Oregon State University’s faculty union is asking the school’s Board of Trustees for more information about the hiring of OSU President Dr. F. King Alexander, amid a report that Louisiana State University failed to act on Title IX compliance recommendations during Alexander’s tenure as president there, The Oregonian reported.
In a March 10 letter to the board, union The United Academics of Oregon State University (UAOSU) said that the board has been silent on the issues around Alexander’s hire and fired off several questions regarding the hire.
“How did you come to hire F. King Alexander? Did you know of his past problems and choose to ignore them and hide them from the public? Were you misled by the expensive headhunters you employed to manage the search? Were you misled by Alexander himself? Did you ask about any past issues he may have had in his previous position and, if so, what was the response?” the letter read.
Former LSU coach Les Miles and several LSU players have been central in law firm Husch Blackwell’s investigation, The Oregonian reported.
Alexander was president at LSU from 2013 to 2020 and became OSU president July 1, 2020.
“It is clear this search was badly bungled, and we deserve answers to these questions so that we can prevent a repeat in the future,” the letter stated.
The union called Alexander’s March 8 letter a “tepid mea culpa to the OSU community” that “minimizes his responsibility and has done nothing to ameliorate our disgust at his inaction or to address the unsavory aspects of his leadership at LSU.”
UAOSU demanded the board commit to open search processes to vet candidates for leadership roles.
The board has said they plan to evaluate the report.