Gee returns to OSU for second stint as president

COLUMBUS – The Ohio State University Board of Trustees elected Gordon Gee as the 14th president of the university on July 12.
Gee has been the chancellor of Vanderbilt University in Nashville since 2000. Gee, 63, was recommended to the OSU board by a 24-member search committee, chaired by board member Alex Shumate, to succeed Karen A. Holbrook, who retired June 30.
Second stint. Gee, who also served as Ohio State’s 11th president from 1990 to 1997, will return to a university that has experienced significant academic progress over the past decade, Shumate said.
Ohio State’s stature as a center for academic research has been strengthened, and the university’s budget has grown from $1.7 billion to $3.7 billion.
Background. Gee has served as president of Brown University (1997-2000), the University of Colorado (1985-1990) and West Virginia University (1981-1985), in addition to Vanderbilt and Ohio State.
A native of Vernal, Utah, he earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Utah in 1968 and a law degree and a doctorate in education from Columbia University in 1971 and 1972 respectively.