MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Rob Alsop, a key figure in West Virginia University’s wide-ranging reductions to academic programs and faculty positions before stepping down a year ago, has quietly returned to the school as a senior deputy athletic director.
Alsop’s rehiring wasn’t announced by the university, which posted his new role on its athletic directory earlier this month.
Alsop previously served as the university’s vice president for strategic initiatives, taking an up-front role in explaining proposals and initiatives during key university meetings. During one such chaotic meeting in September 2023 as students chanted slogans and held signs, the university’s Board of Governors approved academic and faculty cuts as it grappled with a $45 million budget shortfall.
Alsop resigned his position a month later, but stayed on through January as a special adviser to university President Gordon Gee. Alsop joined a private law firm in February and also was a managing member of a firm that advised clients on mergers and acquisitions, strategic execution and government relations. But his departure lasted only 10 months.
Alsop is familiar with WVU’s athletic department. He briefly served as interim athletic director after Shane Lyons was fired in 2022.
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