Michael Garrison has earned his bachelor's and law degrees at West Virginia University, the state's flagship institution, where he was president of the student government. He rose rapidly to high-powered political posts, including chief of staff to a previous governor. Garrison then became a lobbyist with the longest client list in West Virginia, a role that ended last April when he was named president of his alma mater. When he emerged as a finalist in the presidential search, critics based his qualifications and said the search was rigged in his favor. Charges of political favoritism arose again in late December, when Garrison's administration became involved in a controversy in which the academic degree of Heather M. Bresch, the current governor's daughter and is a friend and former classmate of Garrison, was questioned. Despite the fact that Garrison's presidency has been riddled with skepticism, he has won over most of his critics. In this article, the author examines whether the public's reception of Garrison's presidency signals the future of university presidency.