Ohio State President To Join Bob Evans Farm Board

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee will fill a newly created seat on the board of directors at Bob Evans Farms Inc., the company said Thursday.

The homestyle restaurant operator and pork sausage producer said Gee will take the post effective July 1. The term will expire in 2010. Compensation and other details were not disclosed.

Gee recently resigned from a nine-year post on the board of Richmond, Va.-based coal mining giant Massey Energy under pressure from environmental groups. Gee is an open supporter of green energy jobs, but critics said his presence on the board was a show of support for some practices that have come under fire, such as mountaintop mining.

His term at Massey ends July 1, the same day his Bob Evans post begins.

Bob Evans officials did not immediately return requests for comment. Gee could not be reached.

Gee returned to Ohio State in 2007 after previously serving as president from 1990 to 1997. He is the highest paid public university president in the nation, according to a Chronicle of Higher Education survey. In the 2008 school year, he earned $1.3 million, including a $310,000 bonus, according to the survey.

Prior to his Ohio State position, Gee served as chancellor of Vanderbilt University for seven years.

He also sits on the board of directors for Pawtucket, R.I.-based toymaker Hasbro Inc. and Columbus, Ohio-based insurer Grange Insurance.

Columbus, Ohio-based Bob Evans shares fell $1.03, or 3.3 percent, to close at $30.37.