{{Short description|American academic administrator (born 1944)}} {{Use American English|date=May 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2018}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Gordon Gee | image = Gordon Gee.jpg | caption = Gee in 2007 | office = 19th and 26th [[List of presidents of West Virginia University|President of West Virginia University]] | term_start = January 1, 2014 | term_end = July 15, 2025 | predecessor = [[James P. Clements]] | successor = [[Michael T. Benson]] | term_start1 = July 1, 1981 | term_end1 = June 30, 1985 | predecessor1 = Harry Heflin | successor1 = Diane Reinhard (acting) | office2 = 11th and 14th [[List of presidents of Ohio State University|President of Ohio State University]] | term_start2 = October 1, 2007 | term_end2 = June 30, 2013 | predecessor2 = [[Joseph A. Alutto]] (acting) | successor2 = Joseph A. Alutto (acting) | term_start3 = September 1, 1990 | term_end3 = January 2, 1998 | predecessor3 = [[Edward H. Jennings]] | successor3 = [[John Richard Sisson|John Sisson]] (acting) | office4 = 7th [[List of chancellors of Vanderbilt University|Chancellor of Vanderbilt University]] | term_start4 = July 7, 2000 | term_end4 = August 1, 2007 | predecessor4 = [[Joe B. Wyatt]] | successor4 = [[Nicholas S. Zeppos]] | office5 = 17th [[List of presidents of Brown University|President of Brown University]] | term_start5 = January 6, 1998 | term_end5 = February 7, 2000 | predecessor5 = [[Vartan Gregorian]] | successor5 = [[Ruth Simmons]] | office6 = 15th President of the [[University of Colorado|University of Colorado System]] | term_start6 = 1985 | term_end6 = 1990 | predecessor6 = William Baughn | successor6 = William Baughn | birth_name = Elwood Gordon Gee | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1944|2|2}} | birth_place = [[Vernal, Utah|Vernal]], [[Utah]], U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | education = {{ubl |[[University of Utah]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]]) |[[Columbia University]] ([[Juris Doctor|JD]], [[Doctor of Education|EdD]])}} | spouse = {{ubl |{{marriage|Elizabeth Dutson|1968|1991|end=died}} |{{marriage|[[Constance Bumgarner Gee|Constance Bumgarner]]|1994|2007|end=div}}}} | children = [[Rebekah Gee]] | signature = Gordon Gee Signature.svg |module = {{Infobox academic |child = yes |thesis_title = An Examination and Analysis of Public Employment Relations Statutes with Recommendations for Statutory Treatment of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education |thesis_url = https://www.proquest.com/docview/302671816 |thesis_year = 1972 |doctoral_advisor = Walter Sindlinger |academic_advisors = Michael Brick}} }} '''Elwood Gordon Gee''' (born February 2, 1944) is an American [[Academic staff|academic]] administrator. From 2014 to 2025, he served his second term as [[Chancellor (education)|president]] of [[West Virginia University]];<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2014/03/03/gee-appointed-west-virginia-university-president-for-a-third-time |title=Gee appointed West Virginia University president– for a third time |date=March 3, 2014 |accessdate=March 6, 2014 |publisher=WVUtoday}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Board names Gordon Gee as WVU president|url=http://www.charlestondailymail.com/News/201403030024 |location=Morgantown, WV |work=Charleston Daily Mail |agency=Associated Press |date=March 4, 2014 |access-date=March 4, 2014}}</ref> his first term there was from 1981 to 1985. Gee is said to have held more university presidencies (or their equivalent titles) than any other American.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Rosenthal|first=Eric T.|date=December 25, 2007|title=Shape Shifting the Matrix Model: OSU/James Hospital Structure May Emerge Stronger Following Institutional Infighting|journal=Oncology Times|volume=29|issue=24|pages=22–26|doi=10.1097/01.COT.0000305574.26166.dd|doi-access=free}}</ref> He was head of [[University of Colorado at Boulder|University of Colorado Boulder]] from 1985 to 1990, of [[Ohio State University]] from 1990 to 1997, of [[Brown University]] from 1998 to 2000, of [[Vanderbilt University]] from 2000 to 2007, and of Ohio State University for a second time from 2007 to 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/08/17/holbrook.ART_ART_08-17-07_B3_8C7L0GK.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110523055647/http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/08/17/holbrook.ART_ART_08-17-07_B3_8C7L0GK.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 23, 2011 |title=Holbrook seeks top job at university in Florida |date=August 17, 2007 |accessdate=September 23, 2007 |work=The Columbus Dispatch}}</ref>
Gee stepped down from the Ohio State presidency in 2013 after controversies about [[Anti-Catholicism|anti-Catholic]] comments allegedly made in jest about the [[University of Notre Dame]]. He headed an Ohio State-based [[think tank]] before returning to West Virginia University.
