If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It, Especially For Old Fashioned Political Reasons

If only most marriages ran as smoothly as that between the Mountaineer Sports Network and West Virginia Radio Corporation.

For over sixty years West Virginia University sports have been broadcast over the network affiliates of WVRC. This arrangement has given WVU total control over its marketing and promotions while giving WVRC and Metro News high visibility and decent profits. Now outgoing president Mike Garrison wants to add disrupting this arrangement to the Magical Misery Tour of his presidency.

Garrison and others argue that bidding out the rights to broadcasts represents the wave of the future. Syracuse, Connecticut, and others do this currently. Others argue that WVU's arrangement reflects the much more profitable broadcast model that professional sports franchises utilize. One could certainly argue that this model works better for WVU, since its sports have been described as the state's "professional" teams (meaning that the audience responds to the teams in the manner that big city residents treat their professional franchises.)

What few people have said outright is that this may be nothing but hardball politics. West Virginia Radio Corporation is run by former GOP US Senate candidate John Raese. Metro News' most visible personailty besides play by play man Tony Caridi is political commentator Hoppy Kercheval. Kercheval has a daily radio program and online commentary. He grew into an outspoken critic of Garrison over the past several months.

Could this be an old fashioned Bogg Hogg type political revenge ploy? Hopefully Garrison will not be permitted to do the university any more damage before his fall departure.

*******************************************************************

This is Bob Hertzel's column that discusses the issue. Although discussions have been in the works for some time, it is interesting that the issue has just recently come to a head.

http://www.timeswv.com/wvu_sports/local_story_188230156.html

Representative Shelley Moore Capito Starts Energy Action Website

On June 27th, Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito launched a new energy action website to address West Virginians' rising concerns about fuel costs.

http://capito.house.gov/Energy.shtml

This site provides information that most West Virginians can use in efforts to conserve energy and save themselves money. Constituents that suspect price gouging have an easy means to report problems as well. Finally the site gives up to date information on Congresswoman Capito's efforts to help West Virginia, America, and the world secure long term energy solutions.

From this site, a reader can learn of the efforts made by Congresswoman Capito to move America towards liquefication of coal. Why not embrace this easy to access resource that puts money into American pockets and employs Americans right here at home. Natural gas production puts money into the pockets of West Virginia landowners when they do not get fooled by unscrupulous agents who convince individuals, companies, even governments to sell rights for a fraction of what they are worth.

Obviously West Virginia should play a strong role in America's energy transition. We sit upon large supplies of natural gas and coal and have grown into a national leader in terms of expanding our wind harvesting capabilities. Liberals would rather see the average American sacrifice economic prosperity or their standard of living to fall more in line with other countries that do not live so well. Congresswoman Capito knows that with the right ideas America can move forward, restore the dominance we once knew in energy production, and maintain our standard of living that remains the envy of the world.

*********************************************************************

The Board of Governors recently announced the selection of two new members. Dr. Charles M. Vest, President Emeritus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will give a tremendous boost to the shaken credibility of that body. Also appointed was former West Virginia University quarterback Oliver Luck. Luck since his graduation and short stint with the Houston Oilers obtained a law degree and worked as an executive with multiple sports franchises. Metro News's Hoppy Kercheval wrote last week that Luck ought to be considered because of his experience, ties to the university, and lack of political connections.

Garrison's Last Pitch

West Virginia University President Mike Garrison recently made his last desperate pitch to keep his job. Summoning up his powers to convince, he made such a strong impression on the Board of Governors that they absolved him of direct responsibility for the degree scandal. However the Board stated that they would continue to look at the situation and meet again on June 6th.

Michael Garrison may or may not have had a direct hand in the scandal. However the perception is that his political connections bind him too tightly to the governor and that this played a major role in the wrongdoing. The revelations in the Rich Rodriguez case that Garrison was assumed to be the next president long before his hiring do not help.

