In Monday's showdown over the unearned master's degree that was contrived for Gov. Manchin's daughter, angry members of the Faculty Senate voted overwhelmingly - 77 to 19 - to demand removal of West Virginia University President Mike Garrison.
In Monday's showdown over the unearned master's degree that was contrived for Gov. Manchin's daughter, angry members of the Faculty Senate voted overwhelmingly - 77 to 19 - to demand removal of West Virginia University President Mike Garrison.
However, Garrison has indicated that he will ignore the faculty's wishes. And Chairman Stephen Goodwin has vowed that the WVU Board of Governors will defy faculty dissidents by continuing to support the president.
Therefore, a bitter stalemate exists. Many of WVU's 1,925 instructors are mutinous, and some major donors are canceling gifts to the university - but the politically connected president and politics-tinged board continue to retain power and control.
This ugly mess is marring West Virginia's flagship university. Damage is deep, and the fallout will continue for years. It's a dismal shame.
Calamity has hounded Garrison's tenure. First, there was the nightmare over the clumsy departure of football coach Rich Rodriguez, and the resulting lawsuit. Then Garrison's innermost aides - presumably carrying out the president's wishes - falsified grade records to concoct an MBA degree that the governor's daughter didn't earn.
When this problem came to light last fall, Garrison aides initially said the degree had been fully earned, but it "wasn't put on the record because the [$50 graduation] fee wasn't paid." Later, they backpedaled and said the MBA had been earned, but the business school had failed to "transfer" some of her grades to the admissions and records office.
A public outcry forced WVU to appoint outside investigators - and they found that these explanations were untrue. The inquiry team concluded that Garrison's aides wrote fake grades that were "simply pulled from thin air" to authorize the degree.
Now, WVU has revoked the disputed MBA. Two administration chiefs have resigned, stepping down to professor status with pay of $200,000 and $145,000. And the Faculty Senate strongly demands Garrison's ouster.
The WVU front office pulled outrageous ploys to defeat the professor mutiny. Without knowledge of the athletics department, administrators staged a flashy Friday news conference to announce that popular basketball coach Bob Huggins has been awarded a "lifetime" contract. As TV cameras whirred, Huggins gave Garrison a bear hug and declared: "Mike and I are going to be here a long time."
All in all, the sorry WVU situation reeks of politics. Garrison got the top job last year chiefly because he has high-level political and financial connections. He held three statewide posts in the Wise government, and stayed cozy with the successor Manchin administration. He once was a lobbyist for Mylan Inc., whose founder is WVU's largest donor.
Board Chairman Goodwin is from a family entrenched at the Statehouse. His son Carte is Gov. Manchin's top lawyer. Several other Goodwins hold major state posts. Most members of the WVU Board of Governors were appointed by Manchin.
So a standoff prevails. Many professors and donors feel betrayed, but political appointees won't relinquish power. This confrontation creates a painful split in the state's beloved university. In view of Monday's stunning Faculty Senate action, it seems impossible for the school to remain sundered by the current chasm. The only solution, we think, is for Garrison to step down.
In Monday's showdown over the unearned master's degree that was contrived for Gov. Manchin's daughter, angry members of the Faculty Senate voted overwhelmingly - 77 to 19 - to demand removal of West Virginia University President Mike Garrison.
However, Garrison has indicated that he will ignore the faculty's wishes. And Chairman Stephen Goodwin has vowed that the WVU Board of Governors will defy faculty dissidents by continuing to support the president.
Therefore, a bitter stalemate exists. Many of WVU's 1,925 instructors are mutinous, and some major donors are canceling gifts to the university - but the politically connected president and politics-tinged board continue to retain power and control.
This ugly mess is marring West Virginia's flagship university. Damage is deep, and the fallout will continue for years. It's a dismal shame.
Calamity has hounded Garrison's tenure. First, there was the nightmare over the clumsy departure of football coach Rich Rodriguez, and the resulting lawsuit. Then Garrison's innermost aides - presumably carrying out the president's wishes - falsified grade records to concoct an MBA degree that the governor's daughter didn't earn.
When this problem came to light last fall, Garrison aides initially said the degree had been fully earned, but it "wasn't put on the record because the [$50 graduation] fee wasn't paid." Later, they backpedaled and said the MBA had been earned, but the business school had failed to "transfer" some of her grades to the admissions and records office.
A public outcry forced WVU to appoint outside investigators - and they found that these explanations were untrue. The inquiry team concluded that Garrison's aides wrote fake grades that were "simply pulled from thin air" to authorize the degree.
Now, WVU has revoked the disputed MBA. Two administration chiefs have resigned, stepping down to professor status with pay of $200,000 and $145,000. And the Faculty Senate strongly demands Garrison's ouster.
The WVU front office pulled outrageous ploys to defeat the professor mutiny. Without knowledge of the athletics department, administrators staged a flashy Friday news conference to announce that popular basketball coach Bob Huggins has been awarded a "lifetime" contract. As TV cameras whirred, Huggins gave Garrison a bear hug and declared: "Mike and I are going to be here a long time."
All in all, the sorry WVU situation reeks of politics. Garrison got the top job last year chiefly because he has high-level political and financial connections. He held three statewide posts in the Wise government, and stayed cozy with the successor Manchin administration. He once was a lobbyist for Mylan Inc., whose founder is WVU's largest donor.
Board Chairman Goodwin is from a family entrenched at the Statehouse. His son Carte is Gov. Manchin's top lawyer. Several other Goodwins hold major state posts. Most members of the WVU Board of Governors were appointed by Manchin.
So a standoff prevails. Many professors and donors feel betrayed, but political appointees won't relinquish power. This confrontation creates a painful split in the state's beloved university. In view of Monday's stunning Faculty Senate action, it seems impossible for the school to remain sundered by the current chasm. The only solution, we think, is for Garrison to step down.
