Ex UW-La Crosse chancellor stripped of tenured position

Former University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow was fired Friday from his tenured teaching position in a unanimous Board of Regents vote.

Gow was terminated from his chancellorship last December after pornographic videos he created and distributed came to light. But he remained employed by the university as a tenured faculty member.

Immediately after the vote, Gow said he plans to file a lawsuit.

“Sadly, the Regent’s decision today also violates their own commitment to academic freedom and freedom of expression,” Gow said. “We might as well take down that famous plaque on the front of Bascom Hall, because the people who fired me today aren’t a Board of Regents. They’re a board of hypocrites. They have zero credibility on free speech and expression.”

Gow was referring to a 130-year-old plaque on the UW-Madison campus that proclaims: “Whatever may be the limitations which trammel inquiry elsewhere, we believe that the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth shall be found.”

The board voted to “dismiss with cause,” essentially stripping Gow from his teaching position after meeting in closed session for about 30 minutes. They did not make any further comments.

Since he lost his chancellorship, Gow has continued to collect a salary of $91,915 as a tenured professor. The university has placed him on leave and has not assigned him to teach any courses since he was fired as chancellor.

During a disciplinary hearing Sept. 20, Gow’s attorney Mark Leitner warned that UW would violate Gow’s free speech rights if the system punished him for controversial content that he created on his personal time.

Gow and his wife, Carmen Wilson, appeared in multiple pornographic videos, which they’ve shared to publicly-available sites.

They’ve also published two books using pseudonyms about their experiences in the adult film industry, and they’ve created a YouTube channel “Sexy Healthy Cooking,” in which they interview adult film starts and discuss vegan cooking.

The couple said Friday they continue to hear from former students and community members expressing support.

“People are very afraid at the prospect of Joe losing his tenure,” Wilson said. “That’s a slippery slope. What else can people revoke their tenure for, you know, this just starts a very scary new world for tenured faculty members.”

In July, a UW-La Crosse faculty committee voted 5-0 to recommend that Gow’s tenure be revoked for “unethical conduct.” James Beeby, the new chancellor leading UW-La Crosse, later concurred with that recommendation.

In a statement, FIRE Faculty Legal Defense Counsel Zach Greenberg said Gow’s termination is a “major blow to academic freedom and faculty free speech rights.”

“We’re disappointed UW caved to donors and politicians by throwing a tenured professor under the bus,” Greenberg said.