== Early life, education, and early career == Gee was born in [[Vernal, Utah|Vernal]], [[Utah]] which is southeast of [[Salt Lake City]], the son of an oil company employee and a school teacher. Growing up a [[Mormonism|Mormon]] in Vernal, he served a [[Missionary (LDS Church)|mission]] in [[Germany]] and [[Italy]].<ref>Gordon Gee (March 28, 2006). [https://speeches.byu.edu/wp-content/uploads/mp3/Gee_Gordon_032006.mp3 ''Everything I Know about Being a Mormon I Learned from Running Universities'']. BYU Forum, Retrieved November 24, 2021.</ref> He is an [[Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)|Eagle Scout]] and a recipient of the [[Distinguished Eagle Scout Award]]. He attended the [[University of Utah]] and graduated with a [[Bachelor of Arts|B.A.]] in [[history]] in 1968. After earning a [[Juris Doctor|J.D.]] from [[Columbia Law School]] in 1971 and an [[Doctor of Education|Ed.D.]] from [[Teachers College, Columbia University]] in 1972,<ref name="thesis-gee-1972">{{cite thesis |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/302671816/ |title=An examination and analysis of state public employment statutes with recommendations for statutory treatment of institutions of higher education |date=1972 |publisher=[[Columbia University]] |type=Ed.D. |last=Gee |first=Elwood Gordon |id={{ProQuest|302671816}}|url-access=subscription |oclc=82869401}}</ref> Gee was named a judicial fellow and staff assistant to the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] for one year.<ref>{{cite journal |title=About the President |url=http://president.osu.edu/bio.html |access-date=March 26, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313175544/http://president.osu.edu/bio.html |archive-date=March 13, 2013 }}</ref>
After clerking for Chief Justice [[Warren Burger]], Gee accepted a position as professor and associate dean at [[Brigham Young University]]. He became dean and professor at West Virginia University's law school in 1979, and president of the university two years later. As president of a university at age 37, he was one of the youngest chief executives in academia at the time.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://brown.edu/about/administration/president/gee|title=E. Gordon Gee: 1998–2000 | Office of the President|publisher=Brown.edu|access-date=March 3, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228012119/http://brown.edu/about/administration/president/gee|archive-date=February 28, 2014}}</ref>
== Brown University == Gee was president of Brown for only two years, and his tenure was mired in controversy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.providencephoenix.com/archive/features/00/06/22/GEE.html |title=Culture clash: Did the PC police chase e. Gordon Gee from Brown University? |website=Providence Phoenix |access-date=October 28, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170112044526/http://www.providencephoenix.com/archive/features/00/06/22/GEE.html |archive-date=January 12, 2017 }}</ref> According to ''[[The Village Voice]]'' and ''[[The College Hill Independent]]'', one of the university's campus newspapers, Gee was criticized by students and faculty for treating the school like a [[Wall Street]] [[corporation]] rather than an [[Ivy League]] university.<ref name="premature">{{cite news |title=Premature Evacuation: Why Did Gordon Gee Abandon Brown? |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/arts/premature-evacuation-7143390 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401081857/http://www.villagevoice.com/arts/premature-evacuation-7143390 |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 1, 2016 |author=Blake A. Zeff |work=The Village Voice |date=August 2, 2000 |access-date=October 29, 2005}}</ref>
