears, I think you may be right, and sure hope so.
July 12, 2008 at 8:18 am
I just posted the “Transition Agreement” Letter over on GarrisonMustGo
http://www.wvnstv.com/wowkUploads/WVU-GarrisonAgr.pdf
As was already mentioned: What Transition Committee? What meeting? What agenda?
July 12, 2008 at 8:50 am
Re: They’re Stil There - Assuming that Walker, Macia are unclassified staff, the contract they receive is relatively simple. It’s a one page statement of what you’re paid and an outline of your benefits. For some faculty an administrators there is a letter of appointment which fleshes things out in more detail.
July 12, 2008 at 9:11 am
MY GOD, THey don’t even know his name. Long and Cary are calling him McGraw
July 12, 2008 at 9:13 am
the governor will not have anything in the search process.
July 12, 2008 at 9:17 am
has the board learned from this experience? Long says this is a wonderful board and they want to hear from the people. it’s just a perception, not a reality that they weren’t listening, right.
July 12, 2008 at 9:18 am
yes he will…the BOG is filled w/ his people, esp the current Chair.
July 12, 2008 at 9:19 am
I’m a good judge of people and I don’t like her.
July 12, 2008 at 9:20 am
what are looking for in a new president? l. Academic background 2.capable of communicating with people of the state 3. Good manager
July 12, 2008 at 9:22 am
How quickly can the university be pulled back together? Oh, she thinks we are already together, how cozy.
July 12, 2008 at 9:23 am
Garrison is not going to be employed by the university less than four months. (I think this was recorded before Friday)
July 12, 2008 at 9:23 am
I believe the name is pronounced Mcgraw.
July 12, 2008 at 9:25 am
So they were going to have Mikey here for 4 months like until Christmas!
July 12, 2008 at 9:30 am
thrufootball season..use of the Pres. box you know.
July 12, 2008 at 9:31 am
It is Magrath.
July 12, 2008 at 9:36 am
MG had the opportunity to stay on longer and receive significant money and declined.
If you are looking for corruption, watch members of this blog receive funds from Lang, who still will yield much power.
And where is the outrage that he receives 100k to do nothing for six months?
I thought that this blog was a progressive attempt at empowerment and now realize its the same old WVU crap.
Very depressing….
July 12, 2008 at 9:48 am
amused: You read into members of the blog what you want to read into it. There are people pressing through the only channels available to see that Lang and others do get justice. I am not at all happy with the idea that Lang may go to the bfb program. In fact, he should have resigned from the university, but at the very least he should be teaching 2 classes of 300 students per semester to see how his lack of leadership has decimated the teaching and research faculty (indeed, since he hasn’t published in years, his teaching load should be higher to follow his own policies). It remains to be seen if “the system” works in terms of the academic integrity process.
July 12, 2008 at 9:48 am
Looselips:
We were both taking notes of Long. Did you catch the 3 second screen on the commercial break that said another agreement has been reached since taping that segment? It flipped past so fast I couldn’t even finish reading it. Someone would have to tape it tomorrow to know.
Long outlined aspects of the search -
“Open as humanly possible,” serious talke about meetings already underway with constituencies: faculty, staff, etc. They will be able to approve their rep. on the search committee. No one is actually “named” to the committee by anyone - constitutencies choose. ?
Will look at other collegiate search processes. The Search Comm. will be in place 8/1-8/15. She doubts the chair will be a BOG member. She was not on the last search. Should be 16-25 members.
Don’t know about hiring outside consultant.
Will be a “world wide search.”
They want to hear from everyone. Their theme is to be “good listeners.”
July 12, 2008 at 10:02 am
amused:
outrage about Lang? It’s everywhere. MIR is also on it. If blogs had the power you presume, the entire state could truly be “almost heaven.” I am offended to think that any of my efforts, more effectively enabled by participation in a blog, would be defined as “same old WVU crap.”
Reading the blog has caused the corrupt to change their actions and their worlds. The variety of lies needed to justify themselves is proof.
you are responsible for your own empowerment - do something effective and share it with the blog, rather than whine about how depressed we make you feel.
July 12, 2008 at 10:02 am
change their “words”
July 12, 2008 at 10:25 am
End of Carolyn Long’s interview - she stressed that the president must be a “good manager” and understand that WVU is a “large business,” and is the “economic engine for the state of WV.”
