WVU Potomac State College President Chris Gilmer has released a statement after Potomac State’s Faculty Assembly voted in favor of a no confidence resolution concerning Gilmer’s senior advisor and chief of staff Brady Whipkey.
Gilmer acknowledged the vote in his statement and said his administration will continue to have the best interests of students as Potomac State’s primary motivation and the college “will continue to model transparency.”
“We also concur with the faculty’s resolution regarding the primacy of serving students and commend the faculty for affirming ‘the need to act in the best interest of students, and that all decision-making should be made by putting the best interest of students first and foremost.’
“I take very seriously the responsibility to foster a welcoming, safe and productive campus environment for our faculty, staff, students and visitors. My door is always open, and I look forward to the opportunity to speak with members of the PSC community in the coming days and weeks to listen to any concerns and to clarify my vision for the college’s future,” Gilmer said.
The resolution, which passed Friday on a 31-1 vote, said Whipkey has failed to fulfill his duties as previously outlined by the president.
According to the resolution, Whipkey has failed “to act as a liaison between the president and the campus community,” including the faculty.
The resolution pointed out a lack of action on faculty proposals when it comes to academic advising equity, workload equity and proposed revisions to the PSC Promotion and Tenure Guidelines.
Whipkey worked for Gilmer when Gilmer was president at WVU Parkersburg.
Potomac State, in Keyser, is a regional campus of West Virginia University and will soon undergo an academic transformation like the one WVU’s main campus in Morgantown has gone through.
A meeting with faculty to continue that conversation is scheduled for Thursday.
