After Gordon Gee turned down a chance last month to return to Ohio State University as president, trustee chairman Gil Cloyd called and asked him to reconsider.
Gee flew to Columbus Sunday and walked the campus by himself, where memories of his seven years as president flooded back, including how close he grew to his then teenage daughter, Rebekah, after his wife died of cancer in 1991.
“All of that just stirred up in me, and it was that moment for me,” Gee said. “This was a pure and simple spiritual decision for me. And it was the right decision.”
Gee returned Thursday to take back his old job as he gives up the top post at Vanderbilt University, one of the highest-paying college jobs in the United States.
Gee, 63, was offered a 7-year contract paying $775,000 annually, with an additional $225,000 in deferred annual compensation that he would receive if he stays five years.
He would be eligible for additional compensation through bonuses and unspecified benefits. The details still have to be negotiated. He starts by Nov. 1.
Gee, wearing one of his signature bow ties in the scarlet and gray colors of Ohio State, said Thursday that the university had gone from good to excellent since 1990 and now aspired to eminence.
“I am returning to be part of one of the most exciting academic environments in American higher education,” he said. “This, ladies and gentlemen, is Ohio State’s time.”
Gee called himself a prodigal son who had experienced the world in the 10 years since he left Ohio State in 1997, when he earned a $232,000 salary.
“I’m following my heart and returning home,” he said, his voice quivering with emotion.
Trustees praised the private school experience Gee gained while he was away and said he returns to a vastly changed Ohio State, the nation’s largest university. The school has tightened its admission policies and increased its fundraising in recent years.
Gee “is one of the most experienced and highly skilled university presidents in the nation,” said trustee Alex Shumate, head of the board’s search committee. “He is the best person for our job and for the challenges and the opportunities that lie ahead for Ohio’s flagship public university.”
It’s the sixth president’s job for Gee, an unusually high number of jobs in schools’ top posts. He also ran West Virginia University, the University of Colorado, Brown University and Vanderbilt, where he was chancellor. He was Ohio State president from 1990 to 1997.
Gee promised this would be his last job. “I’ve probably said three times, ‘This is it,”‘ Gee said. “This one really is it.”
Trustees said they weighed the wisdom of rehiring Gee but decided his strengths overcame any negative perceptions.
“Gordon’s enthusiasm, his leadership, his vision and his goals for this university far outweighed any baggage that he may have had with him,” said trustee Douglas Borror.
Gee has a reputation as a prolific fundraiser to keep up at Ohio State, which has 51,818 students. At Vanderbilt, he raised record amounts of money - including $1.75 billion in construction dollars. He increased the endowment by almost 50 percent, to more than $3 billion.
“Open your wallets, I’m here,” he said Thursday.
Source: [Cincinnati Post]
