The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents have voted unanimously to fire the chancellor of UW-La Crosse after he appeared in pornographic videos with his wife.
Chancellor Joe Gow, the longest-tenured chancellor in the UW system, already had plans to retire at the end of the school year. In a closed-door meeting Wednesday, the regents voted to terminate his chancellorship and place him on paid administrative leave as he transitions into a faculty role.
“In recent days, we learned of specific conduct by Dr. Gow that has subjected the university to significant reputational harm,’ UW system President Jay Rothman said in a prepared statement. “His actions were abhorrent.”
Rothman added he is filing a complaint with interim UW-La Crosse Chancellor Betsy Morgan to review Gow’s status as a tenured faculty member. He said he has also hired an outside law firm to “undertake a fulsome investigation of the matter.”
It’s not the first time Gow has faced disciplinary action. In 2018, then-UW system President Ray Cross denied him a pay raise after Gow invited porn star and activist Nina Hartley to speak at a campus event promoting free speech. At the time, Cross said the chancellor had used “poor judgment” in inviting her.
An Amazon author profile under the pseudonym Geri and Jay Hart shows a picture of Gow and his wife, Carmen Wilson, a former UW-La Crosse professor and Gow’s chief of staff from 2008 to 2011. Their biography describes them as a married couple “who serve in executive positions at two well-known organizations in the U.S” and frequently participate in charitable events.
The books include “Married with Benefits: Our Real-life Adult Industry Adventures” and “Monogamy with Benefits: How Porn Enriches Our Relationship.” In a description of the authors, they're labeled as a “sex-positive" couple with "successful careers" who appear to be “respectable."
“But there’s something about Geri and Jay you might be surprised to learn: they enjoy collaborating with top professional performers and production people to create their own upscale pornographic videos," the description reads.
Hoping to spice up their marriage, the couple ventures on a “highly unconventional journey of discovery that unfolds around the U.S. in strip clubs, legal brothels, a swinger’s gathering, a sex expo and, ultimately, on the set of the couple’s own professionally produced adult video.”
One description also directs readers to their OnlyFans and PornHub accounts. Accounts on X and YouTube, under the username @SexyHappyCouple, include a photo and videos of Gow and Wilson.
Their bio on X says they are a “passionate plant-powered couple cooking, conversing, and shooting with top adult video stars.” YouTube videos show the two cooking clothed alongside adult film stars, who they also film sexual videos with for subscribers on other porn sites.
In a statement, regent President Karen Walsh said the board is “alarmed, and disgusted, by his actions, which were wholly and undeniably inconsistent with his role as chancellor.”
“Unfortunately, Dr. Joe Gow has 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,” Walsh said. “The outrage over his behavior is evidenced by the unanimous vote by the UW Board of Regents to terminate him as chancellor.”
Gow has served as chancellor of UW-La Crosse since 2007. In a press release announcing his retirement in August, Rothman said Gow would be leaving UW-La Crosse “much better off than it was when he arrived.”
“This is a hallmark of excellent stewardship,” Rothman said at the time. “He has provided a steady hand through challenging times and met the moment when we needed him.”
