Joe Gow’s teaching position in question during the UW-L hearing

Gow is accused of unethical conduct, research interference and misuse of campus technology.

Interim Chancellor Betsy Morgan will present her case against Gow on Wednesday, June 19, at 12:30 p.m. at the Omni Center in Onalaska. If more time is needed, the hearing will continue the next morning.

Gow was fired as chancellor by the UW Board of Regents in December for producing and posting pornography online with his wife Carmen Wilson and other porn stars. He was set to retire as chancellor at the end of the 2023-2024 academic year and planned to transition to a permanent teaching position in UW-L’s communications department.

Two weeks ago, interim chancellor Betsy Morgan filed three charges against Gow that would remove him from his faculty position. Gow is accused of misconduct for appearing in public adult content while in office, obstructing the subsequent investigation by failing to cooperate with an attorney investigating the case and misusing university technology.

Under state law, Gow could request that his hearing be open to the public. The contents of the University’s investigation into Gow’s conduct and any witnesses or evidence presented by Gow will be revealed at the public hearing.

On April 25, the faculty hearing committee selected five members to hear Gow’s case. Anne Galbraith, Grace Deason, Alan Bigel, Joan Bunbury and Aaron Monte will hear the charges, with Kenneth Graham deputizing.

Because the hearing is scheduled for June, the faculty members do not have a paid contract outside the academic year.

The UW-L Faculty Senate Hearing Committee will make a recommendation to the Board of Regents of the Universities of Wisconsin on whether Gow should retain his faculty position. The Board of Regents has the final decision on whether Gow can teach at UW-L.

Major developments in the firing of UW-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow over his appearance in pornographic films