<p>WSJ itself is a being an you-know-what and allowing only subscribers to read the article. At the same time, it does nothing to prevent its syndicates from doing so. So without further ado, here's the link to a copy of a Pittsburg newspaper's copy of the WSJ article on Gee and Co.</p>
<h2>There were several articles in the Nashville Scene so we knew this article was coming. Anyways, Gee sent out an e-mail to students last night with Vanderbilt's response:</h2>
<p>An article in the Wall Street Journal on Sept. 26 analyzed the changing nature of corporate governance at colleges and universities and featured Vanderbilt University as a case study. The Journal's report on this important issue presented an incomplete portrait of Vanderbilt.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt University is one of the world's most successful higher education institutions by every measure -- its student quality, its research funding and results, its academic excellence, its financial performance, its endowment and its student diversity--racial, cultural and economic. This progress is the result of strategic management and the work of a team of administrators, faculty, staff and students that comprises several of this nation's higher education leaders. Our results are obvious and our methods sound.</p>
<p>This Web site responds to the issues and allegations raised in the Wall Street Journal's article. It includes information that was provided to the Journal as well as facts about Vanderbilt’s accomplishments in recent years – accomplishments that have placed the university among the world’s leading institutions of higher education.</p>
<p>-
The Vanderbilt Story:</p>
<p>Vanderbilt’s success over the past six years, since Gordon Gee became the university’s seventh Chancellor, is indisputable. Since 2000, Vanderbilt has:</p>
<p>…Completed a $1.25 billion capital campaign two years ahead of schedule and raised the goal to $1.75 billion – with an emphasis on endowed scholarships and faculty chairs.</p>
<p>…Grown the University’s endowment by almost 50 percent, to more than $3 billion, during some of the most tumultuous years for investments in the stock market¸ helping ensure a future that will allow for continued strong support of student, faculty, research, medical and other core mission needs.</p>
<p>…Led the country in the rate of growth for academic research, with external funding increasing from $232 million in 2000 to more than $450 million.</p>
<p>…Doubled the annual budget for financial aid from $30 million to $60 million, and reduced significantly the debt burden for graduating students.</p>
<p>…Launched the $100 million Academic Venture Capital Fund to seed new research centers in life sciences, social sciences, humanities, culture which have led to important discoveries and insights and new educational opportunities for undergraduates.</p>
<p>…Seen a more than 50 percent increase in applications for admission, from 8,000 in 2000 to almost 13,000 in 2006.</p>
<p>… Become one of the most selective institutions in the country. The increased number and high caliber of students seeking admission have enabled us to fill each class from a smaller percentage of the application pool. In higher education, the lower the rate of admission, the more selective the school. We now admit one-third of applicants versus more than twice that percentage just seven years ago.</p>
<p>… Become the destination school for these top students. The number of students accepting the University’s offer of admission (“yield”) has increased from 26 percent to over 40 percent in the past seven years.</p>
<p>…Renewed its commitment to being one of a small number of private universities that admit applicants regardless of their ability to pay and that meet the full demonstrated financial need of all students so that a Vanderbilt education is affordable to all.
