Faculty will vote Tuesday on no confidence resolutions against President Pamela Whitten, Provost Rahul Shrivastav and Vice Provost Faculty and Academic Affairs Carrie Docherty.
(Courtesy Photo)
UPDATE: IU faculty have passed no confidence resolutions against all three leadership, as reported by faculty at the meeting.
Faculty will consider no confidence resolutions against President Pamela Whitten, Provost Rahul Shrivastav and Vice Provost Faculty and Academic Affairs Carrie Docherty Tuesday.
Colin Johnson, president of Bloomington’s Faculty Council, announced the meeting will be April 16 between 2:30- 5:30 p.m. at the IU Auditorium, one of the only venues able to hold thousands of eligible faculty.
Faculty cannot remove a leader from the university, but Johnson told a previous Bloomington Faculty Council meeting the vote is “profoundly significant.” He urged faculty to vote thoughtfully and seriously.
“These are challenging times for everyone, I think—students, faculty, staff, and campus leaders alike,” Johnson said in a notice for the meeting. “For that very reason, it is more important than ever that the affordances of shared governance be exercised thoughtfully, in an orderly fashion, and with the highest degree of integrity.”
Votes of no confidence for Whitten, Shrivastav and Docherty will be held separately, Johnson said.
“Each motion will be discussed and debated for no more than 45 minutes,” the council’s website said.
Council leaders declined to comment, but the council provided more information for voting faculty with some Frequently Asked Questions.
IU spokesperson Mark Bode provided a statement to WFIU/WTIU:
"The current climate in higher education is uniquely challenging, with universities addressing and adapting to unprecedented new pressures and demands," Bode said. "Indiana University continues to evolve in ways that keeps it on a positive and powerful trajectory forward. As it confronts these new realities, IU remains driven by an unwavering commitment to student success and opportunity resulting from valued collaboration with our faculty and staff.”
Why are faculty having this vote?
A petition for the vote garnered 226 signatures before being presented to council leadership. The petition exceeded the minimum 50 signatures required, and council leaders unanimously agreed to host the vote.
IU operates with shared governance among faculty, the Board of Trustees and the president’s administration. However, the petition asserts the current administration is encroaching on shared governance and academic freedom.
The petition detailed several controversies since Whitten took office:
The potential severing of the Kinsey Institute after the Indiana General Assembly barred state funding.
The suspension of professor and advisor of the Palestine Solidarity Committee Abdulkader Sinno. Sinno was suspended for two semesters by Docherty after the group held a public event without an approved room request. After months of protest, a Faculty Board of Review found this suspension broke policy.
The lack of administrative recognition of the Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition, after it was recognized and supported by faculty in 2022. The IU Graduate and Professional Student Government, Bloomington City Council, Monroe County Council, IU Student Government, the American Association of University Professors also endorsed the union.
IU adminstriation's lack of support for Dr. Caitlin Bernard. A School of Medicine professor and OB-GYN, Bernard performed an abortion on a 10-year-old victim of rape from Ohio, drawing national attention.
Who can vote and watch the meeting?
The meeting and vote are not open to the public.
An audio recording of the vote will be made, and the council’s website said it will “eventually be transcribed and used to assist in the preparation of meeting minutes.
At least 800 voting faculty from the Bloomington campus must attend for the vote to be considered binding, Johnson said in a notice for the meeting. Eligible voters include tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty and librarians who have appointments of at least .75 FTE, he said, as well as emeriti.
“Part-time, acting, adjunct, visiting, or honorary faculty, postdoctoral fellows, research associates, academic specialists and student academic appointees do not qualify as members of the ‘voting faculty’ for the purposes of special meetings of the faculty,” Johnson said.
Eligible voters should bring their Crimson Card for admittance, or government-issued photo ID.
What could happen after the vote?
Faculty do not have the power to remove a leader from their position through a no confidence vote. But, according to reporting by the Chronicle for Higher Education, they can have an impact.
The Chronicle analyzed 235 no confidence votes from 1989 to 2022. It found that over half of the votes resulted in presidents leaving office within a year. In a separate investigation, the Chronicle found 13 percent of presidential resignations in the past five years were linked to no confidence votes.
IU faculty informally declared no confidence in 2005 against former President Adam Herbert after a straw poll — not an official decision comparable to Tuesday’s vote. Faculty cited Herbert’s poor leadership and failure to select a provost after three years in office. Herbert declined to renew his contract in 2006 soon after and left office in 2007.