Shades of Garrison’s appointment comments as chair of HEPC way back when.
It is a common Manchin comment about many things in addition to WVU, seen in numerous archives. It’s getting really old. (And scary in regards to HSC.)
Carolyn Long insisted that the Governor would have NOplace in this search process at all. (All who believe that after hearing her quote Joe Manchin in her own ‘big business’ policy statement say “Aye.”
Then Bray Cary ended with extremely high praise of the BOG for all they did so quickly for solving all these problems. They are not yet solved, Bray.
July 12, 2008 at 10:49 am
We are already beginning to see the effects of the Peter “Chainsaw” Magrath interim presidency. Magrath with Jay “Roughrider” Cole riding side saddle will make it clear from day one that they are not in this to fuck around. Garrison wants to avoid the embarrassment of the new president coming in and asking him to get him coffee with cream and sugar. From my point of view this spells the end for those in the inner circle of this sad chapter in WVU’s history (i.e. Lang, Sears, Macia, Case, Walker) and hopefully Chainsaw and Roughrider can also put to an end the WVU career of Bailles and others who were / are a part of this cabal.
July 12, 2008 at 10:52 am
@looselips
it’s spelled magrath but it’s pronounced magraw. it was noted in the first ppg article suggesting he’d be the interim.
July 12, 2008 at 12:10 pm
oh, pronunciation, I am truly embarrassed. Thank you.
July 12, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Looselips:
Haven’t you ever heard of “Quick Drath McGrath?”
July 12, 2008 at 12:21 pm
I guess now I have. And poor Mteerfish was trying to tell me. Duh
July 12, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Looselips: Magrath talked about his name on Hoppy’s show. Said it was an Irish pronunciation and he kept it to honor his father.
A couple observations on investigations: it’s tough to have investigations when the people who are supposed to initiate them are still in power and I think we’re starting to see the the tide turn now that people are leaving office.
When the PPG story broke in December, MG should have ordered an investigation then (the independent panel came because of pressure). When the results were released, he should have referred the tenured folks to the Academic Integrity committee right then but waited until they announced their resignations (hence out of power).
Some of the Republicans legislators tried to initiate an investigation but couldn’t because they’re out of power. The HEPC said for months they would have no involvement but this week announced they would (now that Garrison is out of power). B&E faculty were very frustrated by all that occurred but couldn’t do anything until Sears was gone (out of power). What will we learn with MG is finally gone? You can see the parallel at the national level–what did we learn about the Iraq war when the Democrats came to power in Congress.
I give him MG credit for one thing: the tone-deaf BOG was doing everything they could to give him money and accolades and even he realized it was more damaging to his own reputation and decided to do the right thing. Can we get a copy of the contract that was approved earlier in the week?
Amused: We understand your frustration about the lack of SATISFACTORY accountability so I hope your comments were directed at the greater public who may be reading. We may not have power to remove people from office but I can see the media reading this blog and it will take public pressure, with the help of bloggers, to affect real change.
July 12, 2008 at 12:29 pm
They don’t need Scott Widmeyer to write the BS. They have Chris Martin. Anybody ever notice that no matter what the scandal, no matter who gets fired, Chris Martin always comes out on top?
July 12, 2008 at 12:31 pm
I talked with Jay Cole a number of times back when he was a WVU student (and I worked at WVU). My impression then was that he was very, very smart and a straight arrow. He was a nice person —extremely adult. At 20, he spoke like a 40-year-old. He was quite serious.
Even though he was in WVU news a good bit because of service learning and awards, he struck me as more interested in education than publicity.
That was in the early 1990s. So who knows?
July 12, 2008 at 12:38 pm
I am unwilling to give Garrison any kudos for not taking the 4 months. I think it is more likely that a 3rd party advised/pressured him to turn that down. Manchin, maybe. It may be linked to where he ends up as well.
July 12, 2008 at 12:39 pm
So what’s the story with Scott Widmeyer? I know he graduated from WVU and owns a PR firm. Once my politically-connected boss insisted we hire their firm as consultants. It wasn’t huge money and they did a decent job. I just wasn’t sure why they got the contract over the others.
July 12, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Or maybe Magrath/Mcgraw let it be known he didn’t want him.
July 12, 2008 at 12:47 pm
WV Native at al. - Where is the campaign to have Lang stripped of his power? Where is the pressure on the BOG to do that? Where are the letters to newspapers? When I see that I will believe. Otherwise I will look for the Lang $ to flow to the anti-Garrison people.
