MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A member of the WVU Board of Governors said during a BOG committee meeting Friday that the selection of new WVU President Michael T. Benson was made behind closed doors in executive session.
“Our chairman, Rick Pill testified (before a legislative committee in March) that no votes were taken and no decisions were made during the executive sessions of the presidential search that we had,” Bray Cary said. “That statement wasn’t true based on the way we selected the president for our meeting in February.”
Cary made the comment Friday afternoon while refusing to go into executive session for a BOG nominating committee meeting.
BOG leaders quickly responded to Cary’s comments when contacted by MetroNews.
“The proper process was followed in the hiring of the 27th president of West Virginia University,” a statement from WVU BOG Chair Rick Pill, Vice-Chair Patrice Harris and Secretary Bob Reynolds said. “Claims otherwise are false, inflammatory and only serve to detract from the important groundwork that is being laid for the future of the state’s flagship university.
“The comments you reference are from a disgruntled BOG member who, candidly, had backed another candidate.”
Cary backed House of Delegates Speaker Roger Hanshaw for the job.
Pill, Harris and Reynolds further denied the allegation.
“The process followed to select the new WVU president was approved and supported unanimously by the BOG every step of the way, and, on Feb. 20, the full Board took a public vote — 15 to 2 — for the selected candidate.
“That candidate — Michael T. Benson — is the best choice to lead WVU and he will do so starting in July with our full backing along with the support of many, many people throughout the University community and across West Virginia who put the best interests of West Virginia’s University ahead of their own personal schemes.”
Cary made his comments while explaining his decision to oppose going into executive session Friday.
“I’ve been told by numerous state government officials that this committee would not have any reason based on the agenda to go into executive session under West Virginia law,” Cary said. ” My legal counsel has advised me that willful violations of the Open Meetings Act are a crime and it would be a crime to take part in this meeting.”
Cary suggested board members heed the requests from state lawmakers by not going into executive session and allowing the full body to consider the set of leaders for the Board of Governors. The leadership of the board would then be nominated and debated during the regular meeting in June.
“The report of this committee back to the board should be that we were chosen under the old version of the board and the legislature and the governor have clearly signaled their desire to change and under those circumstances we believe we should not make any nominations,” Cary said. “Instead, the board should nominate and choose officers in a public meeting by the board.”
Cary said BOG members are not employees of the university and using the personnel provision to call an executive session is not appropriate. He said the committee should make nominations and hold debate in an open forum.
“Specifically, selecting nominations should be done in an open meeting,” Cary said. “This is not a personnel matter and board members are not employees of the university, so the personnel provision of the open meetings act does not apply.”
Cary said the procedure to select board leadership appeared to be moving on the same track as that February meeting he cited earlier. Cary told the committee members it would be best to listen to lawmakers and make the needed changes.
“The script for this meeting says we’re doing exactly the same thing the committee was focused on,” Cary said. ” Decide on nominees in executive session, then go to public session just to announce what we’ve decided in secret.”
Despite the objection from Cary, all of the incumbent BOG leadership was nominated for another term. including Pill as BOG chair, Harris as vice-chair and Reynolds as secretary.