GENER AL INFORMATION
WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT
E. GORDON GEE, Dr. E. Gordon Gee is one of America’s most prominent higher education leaders, having helmed universities for more than three decades. In 2009, Time magazine named him one of the top 10 university presidents in the United States. Recently, the website Great Value Colleges named him the nation’s top university president. In 2014, Gee returned to West Virginia University, where his career as a university president began. His leadership goals include putting students first, advancing the University’s research agenda, partnering with West Virginia communities and making sure that 1.8 million West Virginians know in their hearts and minds that WVU is their university. Born in Vernal, Utah, Gee graduated from the University of Utah with an honors degree in history and earned his J.D. and Ed.D. degrees from Columbia University. He clerked under Chief Justice David T. Lewis of the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals before being named a judicial fellow and staff assistant to the U.S. Supreme Court. In this role, he worked for Chief Justice Warren Burger on administrative and legal problems of the Court and federal judiciary. Gee returned to Utah as an associate professor and associate dean in the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University and was granted full professorship in 1978. One year later, he became dean of the West Virginia University College of Law, and, in 1980, was named West Virginia University president. He served in that role until 1985. He went on to lead the University of Colorado (1985-90), Brown University (1998-2000) and Vanderbilt University (2001-07). He served as president of The Ohio State University from 199097 and again from 2007-13. Gee has been a member of several educationgovernance organizations and committees including the Big 12 Conference Council of Presidents, the Business-Higher Education Forum and the American Association of Universities. He was chair of the American Council on Education’s Commission on Higher Education Attainment and co-chair of the Association of Public and LandGrant Universities’ Energy Advisory Committee. In 2009, Gee was invited to join the International Advisory Board of King Adbulaziz University in Saudi Arabia, and currently serves on the Board of the Royal University for Women in Bahrain. Active in many national professional and service organizations during his tenures, he has served on the board for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. In 2011, Gee was appointed to serve as secretary on the Board of Directors of Ohio’s economic development
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program, JobsOhio. In 2011-2012, he was asked by “Leading Colleges and Universities” and “LandGovernor Kasich to chair both the Ohio Higher Education Grant Universities for the Future.” Johns Hopkins Capital Funding Collaborative and the Ohio Higher University Press will soon publish “What’s Public Education Funding Commission. In March 2015, he was about Public Higher Ed? Halting Higher Education’s elected to the board of directors of the American Council Decline in the Court of Public Opinion,” co-authored on Education, the nation’s largest higher education by Stephen Gavazzi. organization. He served as chair of the Big 12 Board of In the summer of 2016, Gee announced his Directors Executive Committee for the 2017-18 year and engagement to Laurie Erickson, leader of the currently serves on the College Football Playoff Board of Erickson Foundation. Gee’s daughter, Rebekah, is a Managers. He has also chaired the council of presidents physician and public health policy expert who served for the Southern University Research Association. as secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health Mentoring and inspiring youth is one of Gee’s highest from 2016 to 2020. She is now chief executive officer priorities. He serves on the National Executive Board for of Louisiana State University Healthcare Services. Dr. Boy Scouts of America and on the Board of Trustees for Rebekah Gee is married to David Patrón and they the National 4-H Council. Through his leadership, West have five children. Virginia University has created a Youth Development Initiative office to expand its partnering relationships with Scouting, 4-H and similar organizations. Gee has received many honorary degrees, awards, fellowships and recognitions. He is a fellow of the prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest science organization. In 1994, Gee received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Utah, as well as from Teachers College of Columbia University. In 2013, he received the ACE Council of Fellows/Fidelity Investments Mentor THE GEE FAMILY FRONT FROM LEFT: Nathan, Elly and Ben Patrón. BACK FROM LEFT: Rebekah Gee, Eva Patrón, Award and received E. Gordon Gee, Elizabeth Patrón and David Patrón the Outstanding Academic Leader of the Year Award on behalf of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Boy Scouts of America gave him the Silver Buffalo Award, Scouting’s top honor for adult volunteers. Gee is the coauthor of over a dozen books, including his two most recent, E. GORDON GEE AND FIANCÉE LAURIE ERICKSON