July 12, 2008 at 12:49 pm
amused: Oh that’s it, you were a pro-Garrison person and now the sow may have turned over to let others suckle??
July 12, 2008 at 12:52 pm
you just do not get it - I am pro WVU and anti corruption. Lang is the most corrupt of them all. Many of the bloggers here know this and it disturbs me that they still seem intimidated.
July 12, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Dude. Lang resigned as provost. Supposedly, the Academic Integrity Council or whatever it’s called is doing an investigation to yank his tenure.
Pay attention.
July 12, 2008 at 1:07 pm
With two sons currently enrolled at WVU, one in B&E, I’m concerned about Lang and Sears. Both of them looked bad to the outside panelists we had come in to investigate. They falsified academic records. Why are they still at WVU?
July 12, 2008 at 1:25 pm
We have heard this all before from the pro-Garrison-ites. Speaker is the real problem. Sears is the real problem. Lang is the real problem. The pro-Garrison crowd blames everyone but Garrison. Amused, you are right, corruption is the problem, but it does not start or end with Lang. Garrison did not decline another few months of lucrative coffee sucking at WVU to help save us taxpayers money - he did it because he knows his every step, and every utterance will be critically watched and scrutinized until he leaves unconditionally, and McGrath insisted he be gone before he moves on campus - McGrath immediately realized that he could not get anything done if all anyone wanted to talk about or discuss with him is Mike Garrison. As for Lang, he will be under the most intense microscope, including BY people on this blog. What dough is Lang handing out to people on this blog? And what power is he wielding? That makes no sense.
July 12, 2008 at 1:37 pm
amused:
The Academic Integrity process is confidential for quite awhile. It’s also very cumbersome and convoluted. If MIR or Faculty Senate hang in there can see it through, something will be determined. You have a long wait, and won’t be getting any reports unless they are leaked.
Lou-Slips:
Good progress on the diction and spelling issues! At least his name is only 2 syllables. I know it’s not easy. All my names and pseudonyms are long for a reason.
WVNative:
Good points about “power” and the sequence of events.
ITT: LOL
July 12, 2008 at 1:44 pm
I heard that Garrison used Widmeyer’s firm in 2006-07 when he was chair of the HEPC and surreptitiously campaigning for the presidency of WVU. They set up visits to various college campuses and media coverage of those visits.
Link to article
(Hope this link works).
July 12, 2008 at 3:07 pm
hmmmm - allocating research money = power!
July 12, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Nice hand-off to Hippie Hiller by Carnacki on the West Virginia Blue site for unaffiliated progressives and liberal state Democrats, link to here under the “WVU Doings” heading:
http://www.wvablue.com/frontPage.do?previousId=1
July 12, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Ann, your impressions of Jay Cole from almost two decades ago resonate totally even today with the most principled person I know, a person who’s worked with him fairly closely on more than one important, pure education project in recent years, when he was in Charleston.
July 12, 2008 at 5:08 pm
SillyNonseneGirl: Boy! Was that a cop out “so we don’t have to”!!! Come on, take a stand against the corruption of your own party in this state. Perhaps if something was said there, our legislators would feel a little heat; or are they afraid of the Machin(e)? HK and the 5th Column cannot do it all. If the rest of the media begins to slack off, what else will Joe/Steve/Mike pull off?
July 12, 2008 at 5:25 pm
ex-Button4TheLords:
First, I love your name. It reminds me of a story from my childhood. Too long to share here.
Second, everyone who knows Jay Cole, if they met him for the first time last week or twenty years ago, will tell you he has integrity. He is one class act and will do his best by WVU. The only negative thing I can say about Jay: he’s tends to assume that people are honorable at first, which will be a problem when dealing with some of these people. But once he decides that someone is not honorable, he doesn’t have much to do with him/her.
July 12, 2008 at 5:46 pm
West Virginia - Still the “State of Denial”.
July 12, 2008 at 9:53 pm
WV Native 2 - you’ve got it wrong. By the time the story broke MG was already in this up and over his head. You don’t call in an investigagtive panel for something you created. Don’t forget he was the one who took the call from princess Heather. It was *at that point* that he should have done the right thing and told Heather he would be more than happy to help her enroll and finish her degree. Instead, his true colors showed. He had several chances along the way to correct course and never acted in the best interests of the university at it’s president. As far as I’m concerned he’s a worthless piece of shit and I’ll be sure and tell him that if I ever run into him in public.