…Seen a significant increase in student quality, with average SAT scores rising almost 100 points, and more than 90 percent of incoming students coming from the top 10 percent of their high school classes.</p>
<p>…Led one of the most rapid changes in diversity, with a 50 percent increase in minority students.</p>
<p>…Recruited faculty from the top universities in the country, and around the world, in such fields as literature, history, Jewish studies, biomedical imaging, law and education, among many others.</p>
<p>…Ensured that faculty salaries are among the highest in the country, ranking in the top three for private research universities when adjusted for cost of living.</p>
<p>…Selected as one of the 25 “Hot Colleges” for 2007 by the Kaplan-Newsweek College Guide.</p>
<p>… Risen from 22 to number 18 in the latest US News and World Report rankings, with graduate schools of law, divinity, medicine, business and education all ranked among the best in the world.</p>
<p>…Completed or began construction of more than $700 million new facilities for medical research, student services, studio arts, engineering, law, children’s health, diabetes care, performing arts, interdisciplinary work in arts and sciences, tennis, baseball, Jewish life and African-American culture, with many more new buildings underway.</p>
<p>…Become the most-preferred provider of health care services in Middle Tennessee, with the opening of the most advanced children’s hospital in the country and new clinical services in a number of areas.</p>
<p>…Begun construction of The Commons, a $150 million investment in the undergraduate experience that will transform student life by creating a “campus within a campus” for first year students .</p>
<p><a href="http://www.vanderbilt.edu/news/wsj%5B/url%5D">http://www.vanderbilt.edu/news/wsj</a></p>
<p>STUDENT REACTION: </p>
<p>To anyone, $6 million seems like a lot, but in light of what he has done for the university, I think he is fairly compensated. If he were to leave because of the outcry, it would cost he university much more than $6 million. Its not like he stole money from the university. I think he was justified in his spending.</p>
<p>sophomore Luke Bidikov</p>
<p>I was unaware of the allegations leveled toward Constance Gee, but that is a personal matter for the Gees to resolve. There wasnt anything else that I would say surprised me to a considerable degree. I think the article actually shows that Vanderbilt has a place among the most elite universities. Were going to be subjected to scrutiny more than we expect, and I think the university will be able to respond to it.</p>
<p>senior Kyle Southern </p>
<p>The allegations regarding Constance Gee were pretty unrelated to the topic of spending at the university. I see it as a personal matter and think that the students will understand that. I find that the Board of Trusts measures to increase transparency by monitoring Chancellor Gees spending is evidence of good business practices, not an admission of guilt.</p>
<p>senior Devin Donovan, Interhall president </p>
<p>The marijuana issue was kind of surprising. I actually had more problems with that than what was said about Chancellor Gee. Its just very unbecoming because she is such a strong representative of the university.</p>
<p>sophomore Maggie Morrow</p>
<p>UNIVERSITY REACTION:</p>
<p>There has always been a pretty thorough process for review of expenditures and other financial matters. What we are doing now is making it more rigorous and more in-depth.
*
Michael Schoenfeld, Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs</p>
<p>I think the article is terrible journalism. The article engages in guilt by association by detailing all of these other instances of academic scandal. We dont have any instances of academic scandal here. Second, there is a lot of use of unattributed sources. That is always problematic in journalism. Last, it is very gossipy. So from the standpoint of good journalism, I would say some people would question the ethics of it.</p>
<p>Paul Dokecki, Human and Organizational Development professor</p>
<p>Vanderbilt has certainly taken a hard hit, but one must realize this is any issue that faces universities across the country. We are not the only ones under scrutiny. As one can read from the article, the Board of Trust has and is making changes as we speak to bring some clarity to the issue.</p>
<p>Alice Ji, Young Alumni Trustee </p>
<p>MEDIA REACTION:</p>
<p>If you dont know already, I attended Vanderbilt (graduated in 2004) and have nothing but praise for the way Chancellor Gee runs the school. We are on a first-name basis and have exchanged emails over the years, so I do not have the appropriate level of distance necessary to give an unbiased opinion. I will say, however, that $1.4 million is outrageously high. Gees annual compensation is among the highest for U.S. university leaders which, while absurd, is indicative of a national trend towards big paychecks in academia.</p>
