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Ohio State president Gordon Gee’s lavish spending includes $64K in bow ties
A newspaper probe spotlights Ohio State president E. Gordon Gee’s spending. (Icon SMI)
A Dayton Daily News investigation into the spending by Ohio State University president E. Gordon Gee reveals an unusual line-item with a distinctive flair: his trademark bowties:
The university spends tens of thousands of dollars alone branding Gee around his signature bow ties. Since 2007, Ohio State has spent more than $64,000 on bow ties, bow tie cookies and O-H and bow tie pins for Gee and others to distribute, the newspaper found.
The report lists Gee as “the highest paid CEO of a public university in the county,” bringing in $8.6 million in salary and compensation — but also generating $7.7 million in expenses/spending on the university’s tab.
When he travels, Gee is bound by university policy, which says: “The President is expected to stay in accommodations similar to those used by executives of businesses and not-for-profit institutions; however, luxury hotels should be avoided.”
The Daily News investigation found that Gee often stays at modest hotels such as Courtyard and Holiday Inn Express when traveling in-state. But his out-of-state travel receipts shows he often bills the university for more expensive accommodations: Le Meridien Bristol in Warsaw, The Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, Loews Hotel Vogue in Montreal, Hotel George and the Four Seasons in Washington, D.C., and the Warwick in New York.
Gee’s discretionary spending greatly exceeds his OSU predecessors but is more in line with similarly sized state universities such as the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Michigan.
OSU officially stated that Gee’s spending passes “rigorous standards” and review.
Gee was cast into the college sports spotlight for his involvement and response to the NCAA’s investigation into a pattern of violations under Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel. OSU eventually severed ties with Tressel while Gee declared reports by Sports Illustrated and Sporting News to be “bad journalism.” Gee later admitted that he needed to keep his mouth shut after creating controversy comparing TCU and Boise State to the “Little Sisters of the Poor” in regard to their then non-BCS standing.
Michigan sucks!
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LikeI guess Gee thinks he can con people into believing that academically-mediocre OSU is somehow an Ivy League school. There is nothing done at OSU that doesn't reap of corruption, and the stupid thing is that they would be an athletic (NOT academic) powerhouse without doing any cheating, bending the rules, overspending, allowing athletes to skip classes, etc. It is a typical BIG state jock factory school, and I guess that's what the people of Ohio want, but Gee and AD Gene Smith (not to mention Tressel) hardly represent the "best" of anything! The guy with real character - Earle Bruce - was run out of town for "not winning enough" and that tells you all you need to know. Damn the rules, just win baby!!!!
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LikeYep, running Earle Bruce out of town was disgraceful - esp. since John Cooper was his replacement! But, on another note, Michigan STILL sucks!
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Likejdhjimbo
The University's official response:
http://i.imgur.com/y4L3R.gif
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Like@jdhjimbo What institution of higher education introduced you to the phrase "reap of corruption?"
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LikeIt is obvious Gee was spoiled during his Vanderbilt years...where in 2003-2006, landscaping budget was $9 million!
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LikeGee needs a lesson in humility. If he really cared about the students sooooo much, he would pour some of that limo money and luxury hotel money into more scholarship funds or building improvements! Have y'all even SEEN the state of our music building, or some of the old dorms? He's not so wonderful that he can't take a taxi, stay in a Courtyard Inn, or go without a few bowties. Also, he has a $532 shower curtain in his mansion. 1%er all the way!
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LikeAnd the reason the Occupy people aren't sitting outside the office of this 1 percenter is???????????
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LikeRogerMazzarella Believe me, we're about to!!
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LikeThe blog above doesn't tell the whole story. The spending is high, but, since 2007 he's been there he's raised $1.6 Billion for the university. He can have all the bow ties he wants for that kind of return to the endowment. So what if he's racked up $20 million in salary and expenses if the result is 80 to 1 return.
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LikeJoseph8 He raised $1.6 Billion? And how much of that was earned by him actually directly soliciting those funds? How much of it was given by people who WOULD'VE donated anyway, like alumni? Heck, maybe the alumni would donate even more if we could prove to them we'd use the money responsibly.