Critics pointed to his decisions to sign off on an ambitious brain science program without consulting the faculty, to sell $80 million in bonds for the construction of a biomedical sciences building, and to cut the university's extremely popular Charleston String Quartet, which many saw as part of Gee's effort to lead the school away from its close but unprofitable relationship with the arts.<ref name="premature" />
Gee left under a storm of criticism in 2000, as members of the Brown community widely accused him of departing from the school after an uncommonly short tenure because of Vanderbilt University's offer of a corporate-level salary and a tenured teaching position for his wife. According to a 2003 article by ''[[The Chronicle of Higher Education]]'', Gee was the second highest paid university chief executive in the country with a purported total compensation package of more than $1.3 million.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://chronicle.com/free/v50/i12/12s00101.htm |title=Closing In on $1-Million |author=Julianne Basinger |work=The Chronicle of Higher Education |date=November 14, 2003 |access-date=August 2, 2005}}</ref>
[[File:EGGLC 07.jpg|thumb|left|The E. Gordon Gee Lavatory Complex at [[Brown University|Brown]]'s [[Spring Weekend]]]]Gee's tumultuous tenure at Brown is commemorated annually with the "E. Gordon Gee Lavatory Complex," a collection of [[portable toilet]]s that appears during [[Spring Weekend]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://post.browndailyherald.com/2009/09/04/brown-a-z/ |title=Brown A-Z 2009–2010 |author=Staff |work=post- Magazine |date=September 4, 2009 |access-date=April 8, 2010 |archive-date=April 6, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100406062353/http://post.browndailyherald.com/2009/09/04/brown-a-z/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
== Vanderbilt University == Gee had high student approval ratings. In 2005, when Gee's approval saw a comparatively sharp drop, it still stood at 88.4%.<ref>{{cite news | last = Ceryanec | first = Megan | title = Gee's approval rating near 90 percent | work = The Vanderbilt Hustler | date = March 23, 2005}}</ref> During his tenure, Vanderbilt saw a dramatic increase in student applications— more than 50% in six years—and a rise in the [[SAT]] scores of incoming freshmen. Under his tenure, the university completed a $1.25 billion fundraising campaign two years ahead of schedule.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://law.vanderbilt.edu/news/gordon-gee-steps-down-as-vanderbilt-chancellor/|title=Gordon Gee steps down as Vanderbilt Chancellor|date=July 12, 2007 |access-date=August 4, 2018}}</ref>
A September 2006 ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' article detailed that some of Gee's problems at Vanderbilt—including his wife's actions (such as smoking [[cannabis (drug)|marijuana]] in the chancellor's official residence), criticism of the high cost of renovating his home, and the couple's lavish spending—had come back to haunt him.{{cn|date=February 2024}} Additionally, Gee's 2002 announcement that the administration was going to rename [[Confederate Memorial Hall, Vanderbilt University|Confederate Memorial Hall]] without the word ''Confederate'' provoked a series of lawsuits. While Vanderbilt's board expressed some concern about Gee's spending, they also strongly endorsed his successful leadership. According to the ''[[Chronicle of Higher Education]]'',<ref name="Page B13, Nov.16, 2007">Page B13, Nov.16, 2007</ref> he received a total compensation of over $1.8 million in 2005/6, the highest of any continuing university president in the United States.
