University of Wisconsin – La Crosse chancellor says he was fired over pornographic videos made with his wife

By Melissa Alonso and Sara Smart, CNN

(CNN) — The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System has terminated a 63-year-old university chancellor from his position after discovering sexually explicit videos he made with his wife, according to the ex-chancellor.

Announcing the termination of Joe Gow, University of Wisconsin System President Jay Rothman said the university had “learned of specific conduct by Dr. Gow that has subjected the university to significant reputational harm. His actions were abhorrent.”

Gow was being placed on administrative leave as he “transitions into a faculty role,” Rothman said in a statement posted on UW’s website. The university leader added he had filed a complaint asking for Gow’s status as a tenured professor to be reviewed, noting an outside law firm had been retained in the matter.

Gow, who, according to his university profile served as the 10th Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse, told CNN he was being punished over pornographic videos he made with his wife. He has not received “due process” and the “books and videos my wife and I have produced are protected under the First Amendment,” Gow said in a statement to CNN.

“I was given no due process, they never said what policy I violated, and also there was no hearing,” Gow said.

The ex-chancellor told CNN in an interview he was informed after the Board of Regents had a meeting that he was terminated from his position with the university. He added he and his wife were “very serious” about the explicit books and videos they produced.

“At the end of the day, it’s a question of, our material is covered by the First Amendment,” Gow said.

Gow said when he was appointed chancellor, he signed an employment agreement but he recalls no code of conduct. “It did say ‘set a good example’ and I think that what I’m doing with my wife is setting a good example regarding freedom of expression and free speech.”

“We are making videos that are not violent, not exploitative,” Gow added.

The president of the school’s board of regents, Karen Walsh, said the ex-chancellor had “shown a reckless disregard for the role he was entrusted with at UW-La Crosse to serve students, faculty and staff, and the campus community.”

“The outrage over his behavior is evidenced by the unanimous vote by the UW Board of Regents to terminate him as chancellor. We are alarmed, and disgusted, by his actions, which were wholly and undeniably inconsistent with his role as chancellor,” Walsh said.

The statements from Walsh and Rothman don’t detail Gow’s actions or conduct.

Gow told The New York Times he and his wife, Carmen Wilson, had made pornographic videos “for years” and had recently decided to release them more widely on porn websites. The couple said they never mentioned the university or their jobs.

“We all should be deeply troubled that the Board of Regents is overlooking the fact that the books and videos my wife and I have produced are protected under the First Amendment as well as the Regents’ own Commitment to Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression,” Gow said in a statement to CNN

UW – La Crosse had an undergraduate enrollment of 9,352 in fall 2022. The University of Wisconsin – Madison’s undergraduate enrollment was 37,230, according to US News & World Report.

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