Faculty-Wide Vote of No Confidence In President Jim Wohlpart This document provides information about the faculty-wide vote of no confidence authorized by the Faculty Senate, including relevant context, voting procedures, and timelines. Introduction The Faculty Senate Executive Committee (FSEC) received a petition on January 20, 2026, signed by 49 faculty members, requesting that the Senate authorize a faculty-wide vote of no confidence in President Wohlpart. Per the Faculty Code (Section IV.G.2), this petition was presented to the Faculty Senate as a formal motion. The Faculty Senate approved the motion on February 4, 2026, and as a result, a faculty-wide vote of no confidence will be conducted. A vote of no confidence is a formal process through which faculty express a lack of confidence in the leadership of a university administrator. A vote of no confidence does not, by itself, remove the administrator from office. Rather, the outcome of the vote will be communicated to the Board of Trustees, which will determine any subsequent actions. Context The petition includes justification for why a vote of no confidence is warranted (pp. 4-23), reflecting the viewpoint of the 49 petitioners, and a supplemental document written by FSEC (pp. 25-36) for clarification and context. Faculty Senate authorized a faculty-wide vote of no confidence based on this petition. Review this information carefully and speak with your Senator(s). For additional context, we suggest faculty listen to the February 4, 2026 recording of the Faculty Senate meeting where the vote of no confidence was authorized. 26:04– 42:00 of this recording contains Chair Lindsey’s remarks about the vote of no confidence. 53:16-1:14:36 of this recording contains a presentation about the vote of no confidence by two of the petitioners followed by the Senators’ discussion. Vote Procedure As approved by the Bylaws and Faculty Code Committee, the vote will take place using a secure and anonymous online ballot with a paper ballot option. The online ballot will be distributed through Qualtrics using settings that ensure complete anonymity. It will record only your vote and no details that could be used to identify you (i.e., no name, email, IP address, etc.). Every eligible faculty member will receive a unique link that will allow for one vote only. Faculty may choose to vote instead via paper ballot. To opt into receiving a paper ballot, complete this form by Tuesday, February 10, at noon using this link. When opting-in to the paper ballot option, faculty will be able to select whether to vote at a polling station in the SURC or receive a paper ballot to their provided mailing address. The Faculty Senate administrative assistant and one other non-faculty person will be present at the SURC polling station at all times, to ensure the integrity of vote security.
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