On March 11, 2003, a student satirical publication at Vanderbilt, ''[[The Slant]]'', ran a complete mock-up of ''The Vanderbilt Hustler,'' entitled ''The Vanderbilt Huslter'', with the headline "GEE DEAD". The hoax received some attention from national media, including an appearance on the [[Drudge Report]]. Gee's office responded to the hoax by releasing a photo of him holding a copy of the ''Hustler'' (with Gee smiling). Despite Gee's good humor about the prank, a controversy ensued.<ref>{{cite news|last=Berger|first=Meredith|url=http://www.vanderbilthustler.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/03/14/3e71a2dbcee09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031229152518/http://www.vanderbilthustler.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/03/14/3e71a2dbcee09|archive-date=December 29, 2003|title=Slant hoax ends in apologies|work=The Vanderbilt Hustler|date=March 14, 2003|access-date=October 11, 2007}}</ref>
In September 2003, Gee made national headlines when he eliminated the organized athletic department at Vanderbilt and consolidated its activities under the Division of Student Life, the university's general administrative division for student organizations and activities. Some critics cited this reorganization in the recruiting process to call into question Vanderbilt's commitment to [[American football|football]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ajc.com/uga/content/sports/stories/2006/12/12/1213secjobs.html |title=Barnhart: Best and worst SEC jobs|date=December 13, 2006|access-date=December 13, 2006|newspaper=[[Atlanta Journal-Constitution]] |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061215201449/http://www.ajc.com/uga/content/sports/stories/2006/12/12/1213secjobs.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = December 15, 2006}}</ref> However, Gee's action had its supporters, including NCAA President [[Myles Brand]].<ref>{{note|response}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20031030213821/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/writers/david_vecsey/09/11/vanderbilt.ncaa/ Strike up the Vandy!] by David Vecsey, ''sportsillustrated.com'', September 12, 2003. Retrieved October 29, 2005.</ref> Furthermore, a stellar spring for Vanderbilt athletic teams and a top-30 finish in the [[National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics]] (NACDA) [[NACDA Director's Cup|Director's Cup]] ranking of college athletic programs for the 2003–04 academic year provided some vindication for Vanderbilt and Gee.
==Ohio State University== [[File:E Gordon Gee - OSU party.jpg|thumb|Gee with Ohio State University Students circa 1995–96]] On July 11, 2007, Gee announced that he would be returning to Ohio State University as its president, ending his 7-year tenure at Vanderbilt.<ref>{{cite news |last = Loos |first = Ralph |title = Gee to leave Vanderbilt for Ohio State |work = [[The Tennessean]] |url = http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070711/NEWS04/70711037 |date = July 11, 2007 |access-date = July 11, 2007 }} {{dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> According to ''[[The Chronicle of Higher Education]]'',<ref name="Page B13, Nov.16, 2007" /> he was to receive a base salary of total compensation of over $1 million, the highest of any public university president in the United States, though less than his pay at Vanderbilt.
Controversy arose over Gee's alleged usage of public money to live an extravagant lifestyle. The ''[[Dayton Daily News]]'' of Dayton, Ohio, reported that "Ohio State has spent more than $64,000 on bow ties, bow tie cookies and O-H and bow tie pins for Gee and others to distribute."<ref>{{cite news|last=Bischoff|first=Laura|title=OSU president expenses in the millions|url=http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/expenses-of-osu-president-run-into-millions-for-tr/nSGkK/|access-date=November 17, 2012|newspaper=Dayton Daily News|date=September 22, 2012}}</ref>