July 12, 2008 at 10:17 pm
You people are sure hard on me!
July 12, 2008 at 11:51 pm
Mike Garrison, is that you? Ready for our appointment? Looks like it’s coming sooner, rather than later.
July 13, 2008 at 12:30 am
Jay Cole is a rock star.
July 13, 2008 at 7:26 am
horse, agreed. I’d say it was a fumbled, fourth-quarter hand-off by a team that’s trailing by two touchdowns and is, bizarrely, playing not to lose rather than win, running the ball (and with no Pat White to take the snaps, either) when they should be airing it out.
To be fair, though, I think it was SillyNonsenseGirl who analyzed this in realpolitik terms a while back: those “unaffiliated progressives and liberal Democrats” she references are pretty marginal in the political administration of this state’s affairs. So, those who fall into that grouping come in two flavors in WV these days vis a vis the fall election: Anne Barth activists (which also includes a lot of middle-of-the-road and conservative Democrats) and Obama activists. Both of those camps have officially closed ranks with the Democratic Party ticket in hopes that Capito can be upset and that McCain somehow manages to blow it here in West Virginia. That strategy is dutifully reflected by that site, and, as far as that goes, that’s fine. It’s a matter of political necessity for the moment for activist WV liberals.
But the “hand-off” still has a “bad faith” odor about it. A nervous grin, a self-conscious wink-and-a-nod. Also, a touch of unrealistic arrogance in the way it was worded, suggesting that, well, we’d settle this shit right now, but since Hippie Killer’s done such a good job with the heavy lifting, we don’t have to.
Yeah, right.
July 13, 2008 at 7:42 am
“BoG Still in need of reform”: excellent op-ed piece this morning by Brazaitis in the “Gazette-Mail”:
July 13, 2008 at 7:43 am
Here’s the link to Brazaitis:
http://wvgazette.com/Opinion/Op-EdCommentaries/200807120256
July 13, 2008 at 10:56 am
Thanks for the link ex-button4TheLords. It is a good read. Unfortunately, it is now buried on-line. If it were not for the link here, I would not have found it. Seems the WV press is starting to back off now.
July 13, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Regarding the Brazaitas op-ed piece:
I agree that the process for naming Boards of Governors for the state’s institutions of higher education should be examined.
This is not just a problem for WVU.
Don’t forget the other institutions…..
For example - at Fairmont State University - just down the road - the Governor has just appointed four new members out of the nine he gets to appoint. They are all from Marion County.
In fact, only one of the nine governor-appointed BOG members is not from Marion County. (And that one is from “far away” Bridgeport.)
July 14, 2008 at 6:05 am
good point, Beyond. One would think that many of these appointments would be an opportunity to mix savvy local folks having a major stake in the success of these schools in their immediate communities with people who could bring exciting new and maybe even more cosmopolitan views to the table. Nah, that would be too imaginative.
July 18, 2008 at 8:46 am
Consider this. In the early days of the administration of Governor Bob Wise, an issue arose with a large employer (thousands of jobs) in the Kanawha Valley that clearly was considering downsizing and eliminating jobs. These are not telemarketer jobs, but high paying advanced degree jobs. No one knows of ANY effort made by the Wise Administration and its inexperienced Chief of Staff to try to entice or even talk to the big employer to try to get them to keep jobs in WV (To be fair, there is no guarantee the loss of jobs could have been stopped, but the point here is total the lack of any effort). Perhaps the lack of effort was related to a personal dislike to a an employee of the big employer who happened to be in the Legislature.
Shoot forward to today, and we see the remnants of the Wise Administration team scuttle a deal with that same employer that likely would have led to more of those same kinds of good jobs in the Kanawha Valley. As we have come to expect, the reasons given for scuttling the deal by the Wise men do not ring true. While the Legislator they dislike is now gone from the employer, the real reason the deal was scuttled is because it was a priority of former President Hardesty, and Hardesty specifically and directly excluded Garrison and crew from the deal as they were coming in. Unfortunately, Hardesty did not get the full contract prepared and signed before he walked (was pushed?) out the door (perhaps because of a hastily arranged midnight coronation of August 31, 2007?), and Garrison et al held up the deal for a year looking for way to kill it. As unfathomable as it may seem to logical people, the decision-making of this crew is ALWAYS this way, driven by politics, and how they can show off their “power” in the most arrogant way possible, even as they themselves are being shown the door. Doing the right thing is never on the list of priorities. Some might suggest their actions reflect compensation for some small part of their anatomy.
