Following a series of unfortunate verbal gaffes that were meant to be jokes, Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee has announced that he will retire on July 1st.
According to the Columbus Dispatch, Gee will send out an email to students, faculty and staff regarding his decision.
Without question, the university has achieved remarkable success, and it has been my honor and calling to lead it,” Gee’s email says. “Ohio State is well-positioned for the future. I love this university, and my relationship with it will continue.”
Gee, 69, has served as Ohio State’s president for two terms, from 1990 to 97 and 2007 to now.
OSU’s former Provost Joseph A. Alutto has agreed to serve as interim president until the Ohio State board of trustees can find a replacement. Alutto previously served as interim president in 2007.
Gee’s total compensation is around $2.1 Million and despite issuing apologies for his jokes, it appears that he couldn’t totally outrun the backlash.
In a news release this afternoon, Gee said “I recently returned from a vacation with my family, during which time I had a chance to consider the university’s phenomenal achievements and the road that lies ahead for it.”
He said the university has a richness of new opportunities that most universities would envy.
“During my days away, I also spent some time in self-reflection. And after much deliberation, I have decided it is now time for me to turn over the reigns of leadership to allow the seeds that we have planted to grow,” he said. “It is also time for me to reenergize and refocus myself.”
Trustees called Gee an extraordinary leader who has raised Ohio State’s profile and enhanced the university’s academic profile by making it a highly-selective, top-tier research institution.
Gee has led more colleges- West Virginia, Colorado, Brown, Vanderbilt and Ohio State- than any other University President in the United States.
I can’t say I’m totally surprised that this happened. Sometimes no matter how much you apologize, you can’t come back from saying some of the ridiculous things that he said. It’s clear that the Board of Trustees was not okay with what took place and told him that they wanted him gone.
