The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents voted unanimously to terminate UW–La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow in closed session Wednesday evening.

UW President Jay Rothman said the regents voted under his recommendation to remove Gow from his position, effective immediately.

“In recent days, we learned of specific conduct by Dr. Gow that has subjected the university to significant reputational harm,” Rothman said in the statement. “His actions were abhorrent.”

Gow will be placed on administrative leave, but Rothman suggested Gow’s status as a tenured faculty member should be reviewed, according to the statement. Rothman said an outside law firm is also investigating the situation.

Board of Regents President Karen Walsh said Gow has demonstrated “reckless disregard” for his responsibilities to the UW–La Crosse community.

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“The outrage over his behavior is evidenced by the unanimous vote by the UW Board of Regents to terminate him as chancellor,” Walsh said in the statement. “We are alarmed, and disgusted, by his actions, which were wholly and undeniably inconsistent with his role as chancellor.”

Earlier this month, Gow began posting videos on a YouTube channel titled “Sexy Healthy Cooking.” The mostly age-restricted videos feature Gow and his wife cooking with “adult video stars.” Gow and his wife also appear in videos on popular pornography websites, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Gow was previously denied a pay raise in 2018 for inviting adult film star Nina Hartley to the UW–La Crosse campus as part of a free speech week.

Gow announced in August he planned to step down as chancellor at the end of the 2023-24 academic year.

UW–La Crosse Provost Betsy Morgan has been appointed as interim chancellor.