Folks, do not assume these people can not do more damage before they leave in a few weeks. They can, and they will. Keep your eyes open.
July 18, 2008 at 8:56 am
Hmmmmm: Who was the employer?
July 18, 2008 at 9:07 am
HMMM: This morning’s DP said the deal was killed July 10th (elsewhere I heard that potential liability over site contamination was the hang up). July 10th also fits the time frame of when the Interim VP Research was made permanent without a search. Both of these things were announced just as are after Magrath came on board, possibly to deflect attention away from Garrison’s wrecking crew. Both of these things also may have been handled more imaginatively by a competent Interim President or the new President.
If you want a conspiracy theory to go with these issues, one could ask: Which of the developers that employed Garrison as a lobbyist coveted the Dow land? or, was this further proxy work for Manchin? Was the VP appointment made to provide a place for Lang to go to keep him quiet?
July 18, 2008 at 9:08 am
Sorry, “just as are after” is “just as or after”
July 18, 2008 at 9:09 am
ok, so it is DOW we are talking about.
July 18, 2008 at 10:08 am
Things that make you go hmmmmmm said, “Folks, do not assume these people can not do more damage before they leave in a few weeks. They can, and they will. Keep your eyes open.”
I’m so afraid you’re right.
I wonder how much actual authority McGrath has? I trust he knows to watch his back.
July 18, 2008 at 10:13 am
where are walker and macia during this transition?
July 18, 2008 at 11:19 am
one blogger said walker goes to Glenmark, and Macia to Spillman.
July 18, 2008 at 12:05 pm
The Dow deal was bad for WVU. No private company would take on that liablity so it was another case of the state trying to bail them out and using WVU to do it. Plus, WVU has a research park in Morgantown that sits almost empty with all the money and brain power in this community. WVU doesn’t have the money or the academic horses to make the Dow site into a Research Triangle park no matter what Hardesty hoped. There was some dreaming that the Tech engineering school would move there and it would morph into a real research engineering program but they’re too underfunded to even teach what they need to teach The building on the Dow property needs a lot of work and WVU employees who are there now wondered if they would get cancer from the site. Will they have to move out now? The Daily Mail story had it right–that property should stay on the tax rolls and let the private sector take it over. WVU funds should be used to support WVU, not solve the economic woes of the Kanawha Valley.
July 18, 2008 at 12:27 pm
WV Native 2: I agree that the state should not be expected to provide an umbrella to shield Dow from its liability for environmental cleanup. But if “WVU doesn’t have the money or academic horses to make the Dow site into a Research Triangle park,” why should we expect them to have the money and horses to make the research park in Morgantown into a major research facility? And with respect to using WVU funds to support WVU rather than the Kanawha Valley, why use WVU funds to support Morgantown’s economic development? There’s nothing magic about Morgantown, is there? Why not send some of the money south? I mean, the HSC has sucked off money from the Charleston AHEC forever, and doesn’t give an equal amount of service in return (from what I hear from the Charleston health care community).
July 18, 2008 at 12:47 pm
WV Native 2: You are swallowing the Garrison story hook, line and sinker. According to news reports, Dow agreed to be responsible for any potential liability, so that line about liability is a smokescreen to deflect criticism. Don’t be fooled.
Mike Garrison himself proclaims WVU should be an “economic engine.” This was the perfect opportunity, perhaps the only one, for a win-win on that front. This was great for both WVU and the Kanawha Valley community because it gives WVU faculty and students the ability to work side by side with Ph.D.s, and creates the precise kind of environment that businesses want to see when they arre trying to move into an area. As Dow cuts back further and lets highly qualified employees go, there also would be a surplus of highly skilled workers who would be ideal for a business considering locating at the Tech Center. The combination of highly skilled and experienced engineers, etc., combined with the academic environment brought by a WVU presence would be a unique attraction and would be likely to spur growth. There is no way that kind of environment can be put on the ground in Morgantown. If you want to argue parochially that only Morgantown should get all the economic benefits of WVU and not Charleston, that’s fine, but that’s not the reason Garrison and his ilk are giving for scuttling this deal. Haven’t we all learned that when Garrison and his group give phony reasons for doing something like this that we need to be skeptical? With no WVU to attract other new business, and Dow/Carbide leaving completely sooner or later, there ain’t gonna be any “private sector” at the Tech Center to pay any taxes. Don’t be so fucking short sighted.
