Constance Bumgarner Gee is an American scholar, memoirist, animal rights activist, and advocate of the

medical use of cannabis Medical cannabis, medicinal cannabis or medical marijuana (MMJ) refers to cannabis products and cannabinoid molecules that are prescribed by physicians for their patients. The use of cannabis as medicine has a long history, but has not ...

. She was the founder and director of the Arts Policy and Administration Program at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

, and later an assistant professor at

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

and tenured associate professor at

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

. She is the author of ''Higher Education: Marijuana at the Mansion'', a 2012 memoir about her life as "first lady" of several American research universities. She critiques aspects of university leadership, discussing instances she perceives as inconsistencies between public image and internal practices.

Early life

Constance Bumgarner was born in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

.Constance Gee Joins Peabody Faculty
, ''Peabody Reflector'', Summer 2000 She graduated from

East Carolina University East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of universities in North Carolina by enrollment, fourth largest university in North Carolina and the only one in the state with s ...

Greenville, North Carolina Greenville ( ; ) is the county seat of and the most populous city in Pitt County, North Carolina, United States. It is the principal city of the Greenville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, and the List of municipalities in North Carolina, 12t ...

, with a bachelor of arts degree in Fine Arts.National Art Education Association: Constance Bumgarner Gee
/ref> She then received a master's degree in Fine Arts from the

Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York. It has an additional campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The institute was founded in 18 ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. She received a PhD in Arts Education Policy from

The Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855 as Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Pe ...

in 1993.Abby White
Constance Gee recalls her time spent as Vanderbilt’s first lady of controversy
, ''Nashville City Paper'', October 7, 2012

Career

Bumgarner Gee was the founder and director of the Arts Policy and Administration Program at

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

from 1993 to 1997. She was Assistant Professor of Public Policy at

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

from 1998 to 2000. She later became a tenured Associate Professor of Public Policy and Education in the Department of Leadership and Organizations at

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

. She resigned in 2010. Bumgarner Gee was the executive editor of the '' Arts Education Policy Review'', a peer-reviewed academic journal, from 1997 to 2010. She also published chapters in scholarly volumes about arts education policy. According to academic Judith Smith Koroscik, one of her scholarly contributions is to not lament "why the public fails to understand and care about the arts, but, as arts educators, to begin with asking and building on what the public does understand and find meaningful about the arts." Bumgarner Gee published a memoir titled ''Higher Education: Marijuana at the Mansion'' in 2012. In it, she recounts her times as the wife of university president Gordon Gee throughout their years at Ohio State, Brown and Vanderbilt universities. She alleges members of Vanderbilt's politically conservative Board of Trust may have retaliated against her by exposing her medical marijuana use to ''Wall Street Journal'' reporters to hide their own conflicts of interest and because of her liberal political stances.

Civic activities

Bumgarner Gee served on the boards of the Columbus (OH) Humane Society, Trinity Repertory Company (Providence, RI), the Rhode Island State Arts Council and, in Nashville, on the boards of the

Frist Center for the Visual Arts The Frist Art Museum, formerly known as the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, is an art exhibition hall in Nashville, Tennessee, housed in the city's historic United States Postal Service, U.S. Post Office building, which is listed on the Nationa ...

and Actors Bridge Ensemble. She served on the Board of Advisors of the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise, and Public Policy at Vanderbilt University. She also served on the board of Through the Flower, founded by artist Judy Chicago. Bumgarner Gee is an advocate of the medical use of

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...

.Medical marijuana bill stalls in state Senate
, ''WKRN-TV'', April 04, 2012 In 2012, she explained to the Nashville-based newspaper ''

The Tennessean ''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, w ...

'' as well as the television station ''

WKRN-TV WKRN-TV (channel 2) is a television station in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with American Broadcasting Company, ABC and owned by Nexstar Media Group. The station's studios are located on Murfreesboro Road (U.S. Routes U.S. R ...

'' about why she supported its legalization for medical reasons.Constance Gee speaks about medical marijuana
, ''The Tennessean'' She testified to the Health Committee of the

Tennessee House of Representatives The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. Constitutional requirements According to the state constitution of 1870, this body is to consis ...

in favor of the Safe Access to Medical Cannabis Act in April 2012.Steven Hale
Buzz Kill: Safe Access to Medical Cannabis Act Dies
, ''Nashville Scene'', April 4, 2012 The bill, co-sponsored by state representative Jeanne Richardson and state senator Beverly Marrero and heard by state senator

Glen Casada Richard Glen Casada Jr. (born August 2, 1959) is an American politician, and a former Republican member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, where he represented District 63 ( Williamson County) from 2003 to 2023. He was the Speaker of the ...

, was axed in the

Tennessee Senate The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the U.S. state of Tennessee , Tennessee's state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly. The Tennessee Senate has the power to pass resolutions concerning essentially any ...

Personal life

Bumgarner Gee married

Gordon Gee Elwood Gordon Gee (born February 2, 1944) is an American academic administrator. Since 2014, he is serving his second term as president of West Virginia University; his first term there was from 1981 to 1985. Gee is said to have held more univers ...

in 1994. In 2006, an article published in ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' revealed that she had smoked

inside Braeburn, the chancellor's residence located at 211 Deer Park in Belle Meade owned by Vanderbilt University, to alleviate the intense nausea and other debilitating symptoms of

Ménière's disease Ménière's disease (MD) is a disease of the inner ear that is characterized by potentially severe and incapacitating episodes of vertigo, tinnitus, hearing loss, and a feeling of fullness in the ear. Typically, only one ear is affected in ...

.Joann S. Lublin, Daniel Golden
Vanderbilt Reins In Lavish Spending By Star Chancellor
''The Wall Street Journal'', September 26, 2006 As a result of pressures of public life and political fallout from the ''Journal'' article, the couple divorced in 2008.E. Thomas Wood, Walker Duncan
Vanderbilt Chancellor Gee and wife agree on divorce
''Nashville Post'', February 28, 2007 She now resides in

Westport, Massachusetts Westport (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ) is a New England town, town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,339 at the 2020 census. The village of North Westport, Massachusett ...

where she is engaged in environmental and animal rights activism. In 2004, Bumgarner Gee was criticized for lowering the flag to half-mast at Braeburn after

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

was re-elected as president of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Selected scholarship

*Robin Anne Atwood, Robert W. Backoff, Constance Bumgarner Gee. ''Identifying Characteristics in Excellent Public and Private Nonprofit Arts Organizations: A Comparative Analysis of Three High Performers''. Columbus, Ohio: Ohio State University, 1995. 186 pages. *Bryan Wayne Knicely, Constance Bumgarner Gee. ''A Strategic Management Assessment of The Palace Theatre and The Palace Cultural Arts Association Marion, Ohio''. Columbus, Ohio: Ohio State University, 1996. 206 pages. *Susan Pauline Genther, Constance Bumgarner Gee. ''An Investigation of The Impact of The Greater Columbus Arts Council's Artists-In-Schools Program on The Comprehensive Visual Arts Curriculum of Columbus Public Elementary Schools''. Columbus, Ohio: Ohio State University, 1996. 364 pages.Google Books
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bumgarner Gee, Constance Living people Writers from Raleigh, North Carolina Educators from Nashville, Tennessee People from Westport, Massachusetts East Carolina University alumni Pratt Institute alumni Penn State College of Education alumni Ohio State University faculty Brown University faculty Vanderbilt University faculty American memoirists American philanthropists American cannabis activists Year of birth missing (living people) People with Ménière's disease