West Virginia University's Board of Governors unanimously recommended on Thursday that the Higher Education Policy Commission renew E. Gordon Gee's contract to stay on as the school's president for another five years.
University spokesman John Bolt said because the contract still needs approval from the commission at its next meeting before it's official, he could not discuss the terms of the contract, nor Gee's compensation recommended by the board.
The motion the board approved allows chairman Thomas Flaherty to negotiate any terms of the contract with members of the commission at its June 24 meeting as needed, Bolt said.
"Since the moment he stepped on this campus for a second time, Gordon Gee has energized this university," Flaherty said in a news release. "He has made a positive impact on enrollment, developed new collaborations and partnerships and ensured that WVU is a true partner as we plan for the future of West Virginia."
Gee previously was the school's president from 1981 to 1985 before leaving to take the reins of several other colleges across the country. He returned shortly after then-president James Clements announced in November 2013 that he planned to leave the school for a post at Clemson University.
He was only supposed to serve in an interim capacity while the board conducted a national search for Clements' replacement, but members instead chose Gee as WVU's next full-time president. Because Gee was signing a new contract at the time, Flaherty said governors could only recommend a two-year contract for him.
"I want to keep him here as long as we can keep him here," Flaherty said.
Jessica Tice, a spokeswoman for the Higher Education Policy Commission, said renewal contracts for presidents can be for as long as five years and that presidential contracts of that length are "not uncommon."
Earlier this year, Flaherty formed two committees within the Board of Governors - one to evaluate Gee's work since he has returned to the university and one to decide how much the school's president should be compensated in the current financial market.
The evaluation committee, which was led by vice chairman William Wilmoth, met earlier this month with several campus groups, including the school's faculty senate executive committee, staff council and members of the student government association, in accordance with HEPC procedures.
The compensation committee, which Flaherty led, looked at other colleges and universities similar to WVU - such as Ohio State, Michigan State, University of Minnesota and other schools in the Big 12 - to decide how much WVU's president should be paid. Flaherty would not comment on what salary the board recommended the Higher Education Policy Commission approve.
Flaherty said that, when coming up with a base salary, the Board of Governors did take into account the fact that the state Legislature has yet to approve next year's budget, making it unclear how much funding WVU will receive from the state.
"We're all waiting with bated breath about what this budget is going to look like - assuming the Legislature is going to give us one," Flaherty said. "There are concerns, obviously, but we need to move forward with the very high trajectory that this university is on and we've got to compensate quality people."
Under Gee's current contract, which expires just six days after the Higher Education Policy Commission's next meeting, he takes home $775,000 in a base salary with an additional $125,000 from the WVU Foundation's Milan Puskar President Chair Endowed Fund. Pending HEPC approval, the new contract will take affect July 1.
Reach Jake Jarvis at jake.jarvis@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-7939 or follow @NewsroomJake on Twitter.