You can say one thing about good ol' boys. They take care of their own.

That's the message to be read in West Virginia University President Mike Garrison's continued presence, which may stretch beyond Sept. 1 and which is apparently fine by its board of governors. Mr. Garrison, whose top aides were at the center of the decision to award an M.B.A. to a longtime Garrison pal who didn't complete the requirements, said last month -- to the satisfaction of faculty, alumni and donors -- that he would leave his post as a result of the scandal.

But in a court deposition released Monday in an unrelated case, he said, "I didn't indicate I was resigning effective Sept. 1. I indicated that I was stepping down as president Sept. 1." That probably means he expects to move to a different university job for the two years left on his contract.

The contract requires WVU to employ him "as president, or in some other capacity" unless he resigns or is fired by the board. It also calls for him to be compensated "at the presidential salary," which was initially $255,000.

Steve Goodman, chairman of the board of governors, said previously it's possible the president could end up elsewhere at WVU. On June 6, when it appeared Mr. Garrison was resigning over the scandal, the chairman thanked him for his "extraordinary service."

It was bad enough that the powers-that-be allowed WVU's provost and business school dean to stay as professors after resigning their administrative posts. They were at the heart of the decision to award a master's in business administration to Mylan executive Heather Bresch, to whom Mr. Garrison reported when he was a lobbyist for the generic drug maker.

But nothing demonstrates the lingering ill effect of Mike Garrison than the fact that his uncertain status overshadowed the good news of C. Peter Magrath's likely appointment as WVU interim president. Mr. Magrath has strong academic credentials and a record as president of three public universities.

West Virginia University has other positive changes to make, but unless the reminders of the Bresch scandal are wiped from the scene, questions about ethics, discipline and dollars will be hard to shake.