from the
Nashville City Paper:
Chancellor Gordon Gee’s departure from Vanderbilt University for The Ohio State University was a shocker yesterday. Perhaps even more surprising is the man being mentioned by Vanderbilt professorial types to replace him - U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander.
Well placed Nashville sources in both the Republican and Democratic Party say Alexander’s name is being bandied about largely by Vanderbilt staff as a possible replacement for Gee. Let me stress that does not mean Alexander has even mentioned it but that people at the school are talking his name up.
Here is the logic behind the chatter. Alexander is a Tennessee native, a Vandy grad, a former U.S. Secretary of Education and a former University of Tennessee President. That is just on the education side of the ledger. He is of course also a two-time governor and a sitting U.S. Senator. He has the distinction to lead the South’s most prestigious private university but is also a very familiar native of the state. There would be no “get to know you” period.
...snip...
Tennessee Democrats would LOVE to have an open U.S. Senate seat in the state in 2008 for Harold Ford Jr. to seek and salvage his once promising political career. He could even be appointed to an open seat by Gov. Phil Bredesen to fill the remainder of Alexander’s term, running with the title “Senator” in front of his name. It would be like Christmas coming early for Tennessee Democrats.
http://politics.nashvillecityblogs.com/?p=62