UW-La Crosse chancellor fired; he had been making porn videos with his wife

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The UW System Board of Regents voted unanimously Wednesday to fire UW-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow, as pornographic accounts he'd been running with his wife were discovered online.

Gow, who became the university's 10th chancellor in February of 2007, had been running an account on multiple sites under the handle of "SexyHappyCouple."

As of Wednesday evening, those accounts were still active. The social media pages for the account directed people to pornographic sites "for fully explicit scenes."

The UW systems did not name any specific actions.  In a statement, System President Jay Rothman said the UW had learned in recent days of "specific conduct" that subject the university system to "significant reputational harm." 

"His actions were abhorrent," Rothman said in a statement. “As a tenured faculty member, Dr. Gow will be placed on paid administrative leave as he transitions into his faculty role at UW-La Crosse."

Rothman added the universities were bringing in an outside law firm to investigate the situation.

Gow was disciplined by the UW System in 2018 when he invited porn star Nina Hartley to speak on campus.

Gow announced in September he would be stepping down from his role as chancellor at the end of the 2023-24 academic year.