MORGANTOWN - Leaders of the West Virginia University Faculty Senate are meeting today  to discuss how educators can best influence the selection of an interim and a permanent president to help restore the school's battered public image.

Mike Garrison is stepping down Sept. 1 in the aftermath of a master's degree scandal involving the governor's daughter - a decision many faculty members demanded, then applauded. WVU administrators had awarded an executive master's degree in business administration to Heather Bresch, an executive with Pennsylvania-based generic drug maker Mylan Inc., that a university investigation concluded she did not earn.

Now it is time for the senate's Executive Committee to do some research and develop procedures for communicating with the university's Board of Governors, says Faculty Senate Chairwoman Virginia Kleist.

Kleist and board Chairman Steve Goodwin met last week to discuss the relationship, which became strained as board members defended their decision last year to appoint Garrison despite faculty objection.

The board was widely accused of cronyism for hiring Garrison, a 39-year-old lawyer with thin academic credentials but ample political connections after serving as chief of staff to former Democratic Gov. Bob Wise.

"We just want to get started on the work that we, as a Faculty Senate, are responsible for doing as part of this process," Kleist says. "I didn't want to wait all summer for that to begin. ... The concept of shared governance means everyone has a role to play in the university."

Kleist says WVU appears to be getting back on track with the appointment of two new board members last week. She is particularly pleased by the addition of WVU graduate and former Massachusetts Institute of Technology president Charles M. Vest, whom she calls "a wonderful asset."

He can not only help guide the search process but also help faculty in attracting outside funding for WVU research projects.

"He will have a deep understanding of that and can be huge help," Kleist says.

Gov. Joe Manchin also appointed WVU alumnus and former Houston Oilers player Oliver Luck, now president of the Houston Dynamo soccer franchise, to a four-year term. Both appointments start July 1.

MORGANTOWN - Leaders of the West Virginia University Faculty Senate are meeting today  to discuss how educators can best influence the selection of an interim and a permanent president to help restore the school's battered public image.

Mike Garrison is stepping down Sept. 1 in the aftermath of a master's degree scandal involving the governor's daughter - a decision many faculty members demanded, then applauded. WVU administrators had awarded an executive master's degree in business administration to Heather Bresch, an executive with Pennsylvania-based generic drug maker Mylan Inc., that a university investigation concluded she did not earn.

Now it is time for the senate's Executive Committee to do some research and develop procedures for communicating with the university's Board of Governors, says Faculty Senate Chairwoman Virginia Kleist.

Kleist and board Chairman Steve Goodwin met last week to discuss the relationship, which became strained as board members defended their decision last year to appoint Garrison despite faculty objection.

The board was widely accused of cronyism for hiring Garrison, a 39-year-old lawyer with thin academic credentials but ample political connections after serving as chief of staff to former Democratic Gov. Bob Wise.

"We just want to get started on the work that we, as a Faculty Senate, are responsible for doing as part of this process," Kleist says. "I didn't want to wait all summer for that to begin. ... The concept of shared governance means everyone has a role to play in the university."

Kleist says WVU appears to be getting back on track with the appointment of two new board members last week. She is particularly pleased by the addition of WVU graduate and former Massachusetts Institute of Technology president Charles M. Vest, whom she calls "a wonderful asset."

He can not only help guide the search process but also help faculty in attracting outside funding for WVU research projects.

"He will have a deep understanding of that and can be huge help," Kleist says.

Gov. Joe Manchin also appointed WVU alumnus and former Houston Oilers player Oliver Luck, now president of the Houston Dynamo soccer franchise, to a four-year term. Both appointments start July 1.