Who suffers here? Certainly the governor must want this to go away very badly. His opponent in November, Russ Weeks, has benefited tremendously. Not too long ago Weeks had little name recognition outside of Republican circles. Now increasing numbers of people see him as an alternative to the Manchinocracy. Weeks will be able to use this and other issues to bridge the gap between himself and his opponent by this fall. Garrison himself has taken an image hit from which he will not recover.

Worst of all the university has taken a hard right cross to its reputation. Coming from a state all too often maligned (thanks Dick Cheney), West Virginia University must always fight an uphill battle in its quest to be recognized for the great research institution it is. Since it has low standards for admission (which it must since it serves the state), magazines rating the best colleges ignore WVU's track record of research excellence. It was the one state run institution believed to be free of the usual political garbage. That reputation is gone.

The current president of WVU must love the university. I do not see how anyone who has taught or attended there cannot. WVU strikes a unique balance between teaching excellence and research that is rare at its academic level. Michael Garrison's best leadership decision would be to resign right now. That is how he could save the situation for himself and West Virginia University.

Take one for the team, President Garrison. Please.

West Virginia University Losing Professors Due to Garrison

On Friday, newspapers around the state announced the departure of three long time professors from West Virginia University. One of these was Professor Steve Zdatny.

Professor Zdatny just took over the history department chair at the university. I have worked with him quite a bit and know him to be a professor who is a rarity in the academic world outside of WVU. Zdatny produces quality research while also being a zealous teacher. You do not often find professors like this in major universities. The loss of Zdatny is a terrible blow to the school and its students.

Now he and I did not always agree. Once I lectured on the Russian Revolution to his class and he told me I was too hard on Lenin. However he always had respect for different opinions and points of view regardless of whether he agreed with them or not. I remember a lot of good natured teasing back and forth between him and conservative graduate students. This respect for different points of view is also somewhat rare in academia.

Zdatny also is a man of principle and another aspect of his character I remember is that he hates to have his intelligence insulted. Plagiarists received not just an F on the assignment, but an unforgiveable F in the course. His statements upon leaving for the University of Vermont tell me that he believes that the administration has insulted his intelligence. Zdatny said he never considered applying for another position until the scandal broke.

West Virginia University lost not just one experienced professor, but three. These unexpected losses mean that extra search committees will require funding from the taxpayers. The costs from this scandal just keep adding up.

Another Issue That West Virginia Democrats Do Not Understand: Two Year Colleges

If it ain't broke don't fix it. That is the tried and true engineer maxim. One of the few things in West Virginia that ain't broke is the college and university system. However, Senate Education Chairman Bob Plymale seems determined to fix it.

His target is West Virginia University at Parkersburg. Somewhat like Potomac State College, WVU-P is a branch campus of West Virginia University. It serves students in Wood and at its own branch in Ripley. Like Potomac State students, many in the mid Ohio Valley want to get a degree from West Virginia University eventually, but do not want to make the complete leap from high school to mega campus. Campuses such as WVU-P and Potomac State give state students more options. A student can earn a two year terminal degree or go on to WVU. In the smaller campus they have a wide range of majors to pursue. The trend recently has seen WVU's two year schools expand their offerings in both two and four year programs.

This not only allows for more choices, if allowed to continue it ensures continued economic development in these communities at less cost to the state over time. As the cost of tuition in the Northeast rockets to amazing heights, these small colleges increasingly serve out of state students and earn their mother institutions more money. Imagine the benefit to Keyser and Mineral County as a whole if Potomac State becomes a four year school? Parkersburg is another former industrial city that could use such a shot in the arm.

Plymale has his own very limited vision for state two year schools. He sees them as useful for workforce development alone and wants to slice away WVU-P from its mother campus. Sorry all you history, literature, and political science majors who are not quite ready for a 30,000 student campus. Senator Plymale says small colleges are for workforce development only. Potomac State's relationship with WVU is much tighter and is likely going to remain unaffected, at least for now. Who knows what plans Plymale has for the future?

