WVU’s interim president introduced
Incoming WVU interim president Gordon Gee (right) puts on a WVU ballcap he received from WVU Board of Governors Chairman Jim Dailey.
By Alex Lang
The Dominion Post
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — WVU Board of Governors Chairman Jim Dailey handed interim President E. Gordon Gee a flying WV hat as he introduced him as the new university president.
“Don’t I look good in this hat,” Gee exclaimed as flashbulbs captured the moment.
On Tuesday, Gee was introduced, again, to the WVU community during a media session and public welcoming at the Erickson Alumni Center. He takes over for Jim Clements, who will soon leave WVU to lead Clemson University in South Carolina.
“There is nothing more important in the nation than the education of our young people,” Gee said.
He said he loves the students and they help him stay young. He added that he believes this generation has the opportunity to change the world.
He also told the faculty he valued their work and that institutions can’t run without a valiant staff. Prior to joining WVU, Gee was serving as a professor and president emeritus at The Ohio State University. He served as WVU president in the early 1980s.
“This is a very important moment for me,” Gee said. “It’s a closing of a circle of life that’s been so meaningful.”
In early January, when the spring semester starts, Gee will assume the presidency, he said.
Dailey said that as the board members whittled down the list, they identified a few characteristics for the new leader, such as someone with ties to the state and a wealth of experience.
“Gordon came to the top of the list,” Dailey said.
Gee has made some controversial statements in the past, including some about Catholics and the status of another school’s football program. But, past comments were hardly discussed by the BOG for any of the candidates, Dailey said. Instead, they focused on the future…