The chief of staff for West Virginia University President Michael Garrison announced Tuesday he will step down when Garrison does in the wake of a degree scandal involving Gov. Joe Manchin's daughter.
WVU Provost Gerald Lang and Stephen Sears, dean of the College of Business and Economics, resigned last month after an investigation found them most at fault for the award of the unearned degree to Bresch.
Lang and Sears are tenured faculty members at WVU, meaning their teaching jobs are essentially guaranteed except under extraordinary circumstances. They will return to teaching after their resignations officially take effect on June 30.
Members of the group Mountaineers for Integrity and Responsibility have called for a review of Lang and Sears' tenure.
WVU's Board of Governors also will lose three of its members on June 30.
Robert A. Wells, the board's vice chairman and a longtime friend of Garrison, will not pursue another term. Curtis Barnette's term has expired and he is not eligible to pursue another. Stephen Farmer's term has also expired, but he is eligible to be reappointed. All were appointed by Manchin.
Manchin spokeswoman Lara Ramsburg said the governor plans to announce his appointments to the board in early July.
She said the governor's office has received an unusually large number of e-mails and letters with nominations for the open positions.
Many of those were for current employees of WVU, who by state law cannot be appointed to the board.
One of the board's members must be a county schools superintendent, a spot currently filled by Carolyn Long, superintendent of Braxton County schools. WVU students, faculty and staff also must be represented on the board. The governor appoints the rest.
Several e-mails to the governor's office also urged Manchin not to reappoint Farmer and to bring in members with more experience in academia. Ramsburg said she had no information on the status of Farmer's reappointment.
"In general, the Board is already lopsided with lobbyists, politicians, and lawyers. This does not represent West Virginia or WVU properly," Marguerite Bostonia, a WVU doctoral student and West Virginia Wesleyan faculty member, said in an e-mail to Manchin. "This is your golden opportunity to help yourself and us all to dig out of this terrible mess. Our hopes are on you during this time."
Reach Veronica Nett at veroni...@wvgazette.com or 348-5113.
The chief of staff for West Virginia University President Michael Garrison announced Tuesday he will step down when Garrison does in the wake of a degree scandal involving Gov. Joe Manchin's daughter.
Craig Walker released a statement Tuesday, saying he would resign on Sept. 1.
"I anticipate serving the university as President Garrison's chief of staff until Sept. 1 when he completes his service as president," Walker said. "At that time, I will offer my resignation as chief of staff to the interim president. If asked, I will assist the new administration in any way, officially or unofficially, during the transition."
Garrison announced earlier this month he would step aside as president on Sept. 1, after an overwhelming call from alumni, faculty, students and donors for his resignation after members of his administration retroactively granted Heather Bresch, a Mylan Inc. executive and Manchin's daughter, a degree she did not earn.
Walker was one of several high-ranking WVU administrators present during the meeting where it was decided to award Bresch an executive master of business administration degree, nearly 10 years after she was to graduate.
Critics have said Walker served as Garrison's proxy in that meeting.
Two other WVU officials who were at the meeting have been reassigned. Bill Case, former executive officer for communications, was reassigned to WVU's Health Sciences Center. Alex Macia will no longer serve as general counsel but kept his job as vice president for legal affairs.
Neither will see a change in their salaries: Case makes $135,000, Macia makes $185,000.
The contracts for Walker, Case and Macia expire July 1.
WVU spokeswoman Janey Cink said all major administrators have "will and pleasure" contracts, which are usually renewed on July 1 of each fiscal year at the discretion of the president.
"Beginning July 15, Bill Case will be part of our communications team at WVU Health Sciences," said WVU Health Sciences spokeswoman Amy Johns. "We are working out the details with WVU human resources. Bill has more than 15 years' experience at the Health Sciences Center and provides valuable experience and insight regarding health sciences issues."
Johns said Health Sciences administrators are still working out Case's duties in his new position, but he will not return to his former position of planning and marketing director in Health Sciences.
Macia "will offer his future plans as they take shape," Cink said.
WVU Provost Gerald Lang and Stephen Sears, dean of the College of Business and Economics, resigned last month after an investigation found them most at fault for the award of the unearned degree to Bresch.
Lang and Sears are tenured faculty members at WVU, meaning their teaching jobs are essentially guaranteed except under extraordinary circumstances. They will return to teaching after their resignations officially take effect on June 30.
Members of the group Mountaineers for Integrity and Responsibility have called for a review of Lang and Sears' tenure.
WVU's Board of Governors also will lose three of its members on June 30.
Robert A. Wells, the board's vice chairman and a longtime friend of Garrison, will not pursue another term. Curtis Barnette's term has expired and he is not eligible to pursue another. Stephen Farmer's term has also expired, but he is eligible to be reappointed. All were appointed by Manchin.
Manchin spokeswoman Lara Ramsburg said the governor plans to announce his appointments to the board in early July.
She said the governor's office has received an unusually large number of e-mails and letters with nominations for the open positions.
Many of those were for current employees of WVU, who by state law cannot be appointed to the board.
One of the board's members must be a county schools superintendent, a spot currently filled by Carolyn Long, superintendent of Braxton County schools. WVU students, faculty and staff also must be represented on the board. The governor appoints the rest.
Several e-mails to the governor's office also urged Manchin not to reappoint Farmer and to bring in members with more experience in academia. Ramsburg said she had no information on the status of Farmer's reappointment.
"In general, the Board is already lopsided with lobbyists, politicians, and lawyers. This does not represent West Virginia or WVU properly," Marguerite Bostonia, a WVU doctoral student and West Virginia Wesleyan faculty member, said in an e-mail to Manchin. "This is your golden opportunity to help yourself and us all to dig out of this terrible mess. Our hopes are on you during this time."
Reach Veronica Nett at veroni...@wvgazette.com or 348-5113.
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