1980
1981 Became West Virginia
University’s 19th president
1985 1985 Hired as president of
the University of Colorado
1990 1990 Named president of
The Ohio State University
1990 Received the Boy Scouts
of America’s Distinguished
Eagle Scout Award
1995
1998 Named president
of Brown University
2000
2000 Named chancellor
of Vanderbilt University
2005
2010
2015
2008 Began serving on
the National 4-H Council
board of trustees
2009 Named one of the top
10 university presidents in
the U.S. by Time magazine
2014 Named West Virginia
University’s 24th president
2016 Joined the board of
trustees at the Royal University
for Women in Bahrain
2017 Collaborated
with state leaders to
launch WV Forward
2020
“Serving at West Virginia University
is almost a spiritual experience for
me. I know when I wake up in the
morning that if I do my job well,
other people’s lives will be better.”
only miserable, but I was also failing. So,
I went back to wearing my argyle socks
and bow ties, and I have remained a uni-
versity president for a long time.”
A native of Utah, Gee began his career
as an educator at Brigham Young Univer-
sity. Within five years, he had accepted
the position of dean at the WVU Col-
lege of Law, marking the beginning of a
lifelong love affair with West Virginia.
He went on to lead the University of
Colorado, Brown University, Vanderbilt
University and The Ohio State University
before returning home to the Mountain
State. Today, he works tirelessly to advance
WVU’s land-grant mission and has forged
a special relationship with the student
body, which is chronicled by the millions
of selfies for which he has posed, his Gee
Mail campaign and his constant presence
on campus.
“Helping students succeed is at the
heart of our mission as a university, and
I do not believe I can do that job effec-
tively unless I truly get to know them,
their needs and their concerns,” he says.
“Serving at West Virginia University is
almost a spiritual experience for me. I
know when I wake up in the morning
that if I do my job well, other people’s
lives will be better. Very few people have
that kind of opportunity—to make their
lives meaningful by making other peo-
ple’s lives meaningful.”
Gee’s résumé for philanthropy and
community service is lengthy and im-
pressive. He not only contributes his
expertise to various boards and commis-
sions across the U.S., but he also helps
students by quietly donating millions
of dollars toward scholarships.
“Fundraising is an important part of
my job as a university president, and I
believe someone who is asking others to
support a cause should be willing to give
as well,” he says. “That is why I have
made my largest philanthropic commit-
ments to the universities I have served.”
Gee currently chairs the board of di-
rectors for the Big 12 Conference, Royal
University for Women, Youth Leadership
Association, West Virginia Roundtable,
Limited Brands and The Jason Foun-
dation. He is a member of the national
executive board for the Boy Scouts of
America, board of trustees for the National
4-H Council and the steering committee for
the U.S. Manufacturing Competitiveness
Initiative’s Council on Competitiveness.
He also serves as trustee emeritus of
the Christopher Columbus Fellowship
Foundation and a member of the Busi-
ness-Higher Education Forum. Gee
was also instrumental in creating the
West Virginia Forward initiative, which
is focused on making the Mountain State
more competitive.
After 50 years and five universities,
Gee is hanging his hat on his accomplish-
ments at WVU and the state he loves.
“My career has come full circle to the
place where I first served as president,
and my continued focus will be harness-
ing the university’s power to improve
citizens’ lives and overcoming West Vir-
ginia’s immense economic challenges,”
he says. “Our citizens are both fiercely
independent and fiercely loyal. I feel
privileged to serve them, and I strive
every day to make their lives better.”
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