July 18, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Ahem, to echo GMAB’s statements about Morgantown’s ability to support a research infrastructure beyond major players already in place, we have to also question what’s going on with the Research Park (as mentioned above) and the B. Rock. center as well as all of the construction of orphan labs space at the HSC. What gives?
July 18, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Oh, BTW TT, thank you for pointing out the information re: Walker and Macia. Are they already in those positions or are they riding out the transition time?
July 18, 2008 at 1:17 pm
TT & curious - The latest I heard was that Goodwin was trying to persuade Macia to stay at WVU. So he may not be going to Spilman after all.
July 18, 2008 at 1:22 pm
YIKES!
July 18, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Then someone needs to FOIA the communications between Dow and the Economic Development Office and WVU to figure out who blew the deal and why.
Seriously, this needs to be written about. If horse’s questions above are relevant, then exposing it is good. But even if there weren’t an underground agenda, it would be a good case study for figuring out where we keep going wrong in WV.
July 18, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Is it a case of the Morgantown people, having sunk so much into Mon County development, not wanting competition for research dollars in Charleston?
July 18, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Sorry, not a Garrison supporter here and a former Charleston resident. I was against the Dow deal before I knew who Garrison was. It seems it was more about Tech and keeping Marshall out of the Kanawha Valley with an engineering school than it was about building a world-class research park. Go back to the early press reports. They were going to build a dorm for engineering students there.
Magrath asked the deans why WVU research dollars were low for an institution this size. He’s right. They cited lack of full-time faculty but I think the other factors as well. Lack of leadership in research across the board. Politics in the research corp (and now a director without an official search), and an emphasis on a research park with no tenants or upcoming projects to support it. If we didnt’ have Byrd, we’d really be hurting with research dollars because we’re not competitive with other universities with it comes to the NSF grants, etc. Most universities hire faculty who bring their research dollars with them–we keep losing the few we have.
The PR spin of WVU as an economic engine is misplaced as well. A healthy WVU is good for the state’s economy but we’ll be more healthy if we bring in research dollars to Morgantown where we have thousands of research qualified people to do the work.
This did keep Marshall from starting their own engineering school didn’t it?
July 18, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Is this far fetched? The Morgantown Research Park and the Dow site were in competition. People like Perry Petropolis, a BOG member, Garrison backer, a partner in one recently announced development for the research park, and former employer of Mike Garrison as lobbyist, fearful that their development opportunities might take a hit from the competition, arrange for the death of Dow agreement. Garrison makes the Interim VP of Research permanent, not only for Lang to have a place to go, but maybe so that he (Garrison) might be appointed development czar of the research park or some such similar scenario. This would please all of Garrison’s former lobbyist clients in Morgantown, and would only be connected t WVU loosely through the “private” research corp.
Pure speculation, but as I said before, think deviously when it comes to these guys.
July 18, 2008 at 2:14 pm
WVN2: well-said. Unfortunately, many of those who are in a yay/nay position here are (reluctant is a charitable way to phrase it) less than open to ideas from individuals having experience outside of WVU.
They would rather sabotage their own institution’s future rather than concede that perhaps there is a “better” (or at least different) approach.
With the legacy of that mentality and the stubborn refusal to remove/reign in those who continue to perpetrate it-WVU will never reach its potential and will forever be in the shadows of its “peer” institutions.
July 18, 2008 at 2:18 pm
WV Native 2: You hit the nail on the head about research. I’ve seen so many opportunities frittered away, no priority given to research (that “clean room” can wait until after the Blaney House renovation). That is why the permanent appointment of the VP Research was so bad. Not that Curt Peterson is bad, but the possibility of getting someone to change the entire outlook for the better. Lang and and Hardesty were not leaders for research and Weete became invisible (Garrison did not know the meaning). WVU needs more, get rid of these guys and start being imaginative.
July 18, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Horse: after Heather Bresch and all I’ve seen the last few months, nothing surprises me.
I believe our inability to attract high quality research firms has more to do with our business laws than anything else. The head of Virginia’s economic development