Nepotism at West Virginia U

The West Virginia primary has kicked up talk of racism but it’s worth noting that nepotism is fought there too.

The Chronicle (subscription):

A gathering of more than one-third of all full-time faculty members at West Virginia University voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to call on their institution’s president, Michael S. Garrison, to resign over his involvement in the awarding of an unearned executive M.B.A. degree to the daughter of the state’s governor.

The motion calling for Mr. Garrison’s resignation, which is nonbinding, was passed by 565 faculty members. Thirty-nine faculty members voted against the motion, and 11 abstained.

The measure considered at Wednesday meeting, which was open to all faculty members, was identical to a motion that passed last week by a wide margin in the university’s Faculty Senate (The Chronicle, May 6). The motion includes a vote of no confidence in Mr. Garrison, and calls on him to resign “for the good of the institution and for the benefit of our students.”