Gee repeatedly came under fire from the media following public statements of his. In 2010, Gee stated, when talking about the rather weaker schedules of mid-major football programs at [[Boise State Broncos football|Boise State]] and [[TCU Horned Frogs football|Texas Christian University]] compared to the schedules of Ohio State and other Big Ten and SEC programs, "I do know, having been both a Southeastern Conference president and a Big Ten president, that it's like murderers' row every week for these schools. We do not play the Little Sisters of the Poor. We play very fine schools on any given day". Gee would later apologize for his comments about this well established Catholic religious order, which has been operating in the United States since 1868.<ref>[[s:Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Little Sisters of the Poor]]</ref> He later visited the [[Little Sisters of the Poor]], and claimed he did not know about the organization when he made the comments. TCU ended up getting the last laugh, [[2010 TCU Horned Frogs football team|winning]] the [[2011 Rose Bowl]]; following the win, a group of TCU alumni paid for space on several digital billboards in the Columbus area in which the "Little Sisters of the Poor" congratulated TCU on its victory.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/TCU-alumni-fire-back-at-Buckeyes-with-billboards-in-Columbus-010711 |title=TCU alumni taunt Buckeyes with signs |first=Mike |last=Piellucci |publisher=[[Fox Sports Networks|Fox Sports Southwest]] |date=January 7, 2011 |access-date=October 13, 2013}}</ref>
In 2011, Gee came under fire again for [[Polonophobia|anti-Polish sentiment]] after comparing being the president at Ohio State to running the Polish army. Gee would later regret making the comment after Polish-American groups strongly responded to his [[Polish joke|joke about their ethnicity]]. In response to Gee's remarks, the [[Polish American Congress]] demand Gee apologize for "his slur on the military of a nation that has been fighting valiantly and effectively alongside the United States" and for "bigotry and ignorance expressed by the president of such a large and prominent American university, especially since Ohio has a large Polish-American population and many OSU students are of Polish heritage."<ref>{{cite web|author=Jim Woods |url=http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/01/13/polish-group-seeks-apology-from-gee.html |title=Polish group seeks apology from Gee | The Columbus Dispatch |publisher=Dispatch.com |date=January 13, 2012 |access-date=March 3, 2014}}</ref>
In December 2012 Gee made further offensive [[Anti-Catholicism in the United States|anti-Catholic]] statements. Gee said that the [[University of Notre Dame]] should not be added to the [[Big Ten Conference|Big Ten]]:{{blockquote|I negotiated with them during my first term and the fathers are holy on Sunday and they're holy hell on the rest of the week. You just can't trust those damn Catholics on a Thursday or Friday.<ref name="college-football.si.com">{{cite magazine |last = SI |first = Staff |title = Listen to Ohio State's Gordon Gee's controversial remarks in their entirety |magazine = [[Sports Illustrated]] |url = http://college-football.si.com/2013/05/31/ohio-state-gordon-gee-controversial-comments/?sct=hp_t11_a6&eref=sihp |date = 2013-05-31 |access-date = 2013-05-31 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130607164535/http://college-football.si.com/2013/05/31/ohio-state-gordon-gee-controversial-comments/?sct=hp_t11_a6&eref=sihp |archive-date = 2013-06-07 }}</ref>}} On March 11, 2013, Ohio State University trustees sent Gee a letter complaining that he had embarrassed the school with his comments. The anti-defamation chair of the [[Ancient Order of Hibernians]] responded with shock that it took six months for Gee to apologize, saying that "this delayed action smacks of damage control for the media, rather than a sincere effort to address a bigoted insult to Catholics."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aoh.com/2013/06/02/a-letter-to-ohio-governor-john-r-kasich/ |title=A Letter from the Anti-Defamation Chair regarding comments made by Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee — Ancient Order of Hibernians |publisher=Aoh.com |date=June 2, 2013 |access-date=March 3, 2014}}</ref>
[[Bill Donohue]] of the [[Catholic League (U.S.)|Catholic League]] took a more sympathetic tack regarding the issue: "It's time for everyone to take a deep breath," he commented. "I have never met President Gee, but it is clear from what I read that what he said was made in jest. Was it dumb? ... yes. But context and tone matter, as does the frequency of what may be considered an offensive remark: a real bigot is someone who repeatedly, and maliciously, attacks others. Gee is not such a man. Political correctness has gone too far."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.catholicleague.org/ohio-st-univ-prez-is-no-bigot/ |title=Ohio St. Univ. Prez is No Bigot — Catholic League |publisher=catholicleague.org |date=May 30, 2013 |access-date=May 11, 2015}}</ref>