Basically Plymale seeks to limit the options available to state students because he thinks he has a better idea. Liberals often do prefer to think for others since the common people surely cannot decide such important issues on their own. Fortunately WVU-P has Republican allies in the Legislature such as Frank Deem and Donna Boley. Boley accuses Plymale and others of "back room" dealing.

Deem and Boley need help if they are to save WVU-P from having to break from WVU. Marshall University also has a major branch campus in Point Pleasant and they need to watch these developments closely. WVU president Mike Garrison needs support from his peers as well as Governor Manchin to ensure that the Legislature keeps its hands off institutions such as WVU-P.

The Good and the Strange

West Virginia University president Michael Garrison found his way into the newspaper twice last month for remarkably different issues.

The first earned him real kudos. Standing up to a popular coach with the best winning percentage in university history showed that he had backbone. Garrison's priorities lay in the university above that of the football team. After all, he is not the GM of a pro sports outfit, but the leader of an academic institution.

The second incident is a little stranger. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette while researching the promotion of Heather Bresch by Mylan uncovered something strange. She claimed to hold an MBA from WVU, but the records indicated otherwise. University officials claim that old records did not make it onto the new digitized system, so recently they gave her credit for six courses and awarded her the degree. Newspaper investigations have not yet turned up evidence that she attended the classes she claimed to pass. Why all this attention? Ms. Bresch is the daughter of Governor Manchin and her employer is one of WVU's top financial supporters, in case you have not noticed the new name of the football stadium.

Likely this is all an honest mixup. However, the Charleston Gazette today called for a thorough investigation. Hopefully all parties concerned will submit to a fair examination of what precisely occured. If nothing else, there may be other former students out there with the same predicament and the problem needs recitfied. Again, it is probably an honest bookkeeping error. However the worst case scenario of corruption in the state's flagship university could play a major role in the 2008 election.

Even more interesting is the Gazette's reluctance to accept the official explanation despite the fact that such things happen frequently. A multitude of small things, almost insignificant in themselves, are adding up to indicate a brewing conflict within the West Virginia Democratic Party between Manchinites and the ultra left. This represents the latest in a series of developments that include the possibility of top Manchin aide Carte Goodwin running to unseat Attorney General Darryl McGraw for the Democratic nomination.

Michael Garrison Visits Potomac State College

Potomac State College welcomed incoming West Virginia University president Michael Garrison today. In front of perhaps sixty faculty, administrators, staff, alumni, and other locals, Garrison held a question and answer session that lasted around an hour and a half.


Many questioned the process that led to Garrison's hiring. He held a post in the administration of Governor Bob Wise and had strong connections with state higher education officials. Garrison came under fire even before his hiring. West Virginia University faculty argued that his law degree and state government experience failed to meet the standard of credentials that a university president should have. Garrison's supporters reasoned that political experience and connections would be an asset to a university president trying to fight for a proper share of the state budget.


In any event, Garrison was chosen to lead West Virginia University and by extension Potomac State College. His visit to Keyser formed part of a tour of all the university's branch campuses to hear the comments and concerns people have with WVU leadership. Most comments centered around the expansion undertaken in the past two years under outgoing president David Hardesty. Enrollment and capital expenditures increased dramatically in that period.


Garrison gave a few clues about his vision for the future of the school. He repeatedly emphasized "managed growth." This indicates a conservative outlook about making sure the school has resources before more expansion occurs. Resources not only include the budget, but also faculty, staff, and infrastructure.


Some criticism centered around Garrison's youth, but he handled a few difficult questions well and with assurance. His comments about West Virginia University and Potomac State leave a lot of room for optimism. Garrison is not the empty political suit that some made him out to be. However time will tell whether his vision unfolds successfully or not. Other clues to that vision can be found in statements to the Charleston Daily Mail that he considers athletic success to play a prominent role in the university's image.


Garrison's youth and quick rise to prominence as captain of the state's flagship institution most certainly begs the question about his future. Likely if his presidency proves successful, Garrison will become one more Democratic Party name with whom Republicans will have to contend.