MADISON, Wis. – The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents voted unanimously Friday to fire a communications professor who was seeking to retain tenure after his dismissal as chancellor of one of the system's campuses for making pornographic films.
Joe Gow, who had served as chancellor of UW-La Crosse for nearly 17 years, argued last week that he should be allowed to retain a teaching position on campus. But university attorneys argued he was unethical, violated terms of his employment contact, damaged the reputation of the university and interfered with its mission.
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The regents met in closed session Friday morning before voting in public to fire Gow. There was no discussion in open session before the board voted.
Gow has been on paid leave from his back-up faculty position since the regents fired him as chancellor in 2023, shortly after university leaders became aware of the videos, which were posted on pornographic websites. The case has garnered national attention both for the salaciousness of a high-profile university official making pornographic movies and publicly talking about it, and the questions it raises about free speech rights.
Gow argued that his videos and two e-books he and his wife, Carmen, have published about their experiences in adult films are protected by the First Amendment. The university’s attorney countered that Gow's videos themselves are legal but they are not protected speech under his employment contract.
Gow said Friday that he plans to file a lawsuit against the university and accused the regents of stifling his free speech rights. He insisted in a statement that he produced the pornography on his own time without referencing the university system and questioned the system's commitment to academic freedom and freedom of expression.
“The people who fired me today aren't a ‘Board of Regents,’ they're a ‘Board of Hypocrites,’” Gow said in the statement. “They have zero credibility on free speech and expression.”
Zach Greenberg, an attorney with free speech advocacy group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, called the regents' decision “a major blow to academic freedom and free speech rights.”
“FIRE has said time and time again: public universities cannot sacrifice the First Amendment to protect their reputations,” Greenberg said. “We're disappointed UW caved to donors and politicians by throwing a tenured professor under the bus.”
Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman has been working since he took the job in 2022 to navigate thorny relationships with Republican legislators who view the system as a liberal incubator. Last year, the GOP forced the system to scale back its diversity initiatives.
Rothman has been careful to avoid alienating conservatives any further as he seeks support for an $855 million increase for the system in the next state budget. Earlier this month his administration ordered university leaders to maintain neutral viewpoints in their public statements. Retaining Gow in any capacity could open up the system to more Republican criticism and torpedo any chance of securing the additional funding.
Gow was criticized in 2018 for inviting porn actor Nina Hartley to speak on campus. She was paid $5,000 out of student fees to appear. He developed the idea of bringing her to campus after shooting a pornographic video with her, the university said.
Gow and his wife’s e-books were written under pseudonyms: “Monogamy with Benefits: How Porn Enriches Our Relationship” and “Married with Benefits — Our Real-Life Adult Industry Adventures.” But they also star in a YouTube channel called “Sexy Healthy Cooking,” in which the couple cooks meals with porn actors.
Gow holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in communications. He served as director of the communication studies program at Alfred University in New York state in the 1990s, earning the school’s Excellence in Teaching Award three times.
But the chair of the UW-La Crosse communications department, Linda Dickmeyer, opposed Gow’s return to the classroom. She said that because Gow has not taught for 20 years, he would be assigned general education courses, but she opposes letting him teach in any role.