The Ohio State trustees also felt that Gee made insensitive public comments about the [[University of Cincinnati]], [[University of Kentucky]], [[University of Louisville]], and the [[Southeastern Conference]]. The letter laid out the steps Gee must take, which included issuing personal apologies and obtaining professional help to improve personal communications and speech writing processes. Shortly thereafter, the full text of Gee's remarks became public, and it was revealed that during the same speech, he had also taken shots at former [[Wisconsin Badgers football|Wisconsin football]] head coach [[Bret Bielema]], saying "[Wisconsin athletic director] [[Barry Alvarez]] thought he was a thug."<ref name="college-football.si.com" /><ref>{{cite news |last = Welsh-Huggins |first = Andrew |title = Trustees: Ohio State president 'embarrassed' school |agency = Associated Press |url = https://news.yahoo.com/trustees-ohio-st-president-embarrassed-school-164504666.html |date = May 31, 2013 |access-date = May 31, 2013 }}</ref> When asked about the [[Southeast Conference|SEC]] and [[Louisville Cardinals|Louisville]] saying the Big Ten couldn't count after the conference added [[Maryland Terrapins|Maryland]] and [[Rutgers Scarlet Knights|Rutgers]] during the [[2010–14 NCAA conference realignment|early-2010s conference realignment]] to expand the conference to 14 teams, Gee ridiculed the academic standards of Louisville and the SEC schools, saying once they "learned to read and write", they could start thinking about conference expansion. Gee released an official apology and called his words a poor attempt at humor.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2013/5/30/4380158/ohio-state-gordon-gee-notre-dame-louisville-sec|title=Ohio State prez calls out everyone|date=May 30, 2013 |access-date=August 4, 2018}}</ref>
Gee's base salary{{when|date=February 2014}} was $802,125, with a total compensation package of $1.6 million. In 2009, he donated a $200,531 bonus and his $20,053 raise to scholarship funds.<ref>[http://www.thelantern.com/campus/gee-paid-more-than-public-peers-1.1066819] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302124632/http://www.thelantern.com/campus/gee-paid-more-than-public-peers-1.1066819|date=March 2, 2012}}</ref> In 2013, Gee earned $6,057,615 from Ohio State University.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2014/05/20/college_president_pay_is_it_too_high.html|title=This State College President Earned $6 Million Last Year. Should You Be Mad?|first=Jordan|last=Weissmann|date=May 20, 2014|access-date=August 4, 2018|journal=Slate}}</ref>
On June 4, 2013, Gee announced his retirement. In a news release, he said, "After much deliberation, I have decided it is now time for me to turn over the reins of leadership to allow the seeds that we have planted to grow. It is also time for me to reenergize and refocus myself."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/public/2013/06/ohio-state-president-gee.html |title=Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee to retire | The Columbus Dispatch |publisher=Dispatch.com |date=June 4, 2013 |access-date=March 3, 2014}}</ref>
== West Virginia University == On December 5, 2013, [[West Virginia University]] announced that Gee would become its interim president until the search for a permanent president concluded.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2013/12/former_ohio_state_president_go.html |title=Former Ohio State President Gordon Gee to be interim president at West Virginia University, reports say |date=December 6, 2013 |publisher=Cleveland.com |access-date=March 3, 2014}}</ref> Following an endorsement by the West Virginia University presidential search committee on February 28, 2014,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2014/02/28/wvu-presidential-search-committee-endorses-gee-for-permanent-post |title=WVU presidential search committee endorses Gee for permanent post |publisher=Wvutoday.wvu.edu |date=December 20, 2013 |access-date=March 3, 2014}}</ref> on March 3, the WVU Board of Governors at WVU dropped the "interim" tag from Gee's title and named him WVU's 24th permanent president. In August 2023, Gee announced a plan to shutter 10% of the university's majors, eliminate all language teaching, and fire 16% of its faculty, to address a budget crunch caused largely by the ill-fated expansion program that he previously pushed.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/08/18/west-virginia-university-academic-cuts/|title=WVU's plan to cut foreign languages, other programs draws disbelief|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=August 18, 2023 |access-date=August 18, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Corrigan |first=Lisa M. |date=August 16, 2023|title=The Evisceration of a Public University | url=https://www.thenation.com/article/society/wvu-cuts-higher-education/|magazine=The Nation|access-date=August 25, 2023 }}</ref>
