Magrath: WVU remains credible
By JOSELYN KINGMORGANTOWN - West Virginia University's new interim president J. Peter Magrath didn't apply for the job. He was asked to do it, and he doesn't plan to stay long in Morgantown.
Still, he said he wouldn't be taking the position - even on a temporary basis - if he thought WVU had a credibility problem within the academic world.
Magrath assumed the presidency Aug. 1 on the heels of the resignation of former WVU President Michael Garrison. And Garrison's departure came after an investigation into why Mylan Pharmaceuticals Chief Operating Officer Heather Bresch - also the daughter of Gov. Joe Manchin - was granted a master's degree without completing the necessary requirements.
"I have no doubt that 99.9 percent of the degrees awarded at WVU are gold-plated, good degrees," Magrath said.
He said steps would be taken at the university to make certain there were no further "mistakes or sloppy record keeping" at WVU.
"Credibility is obviously an issue, but has the fundamental credibility of WVU been damaged? No," he said. "I did not apply for this job but was asked to take it. At this stage in my career, I would not have, for one moment, agreed to serve as president at West Virginia University if I thought there was a credibility problem."
A political scientist with a bachelor's degree from the University of New Hampshire and a doctorate from Cornell University, Magrath served as president at the University of Missouri from 1985-91. From 1974-84, he was president of the University of Minnesota; and from 1968-72, he was president of the State University of New York at Binghamton.
Over time, Magrath said he became familiar with WVU and its former presidents - Gene Budig, E. Gordon Gee and David Hardesty.
Most recently, Magrath held the job of senior presidential adviser for the College Board, where he worked under College Board President Gaston Caperton - the former governor of West Virginia.
Magrath is on leave from the College Board, and he plans to return to his position there once a new president is named at WVU.
He said it was Budig who asked him to take the temporary job at WVU, and that Caperton was supportive of this.
Many WVU faculty members had criticized Garrison's initial appointment as president, which they attributed largely to his role as chief of staff to former Gov. Bob Wise and his political connections.
But Magrath believes the next WVU president will have to have an academic background. He expects a permanent president will assume his chair in about a year.
Until then, he will advise the WVU Board of Governors in its search.
"I have zero intention to pick my successor," Magrath said. "I will only serve as a consultant to the board on how to structure their search."
Though he agreed to officially assume the role of interim president Aug. 1, Magrath said he had one stipulation. He had to have the week of Aug. 4-8 off so that he and his wife could go hiking in the Grand Tetons of Wyoming.
Magrath is married to Deborah C. Howell, an ombudsman for The Washington Post. She also has served as Washington bureau chief for Newhouse Newspapers and as editor of Newhouse News Service.
Magrath said his wife's career and life are in Washington, D.C., and that she won't be joining him in Morgantown - except on football weekends. She is also a large reason why the job will only be a temporary one for him.
"My 20th wedding anniversary is coming up," Magrath noted. "And I've had two failed marriages. I'm not ruining this one."
He predicts WVU will move past the controversies of the past year, based on his experiences in the academic world.
"Lots of universities have unpleasant things happen," Magrath said. "But life goes on. Things straighten up."
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RickWT
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08-09-08 5:53 PM
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West Virginia University's academic reputation is much too well-established and well-deserved to be diluted by one cheap political scandal. And that's coming from an Ohio University graduate. WVU is the Mountain State's greatest asset. This, too, shall pass.
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EmilyL
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08-09-08 12:12 AM
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But, most "mishaps" don't involve the Governor's daughter, and a story that has been swept under the rug.
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halfhill
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08-08-08 11:36 AM
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I don't know of ONE institution that has never had questionable decisions. Some become public and most do not. Even Magrath admits to two mishaps.
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