Alexander was president at LSU until last July.
“We also understand the profound impact this is having on all members of the university community, and on Oregon State University as an institution,” board chair Rani Borkar wrote in a Monday letter to the Oregon State community. “I assure you that trustees read each message, and we hear your concerns.”
Alexander has come under increasingly heavy criticism since the March 5 release of the Husch Blackwell report, which detailed LSU’s “serious institutional failure” when it came to handling cases of physical and gender violence. Husch Blackwell is the outside law firm LSU hired in November to review its handling of Title IX cases after USA TODAY chronicled systemic failures.
Among Husch Blackwell’s revelations was that then-athletic director Joe Alleva urged Alexander to fire head football coach Les Miles in 2013 after another internal investigation found Miles had behaved inappropriately with female student workers, and that LSU had intentionally hired an outside law firm to do the investigation so the report wouldn’t be made public.
Miles was not fired until 2016, after LSU started the season 2-2. The 2013 investigation did not come to light until last month, after USA TODAY sued for a copy of the report.
Alexander last week apologized for his role, saying he now sees LSU should have acted sooner.
“The results of the initial inquiry into coach Miles were inconsistent with my and LSU’s community values and should have been acted on further,” Alexander wrote. “In hindsight, beyond limitations that were put into place between the coach and students, I now regret that we did not take stronger action earlier against coach Miles, including suspension leading to further investigation and dismissal for violations of university policy.”
Kansas, which hired Miles as head coach in 2018, parted ways with him and athletic director Jeff Long last week.
Borkar said Oregon State’s board will spend the next two days reviewing the Husch Blackwell report as well as additional information it has received from “OSU community members, stakeholders and the public.” The board will then hold a 4½-hour public meeting Wednesday, followed by an executive session “to consider the dismissal or disciplining of, or to hear complaints or charges brought against” King, according to a release from Oregon State.
The board will then return to open session “for discussion and consideration of next steps and may consider and take potential action,” the Oregon State release said.
“I know many of you have questions about the possible outcome of Wednesday’s meeting,” Borkar wrote in her statement. “I assure you that we are committed to a thoughtful process and discussion to inform our thinking and potential action.”
Monday’s news release from Oregon State University
CORVALLIS – The chair of the Oregon State University Board of Trustees announced today that the board will meet from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 17 to hear public comment, and in public session with OSU President F. King Alexander, review and discuss the findings and recommendations of the Husch Blackwell report as it regards his leadership at LSU over Title IX, his handling of sexual misconduct and subsequent information regarding sexual misconduct that has been shared.
Following this public session, the board will hold an executive session, pursuant to ORS 192.660(2)(b) to consider the dismissal or disciplining of, or to hear complaints or charges brought against, a public officer, employee, staff member or individual agent who does not request an open hearing and pursuant to ORS 192.660(2)(i) to review and evaluate the employment-related performance of the chief executive officer of any public body, a public officer, employee or staff member who does not request an open hearing.
Following executive session, the board members will return to public session for discussion and consideration of next steps and may consider and take potential action.
A link to the board chair’s message is available here.
To accommodate anticipated interest in providing public comment to the board, those interested should email trustees@oregonstate.edu to register for making public comment by noon on Tuesday, March 16. Written public comments also may be submitted to trustees@oregonstate.edu. Written comments received by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 16 will be shared with trustees in advance of the meeting.
Given COVID-19 guidance from the Governor’s Office, as well as university and county health officials, the meeting will be hosted through a remote conferencing service. The agenda, options for joining the meeting, and instructions for providing comment during the board meeting’s comment period are located under “Meeting Details” at this webpage. If special accommodation is required, please contact 541-737-3449 or lauren.skousen@oregonstate.edu at least 24 hours in advance.