On September 6, 2023, the Faculty Assembly of the university passed a symbolic vote of no confidence resolution against Gee, citing his plans to cut faculty and majors.<ref>{{Cite web |title=West Virginia University faculty express symbolic no confidence in President E. Gordon Gee |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/west-virginia-university-faculty-express-symbolic-confidence-president-102970219 |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=ABC News |language=en}}</ref> Similarly, in December 2023, the University Assembly published a no confidence vote against Gee, by a vote of 797 to 100.<ref>[https://www.chronicle.com/article/west-virginia-u-s-faculty-votes-no-confidence-in-gordon-gee]</ref>
Gee left the presidency following his contract's expiration in June 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Young |first=Charles |date=2025-06-09 |title=Gordon Gee says goodbye: WVU leader prepares for retirement |url=https://www.wvnews.com/news/wvnews/gordon-gee-says-goodbye-wvu-leader-prepares-for-retirement/article_9155f0bc-23b7-45c9-befd-97c9298334ba.html |access-date=2025-08-19 |website=WV News |language=en}}</ref>
== Personal life == Gee is a member of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gee |first=E. Gordon |date=2006-03-28 |title=Everything I Know about Being a Mormon I Learned from Running Universities |url=https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/gordon-gee/everything-know-mormon-learned-running-universities/ |access-date=2025-08-19 |website=BYU Speeches |language=en-US}}</ref>
Gee has been married twice. His first wife was Elizabeth D. Gee, with whom he had one daughter, [[Rebekah Gee]]. Gordon and his daughter were featured on an episode of the public radio show ''[[This American Life]]'' discussing life after Elizabeth's death.<ref>{{cite web | title=401: Parent Trap | date=February 19, 2010 | work=[[This American Life]] | publisher=[[Chicago Public Radio]] | url=https://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/401/parent-trap?act=1 | access-date=March 1, 2010}}</ref> Gee divorced his second wife, [[Constance Bumgarner Gee]], in 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nashvillepost.com/news/2007/2/28/vanderbilt_chancellor_gee_and_wife_agree_on_divorce |title=Vanderbilt Chancellor Gee and wife agree on divorce |date=February 28, 2007 |access-date=February 28, 2007 |publisher=[[NashvillePost.com]]}}</ref> During the summer of 2016, Gee became engaged to Laurie Erickson of the Erickson Foundation.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gee|first=Gordon|title=Gee Mail: A summer of engagement|date=September 26, 2016 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkMsJlvOZgM |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/UkMsJlvOZgM |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|access-date=September 26, 2016|publisher=West Virginia University}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Gee's daughter Rebekah was appointed Secretary of the [[Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals]] in 2016.<ref name="timespicayunenewlouisianahealth">{{cite news|last1=Litten|first1=Kevin|title=New Louisiana health secretary Rebekah Gee knows about tragedy|url=http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/01/rebekah_gee_dhh_secretary.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128092617/http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/01/rebekah_gee_dhh_secretary.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 28, 2016|access-date=October 10, 2017|work=The Times-Picayune|date=January 27, 2016}}</ref>
