‘Graduation is not about me’

Associated Press

MORGANTOWN May 17, 2008 02:16 am

— Embattled West Virginia University president Mike Garrison is taking a back seat at commencement ceremonies, a school spokeswoman said Friday, the latest sign of growing tensions at the school amid a degree scandal involving the governor’s daughter.
The first-year president canceled plans to deliver an address but will still attend many of the weekend’s ceremonies, said spokeswoman Amy Neil. University heads typically preside over the granting of degrees.
“I think it’s important for everybody to note, and particularly the president of the university, graduation is not about me,” Garrison said in a statement Friday.
“Graduation is not about anybody except our students and their faculty who got them to where they are today, helped them get to where they are today. We want to focus on the students. I certainly don’t intend to be a distraction.”
Faculty have assembled twice in the last two weeks to call for Garrison to resign over the awarding of an executive master’s of business administration degree to Heather Bresch, daughter of Gov. Joe Manchin. The administration decided last fall to retroactively grant a degree that investigators later concluded the Mylan Inc. executive did not earn.
Garrison has stressed that he plans to stay in the job. However, newspapers renewed their own demands Friday that he leave.
“He just doesn’t get it, does he?” an editorial in the Dominion Post of Morgantown observed. “Or he doesn’t want to get it.
“At what expense and at what risk Garrison’s refusal to resign remains to be seen in the long term, but it’s safe to say it will be negative,” the newspaper said. “... There is a limit to how long Garrison can wait around. But, WVU cannot recover from this scandal under the very leadership that takes responsibility for it.”
Bresch is a longtime friend of Garrison, and Mylan chairman Milan “Mike” Puskar, who has given tens of millions to WVU. While the panel found no evidence that Garrison directly interfered, it said the presence of his key staff at the decision-making meeting created “palpable” pressure.
Garrison was previously scheduled to deliver the keynote address for Eberly College of Arts and Sciences graduates on Sunday.
Without any explanation by school officials, Garrison this week was replaced by Jennie C. Hunter-Cevera, a research scientist and project manager credited with discovering several natural products that have benefited human health, the environment and agriculture.
The event, held at the WVU Coliseum, is one of the largest commencement ceremonies because Eberly includes dozens of programs and departments on campus.
In the weeks leading up to commencement, some students said they were planning quiet protests, such as turning their backs on Garrison or not shaking his hand when they received diplomas.
Garrison maintains he has support on campus. A petition began circulating this week with more than 1,800 signatures from people — including some WVU faculty and business leaders — who say they back the president. Organizers say they'll submit that petition to the WVU Board of Governors at its meeting next month.
But a different group of students and faculty had initially planned to protest Garrison at commencement ceremonies by holding up signs congratulating students for “earning your degree.”
However, those plans were axed because the group did not want to detract from the ceremonies, said Michael Perone, a psychology professor and vice chairman of the newly created Mountaineers for Integrity and Responsibility.
“Although we discussed other possible actions at our initial meeting last week — and the possibility of a protest was mentioned in our press release — we quickly came to the conclusion that we should avoid any action that would detract from this day of celebration for the graduates and their loved ones,” Perone said.
Mountaineers for Integrity and Responsibility has, however, purchased display ads in the special commencement supplements.
“The ad extends our group’s congratulations to the graduates for earning their degrees, with emphasis on ‘earning,’” Perone said.
The group was established last week for professors, staff, alumni, students and friends of WVU who feel Garrison’s resignation is the best way to restore integrity and responsibility at the university, according to the organization’s press release.
Physics professor Boyd Edwards serves as the group's chairman.
Mountaineers for Integrity and Responsibility is also pushing a petition. As of Thursday night, the group had accumulated 747 signatures from people requesting Garrison resign. Those signing the petition must include their first and last name and their connection to WVU.
Perone said his group would strive to keep the issue in the spotlight over the summer months, usually a quiet time on campus with a majority of the students gone.
Perone said he hoped the group could meet with the Board of Governor's, which appointed Garrison last year.
“As one of the BOG’s constituencies, we believe we deserve an audience with the Board,” he said.
A meeting with members of the Legislature isn’t out of question, either, he said.
“We may meet with members of the state Legislature, the group that has delegated much of its authority over higher education to the Board,” Perone said. “In light of the questions surrounding Mr. Garrsion’s hiring and the faculty’s serious concerns over his performance to date, the Legislature may wish to reconsider the extent of that delegation.”
Perone added, “Third, because Mr. Garrison's supporters continue to argue that the two no-confidence votes somehow misrepresent the views of the faculty at-large, we are looking into the possibility of a faculty-wide referendum.”
The Charleston Daily Mail contributed to this story.