The Northern Kentucky University Faculty Senate discussed a possible resolution for a no-confidence vote against the NKU Board of Regents on Monday, though the Faculty Senate president said the vote would be a last-resort measure.
The resolution was discussed during a regularly scheduled Faculty Senate meeting, but no action was taken. NKU Faculty Senate President John Farrar said most of the faculty on the board wants to avoid a no-confidence vote.
A no-confidence vote signifies that a majority does not support the policy of a leader or governing body. The vote comes after a report last October showing the university faced a budget deficit of $18.7 million, which has since increased to $24.2 million.
Farrar told LINK nky that the faculty felt that the time was right to discuss no confidence in the NKU Board of Regents. The Faculty Senate is a governing body in universities and colleges, typically responsible for academic matters, and primarily draws its members from the academic staff at the institution.
“We’ve been considering a vote on a resolution of no confidence for several months because of the frustration and anger that many faculty feel about our current situation and the decisions that got us here,” Farrar said.
Budget woes at the university came to a head publicly last year when a $24 million deficit was announced in late October and President Ashish Vaidya departed suddenly in November.
At the time, Farrar said things like scholarships and staff raises helped lead to the deficit.
“But really from my perspective they were made with good intentions in mind,” Farrar told LINK in January.
As for Monday’s meeting, Farrar said the item about a possible no-confidence vote was added to the agenda to get a feel for the faculty senators and see the direction they wanted to pursue.
“It seems that most faculty want to avoid that, if possible, in favor of a statement of our principles and proposals for engagement and conversation of faculty with the BOR (Board of Regents,)” Farrar said.
Farrar said most faculty seem to prefer a positive statement which he said he agrees with.
“It’s a difficult balance to express our frustration and desire for change and to do it in a way that will actually be heard,” Farrar said. “Speaking loudly and strongly, such as in a vote of no-confidence, can actually result in less hearing of the message. Ultimately, we hope to work with the Regents and administration for the future of NKU.”
The next Faculty Senate meeting has been scheduled for May 5 to decide the board’s next steps. Farrar said a few documents are circulating with proposed language for a resolution of no-confidence in the Board of Regents but noted that “is a very serious, last resort measure.”
He said that there has always been a line dividing the regents from the faculty, and it was time to bridge that divide.
“That’s what I’m trying to start at the meeting in May; my conversations with individual regents seem to indicate they want to do likewise,” Farrar said.
He added that the vote could take place, but it seems unlikely.
“I don’t see us going with a vote for a resolution of no-confidence,” Farrar said. “It remains an option, but not very likely.”
The Faculty Senate will meet next Friday, May 5, at 1 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom.
The NKU Board of Regents declined to comment for this story.