In 2001, Gee received the Judge Elbert P. Tuttle Distinguished Achievement Award, the highest recognition of achievement in the [[Pi Kappa Alpha]] International fraternity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pikes.org/student/content.aspx?item=AlumniAffairs/daa.xml |title=Alumni Affairs|access-date=February 18, 2010}}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> In 2012, Gee became the first Honorary Esteemed Member of the University of Colorado's Buff Bow Tie Bunch (BBTB).<ref>{{cite news|last=Reimold|first=Dan|title=Student bow tie club pushes for an 'elevated level of dressing-up on campus'|newspaper=USA Today|url=http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/campus-beat/student-bow-tie-club-pushes-for-an-elevated-level-of-dressing-up-on-campus|url-status=dead|access-date=April 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120412033819/http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/campus-beat/student-bow-tie-club-pushes-for-an-elevated-level-of-dressing-up-on-campus|archive-date=April 12, 2012}}</ref>
Gee has donated more than $10,000 to [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] and [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] political campaigns since 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.php?name=gee&state=OH&zip=&employ=&cand=&c2012=Y&c2010=Y&c2008=Y&sort=N&capcode=b6vnb&submit=Submit+your+Donor+Query |title=Donor Lookup: Find Individual and Soft Money Contributors |publisher=OpenSecrets |access-date=March 3, 2014}}</ref>
Gee served on the board of directors of [[Bath & Body Works, Inc.|L Brands]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=L Brands names Les Wexner's replacement as board chair |url=https://www.retaildive.com/news/l-brands-names-les-wexners-replacement-as-board-chair/574102/ |access-date=2022-09-14 |website=Retail Dive |language=en-US}}</ref>
==See also== * [[List of presidents of West Virginia University]]
== References == {{Reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-aca}} {{s-bef|before=Harry Heflin}} {{s-ttl|title=President of [[West Virginia University]]|years=1981–1985}} {{s-aft|after=Diane Reinhard<br>Acting}} |- {{s-bef|before=William Baughn}} {{s-ttl|title=President of the [[University of Colorado|University of Colorado System]]|years=1985–1990}} {{s-aft|after=William Baughn}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Edward H. Jennings]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[List of presidents of Ohio State University|President of Ohio State University]]|years=1990–1998}} {{s-aft|after=[[John Richard Sisson|John Sisson]]<br>Acting}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Vartan Gregorian]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[List of presidents of Brown University|President of Brown University]]|years=1998–2000}} {{s-aft|after=[[Ruth Simmons]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Joe B. Wyatt]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[List of chancellors of Vanderbilt University|Chancellor of Vanderbilt University]]|years=2000–2007}} {{s-aft|after=[[Nicholas S. Zeppos]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Joseph A. Alutto]]<br>Acting}} {{s-ttl|title=[[List of presidents of Ohio State University|President of Ohio State University]]|years=2007–2013}} {{s-aft|after=Joseph A. Alutto<br>Acting}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[James P. Clements]]}} {{s-ttl|title=President of [[West Virginia University]]|years=2014–2025}} {{s-aft|after=[[Michael T. Benson]]}} {{s-end}}
{{Navboxes |list = {{West Virginia University presidents}} {{Ohio State University presidents}} {{Vanderbilt chancellors}} {{Brown University presidents}} {{University of Colorado System presidents}} }} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gee, E. Gordon}} [[Category:1944 births]] [[Category:20th-century American educational theorists]] [[Category:20th-century Mormon missionaries]] [[Category:21st-century American educational theorists]] [[Category:American Mormon missionaries in Germany]] [[Category:American Mormon missionaries in Italy]] [[Category:Brigham Young University faculty]] [[Category:Chancellors of Vanderbilt University]] [[Category:Columbia Law School alumni]] [[Category:Latter Day Saints from Colorado]] [[Category:Latter Day Saints from Ohio]] [[Category:Latter Day Saints from Rhode Island]] [[Category:Latter Day Saints from Tennessee]] [[Category:Latter Day Saints from Utah]] [[Category:Latter Day Saints from West Virginia]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Vernal, Utah]] [[Category:Presidents of Brown University]] [[Category:Presidents of Ohio State University]] [[Category:Presidents of the University of Colorado System]] [[Category:Presidents of West Virginia University]] [[Category:Teachers College, Columbia University alumni]] [[Category:University of Utah alumni]]