Marquette University Academic Senate voted no-confidence in the Executive Leadership Team which includes University President Kimo Ah Yun, Executive Vice President Joel Pogodzinski and Acting Provost Sarah Feldner Monday in a special session.
The vote needed a majority and passed 18-17 with two abstentions. The decision to vote no-confidence means the body does not support the policy of administration.
This decision comes amid growing concern among some faculty about communication between University Leadership regarding a proposed increase in faculty workloads, ongoing budget cuts around the Marquette 2031: Securing Our Future plan, the number of tenure-track faculty lines, salaries of university executives and rights of Marquette faculty to unionize.
Ah Yun was announced as university president last Wednesday, after the resolution to conduct a vote of no-confidence was proposed by UAS Nov. 18.
UAS is made up of 38 Marquette faculty, graduate and undergraduate students that serve as an advisory body for University Leadership.
Before the vote of no-confidence could happen, 2/3 of the senate needed to vote in favor of having the no-confidence vote. This was also done by anonymous paper ballots and came out to 24-9 in favor of the vote.
The no-confidence vote does not cause any direct legal action, however at some U.S. colleges in the past year, university presidents have stepped down after votes of no-confidence.
“No-confidence votes are becoming increasingly common nationwide due to the growing challenges facing higher education,” Kevin Conway, university spokesperson, said in a statement. “However, it is important to remember that any vote of no-confidence is a non-binding, symbolic act by an academic governance body.”
A message from the Marquette Board of Trustees about the vote said they believe the Executive Leadership Team is guiding the university with their Jesuit beliefs at heart.
“We are committed to continued, respectful dialogue and collaboration to address our complex challenges and create solutions,” the message from the Board of Trustees said. “Those solutions cannot begin and end with tuition increases; we must also look inward at ourselves and how we operate.”
Elaine Spiller, a UAS senator that brought the vote of no-confidence resolution to the senate on behalf of concerned faculty, said the reputation of the university and recruitment of faculty and students will not be harmed by this vote. If anything, she said this vote will hopefully evoke some change to draw students and faculty into the university.
Before the voting began, Ah Yun presented a plan for how he would combat some of the concerns from faculty that prompted the vote of no-confidence.
Ah Yun’s plan:
First, the chief operating officer and VP of finance will meet with the university faculty committee on budgets and financial planning to talk about their work, and the full budget will be presented at a meeting of UFCBFP.
Second, in terms of the workload changes, Ah Yun wants to make sure UAS is updated on the process of workload changes and deans and chairs are in communication about the process. He said he expects these changes to be addressed by March 1.
Ah Yun said he met with Paul Gasser and Jennifer Ohlendorf, chair and vice chair of UAS, in the week leading up to the no-confidence vote and Gasser, Ohlendorf, Feldner and Ah Yun are set to meet again after Thanksgiving break.
Response from senate:
After Ah Yun’s presentation, faculty were given a chance to voice their opinions about the vote. Some faculty felt that Ah Yun’s plan was just too little too late, while others thought it was comprehensive enough to change their opinions on the integrity of administration.
Alex Lemann, elected faculty member from the law school, said he voted against the resolution for no-confidence because after discussing the vote with the law school faculty, he said he didn’t hear anyone say they think a no-confidence vote would be the right solution.
Ryan Lardner, Marquette University Student Government representative, said some students are concerned about what a vote of no-confidence will mean for their degree, or how it will impact their decision to attend graduate school at Marquette.
Other faculty members said this vote is a great way for the university to take faculty’s opinions on their leadership into consideration.
“I think we need something better from our university,” Chris Stockdale, at large faculty member from the College of Arts & Sciences, said. “I think we need academics at the forefront of these conversations.”
This story was written by Sophia Tiedge. She can be reached at [email protected].
