Gee Is Reintroduced to OSU

Soon-to-be-former-Vanderbilt University Chancellor Gordon Gee was formally re-introduced to the Ohio State University community yesterday where he’s accepted the top post. Gee was president of O-S-U from 1990 to 1997.

Gee announced Wednesday that he’s leaving Vanderbilt where he’d been chancellor since 2000. He also told reporters in Ohio yesterday that he underwent a “5-month colonoscopy” in the wake of a September Wall Street Journal article which described the Gee’s lavish spending and renovations of the university’s Braeburn mansion.

Gee says it wasn’t pleasant experience but he defended his actions yesterday.

“I raised a billion-and-a-half dollars on a 6-million dollar home. That was a pretty good investment. Second of all, after the report was, the three days after the Wall Street Journal report, were the three highest days of fundraising at Vanderbilt University.”

Gee has asked the O-S-U trustees to have the same oversight over renovations and spending that was instituted at Vanderbilt following the article.

Gee dramatically restructured Vanderbilt’s athletic program but told O-S-U that he wasn’t going to make any major changes there. He also said he’s dramatically raised the numbers of minority students attending Vanderbilt and would like to do the same at OSU.

Gee’s resignation from Vanderbilt is effective August 1st.

**Mandie Trimble, from NPR member station WOSU in Columbus, contributed to this report.**