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LikeJoseph8 Whose to say someone else couldn't do the same thing for only $5 million salary? Or could raise $2.8 billion?
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LikeFire that fart knocker. Guys who wear bow ties a lot should be strung from the yardarms, lol. #NotToBeTrusted
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LikeGee's other activities have been chronicled here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCyr1ugzxXM
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Likei hired an attorney to represent me in a divorce. He showed up to court wearing a bow tie. I fired him on the spot. The attorney asked why, "I associate anyone who wears a bow tie, with that of a clown." See Gorden Gee, I rest my case.
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Likejarob54 It's a shock your marriage didn't work out.
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LikeA football player found an old piano necktie on the ground and picked it up. Gee immediately ran over and offered the athlete $64K for the accessory. Given it was the result of standard commerce, the NCAA ruled it was legal and the student eligible for play.
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Liketzimmer071 And that player was ... Jacobim Mugatu.
And now you know ... the REST of the story.
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LikeThis is very typical (and acceptable) behavior for a university president who is also the school's best-known development officer. He may have generated $7.7MM in expenses, but he has brought in much, much more, allowing university programs to continue to flourish, especially in this time of state budget cuts. It goes back to the old saying: sometimes you have to spend a little to get a little. Or in OSU's case, get a lot.
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LikeMerLevine Gee is a hypocritical blowhard!
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Likemobetta MerLevine Exaggerate much? SO the guy made a few statements in support of his employer. Perhaps embarrassing, but I doubt the man is principally a 'hypocritical blowhard'...at least you cant get that from media reports...
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LikeMerLevine Somebody's been drinking the kool-aid. You could do what Gee does at 1/10th the price and you'd be happier than a billy goat at a can factory, lol.
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LikeShouldn't this be a problem for Romney's campaign and a reason to reelect the Celibrident and not a sports story.
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LikeHypocritical blowhard! Shuts down academic programs citing lack of funds and then pulls these kind of stunts!! Send him to Ann Arbor!!
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LikeScottJStroup Send him to a public school system to be a janitor.
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LikeHorribly slow news day -- why don't you look into the suit coats of select Alabama players the past few years??? LOL ....
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LikeConversation from Twitter
@donalderyan Refusing to look.
@archibecture @donalderyan I'm with her. In repayment. Not looking.
@ARTownsend @archibecture Unless you went to Ohio State it's NBD.
@donalderyan @archibecture So we just shouldn't show it to my sister, then....
@ARTownsend @archibecture Her head will explode.
@DhaniJones @bowtiecause we could change this and create something cool! Let me know.
@hamilstein Carrot and Gibbs bows for all
@cjohnson_ATL Wowza. He's the man
@MichaelCIrani very lavish ties!
@SInow Dear Ones, http://t.co/TbEqyJFo and http://t.co/XmRp56Dw are amongst web my sites, Warm Wishes!
@MichaelReschke1 such as the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Michigan.
@NAT_Braden Oh, I know, it wasn't even all for bow ties. At the end it seems more like SI just wanted to jab this guy while they could
@MichaelReschke1 "Gee’s discretionary spending greatly exceeds his OSU predecessors but is more in line with similarly sized universities
@MichaelReschke1 You have to look good if you're going represent such a large institution.
@NAT_Braden That assumes bow ties look good.
@MichaelReschke1 They don't? A bow tie would make you look quite dapper.
@NAT_Braden A bow tie would make me look like a lot of things, but I don't think "good" or "dapper" are the words people would use.
@MichaelReschke1 Awww don't sell yourself short Michael.
@NateFaulknerNC9 Why we ran him off from Vandy.
@newsandtraffic Good decision.
@SInow money that could have been given to the student athletes #whatashame
@SInow maybe the athletes SHOULD get paid! Stupidity at it's finest.
@AsianMaven that's a lifetime supply of red bowties. He must be a Kappa.
@iamORIE lol