MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The chairman of West Virginia University’s Board of Governors said Gee was a unanimous choice for the job of President for a Term at WVU. Despite Gee’s well-documented gaffes, Jim Dailey II said it wasn’t an issue at all in the decision to select Gee for the job.
“Very little to be quite honest. We didn’t really discuss too much of the past of any of the candidates’ missteps,” Dailey said on MetroNews Talkline Monday. “We didn’t really feel that had anything to do with the future of West Virginia and the future we were looking for.”
Gee will serve for about six months in the job. However, he will not be an “interim” president. He’ll be the full-fledged president of WVU until a permanent replacement is found. Dailey said they didn’t want somebody to simply keep the seat warm.
“We didn’t want that in any of the candidates,” Dailey said. “We wanted somebody who could definitely move into the chair and push the university forward in all different aspects. We didn’t want anyone to come in to just fill a seat.”
Dailey though Gee would be perfect in the roll. He previously served as WVU’s president and knows the university well. He’s a well-traveled educator with tremendous higher ed credentials.
“We wanted somebody to promote our university and keep it on the same track we’re going,” he said. “That’s the same kind of person we’re going to be looking for as we look for a replacement.”
Dailey hinted Gee will probably play a role in the selection of the next university president. He said other past presidents including Dr. Jim Clements will also aid in the search for the next campus leader at WVU.
Gee will be on the WVU campus Tuesday afternoon. He’s scheduled to meet with the media beginning at 2 o’clock at the Erickson Alumni Center.