(PatriotWise.com) — The Board of Regents for the University of Wisconsin last Wednesday unanimously voted to fire the chancellor of its La Crosse campus effectively immediately, the Associated Press reported.
In announcing the termination of Chancellor Joe Gow, the Board of Regents did not specify the details leading to his ouster except to say that his behavior could damage the University of Wisconsin’s reputation.
UW President Jay Rothman said the university had recently “learned of specific conduct” by Gow that he said would subject the University of Wisconsin to “significant reputational harm.”
Describing Gow’s conduct as “abhorrent,” Rothman announced that as a member of the tenured faculty, Gow would be placed on administrative leave as he transitions from chancellor to his role in the faculty.
At the same time, Rothman also said he filed a formal complaint with the interim chancellor, requesting that Gow’s tenure be reviewed.
While the university appeared reticent to publicly disclose what led to Gow’s ouster, the former chancellor revealed last Thursday that his dismissal was prompted by the pornographic videos he and his wife produced and starred in.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Gow said the Board of Regents had learned of the pornographic videos he did with his wife, former UW-La Crosse professor Carmen Wilson.
Gow told the Associated Press that his termination violated his right to free speech and insisted that he never mentioned the university or his role there in any of the videos he and Wilson produced.
Gow said that when the Board of Regents ousted him, he was never told what policy he violated, nor was he ever allowed a hearing to present a defense.
Gow, who had planned to retire as chancellor after the spring semester and go back to teaching, told the Associated Press that he is considering a lawsuit against the university.
In an emailed statement to the Associated Press, President Rothman said Gow was mistaken to think that his right to free speech meant a “free pass to say or do anything that he pleases.” He said that, as chancellor, Gow served at the pleasure of the Board of Regents and was not entitled to a hearing.
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