<p>Claire Suddath, in a post on Nashville Scenes Pith in the Wind blog entitled Keep Your Eye on the Bow Tie: Vanderbilt Chancellor in WSJ</p>
<p>A former president of Brown University is making headlines for his alleged spending spree as chancellor of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. E. Gordon Gee, who raised eyebrows after leaving Brown so soon after he got there, is the subject of a Wall Street Journal report outlining the $6 million renovation of his campus mansion, $700,000 in annual entertaining and other expenses, and a newly formed committee to watch over his expenditures.</p>
<p>WSJ: Vanderbilt Clamps Down On Former Brown President, Turnto10.com, Providence, R.I.</p>
<p>A story in todays Wall Street Journal contained a look at oversight by Vanderbilt University trustees over Chancellor Gordon Gee. Included in the story was the fact that the chancellors wife, Constance Gee, has smoked marijuana in the university-owned mansion. Michael J. Schoenfeld, vice chancellor for public affairs at Vanderbilt, said today that Constance Gee is on faculty at the university, and that he cannot comment on whether or not she was reprimanded for using marijuana in the mansion.</p>
<p>Ralph Loos in The Tennessean article, WSJ article says Constance Gee smoked marijuana in Vandy mansion, citing medical reasons</p>
<p>ALUMNI REACTION:</p>
<p>I have been at Vandy, working in alumni relations, for 23 years, and I have to say that the alumni at Vanderbilt feel as positive about where Vanderbilt is going right now as I have seen in my 23 years here, and they credit a lot of that to not only Gordon but to the leadership team he has put in place here.</p>
<p>Robert Early, Executive Associate Vice Chancellor for Development and Alumni Relations</p>
<p>There are a lot of stakeholders at Vanderbilt, both students and faculty. Its prudent for the school to look at how money is spent. There should be multiple checks and balances about how money is spent.</p>
<p>Neil Vigdor, member of Metro New York Vanderbilt Alumni Chapter</p>
<p>Its bizarre, especially about his wife and the marijuana, so Im sure the media will have a field day with that. It probably will not effect my giving to the university, but I will follow the story with interest and see where it goes.</p>
<p>Kurt Schmalz, from Los Angeles, Cali.</p>
<p>Im wondering why the trustees supervision of the chancellor was so 'loosey-goosey' that all of these expenditures were allowed to happen. Its part of his job to entertain so some of it I can understand. I dont know how hes generally viewed, but it does seem to be an exorbitant package he earns. Overall, has he been good for Vanderbilt? Yeah, probably.</p>
<p>Mattie Darby, from Baltimore, Md.</p>
<p>PARENT REACTIONS:</p>
<p>We have had a little bit of response from parents, and I have been pleasantly surprised that the response that we have gotten has been more positive than negative. We have gotten three positive responses, and one negative one.</p>
<p>Sheryl Rogers, executive director of Alumni Relations</p>
<p>As a parent of a current student, someone married to an alum, an alum and president of the Alumni Association, my thoughts are that the university is adequately handling the situation. In my dealings with the chancellor, I cant imagine he would do anything intentionally or unintentionally to jeopardize the university. We trust the Board of Trust to handle this and make the changes that they have seemingly already started to put in place.</p>
<p>Karen Fesmire, parent and president of the Alumni Association</p>
<p>Ahh, the sad result of the merchant class taking over, even in academia.</p>
<p>It seems the point is not what Gee or Vanderbilt have achieved but whether or not he is conducting himself in an ethical manner. Where is all that money going? If they are spending over $700,000 a year at the mansion on entertainment that seems extravagant and unnecessary. Even if $100 was spent on each diner, and that is a lot of food and drink, that would mean 7,000 guests a year, or nearly 20 each day of the year. Common sense begs for some investigation and clarification here. </p>
<p>When he first came to VU Chancellor Gee distinguished himself from his predecessor by saying "I'm not a CEO." But the descriptions of the lavish expenditures of university funds at the mansion, the story about the jet stop in Rome, and all the rest sounds all too much like the stories we are hearing about CEOs and Washington politicos getting carried away by greed and ambition ... stories that are often revealed as the subjects are heading for jail. </p>
<p>No one is accusing Gee of crimes (though Mrs Gee may have some things to answer for if she's using illegal substances at the mansion). But there are some ethical questions that a university ought to be asking here. It seems that Vanderbilt wants so much to be an elite university in the academic sense, but instead this story smacks all too much of the elite rich kid's playground reputation that Vanderbilt has been trying so desperately to rise above.</p>