May 5, 2008...6:21 am
WVU Faculty to Vote Today
Faculty at West Virginia University will have their voice heard today regarding the on-going controversy surrounding the awarding of a MBA degree to a well-connected alum.
Members of the school’s Faculty Senate will meet in special session today with three motions on the table for consideration. Two of the motions would seek to place the blame squarely on the shoulders of the school’s administration, while a third would seek to put measures in place to insure academic integrity.
One of the motions would censure WVU President Mike Garrison for his and his administration’s involvement in awarding an MBA degree, last year, to Heather Bresch, an employee at Mylan, Inc., and daughter to W.Va. Governor Joe Manchin. Mylan, Inc., and its co-founder Milan Puskar, are among WVU’s top financial backers.
Another would out right call for Garrison, who took over for David Hardesty, to resign.
Should the censure motion pass, Garrison would have all but lost the support of his faculty, something that is important for an institution’s leader to maintain. Passage of the third motion would likely mean that Garrison will remain on the job and will be able to withstand the pressures to resign.
Needless to say today’s Faculty Senate meeting is important and could go a long way in determining the leadership fate at West Virginia University.
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