Faculty dissatisfaction with Loyola’s administration and the possibility of a future vote of no confidence in specified administrators was the dominant topic during the College of Humanities and Natural Sciences assembly Tuesday.

Connie Rodriguez, associate professor of classical studies, distributed to the humanities and natural sciences faculty in attendance a document outlining a motion for a vote of no confidence.

The motion names University President the Rev. Kevin Wildes, S.J., Provost Walter Harris Jr., Assistant Provost John Cornwell and Assistant Provost Brenda Joyner, collectively, as the administration that will be evaluated by the faculty’s future no confidence vote.

Specific grievances listed in the motion include: administrators’ failure to exhibit competent leadership in their direction of Loyola’s academic vision; failure to effectively use shared governance structures and procedures; not creating avenues of two-way communication among themselves and Loyola’s staff, students and faculty; not cultivating a feeling of trust and confidence regarding their stewardship for Loyola; not providing any evidence that their strategic planning processes, or resulting plans, will lead to a stronger Loyola.

While a vote of no confidence has no official consequence, it does provide a sense of the attitude of the faculty, said Frank Scully Jr., dean of the College of Humanities and Natural Sciences.

During the meeting, Scully, urged faculty members to postpone the vote of no confidence until the assembly had a chance to meet with Wildes and Harris.

“I ask that the faculty listen and give the president and the provost an opportunity to respond,” said Scully. “The faculty voice needs to be heard in this meeting. Then, a vote of no confidence may take place.”

The discussion between the administrators and the faculty of humanities and natural sciences is scheduled for Sept. 21.

But some faculty members expressed doubt that the planned dialogue would affect any change in the administrators’ receptivity or responsiveness.

“We have been asking for this conversation since Pathways was announced,” Rodriguez said.

The motion for the vote of no confidence was added to the humanities and natural sciences college assembly agenda – to potentially be acted upon at the next assembly – in October.

The subject of a no confidence vote was first raised at a May 12 meeting of concerned faculty members from the former College of Arts and Sciences. The main grievances raised during that meeting were in regard to the lack of transparency in the administrators’ planning processes and in the administration’s lack of responsiveness to faculty input and concerns, said Boyd Blundell, assistant professor in religious studies.

The assembled faculty members confirmed a vote of no confidence in the four previously named administrators during the May 12 meeting. That meeting, however, did not constitute an official college assembly, Scully said.

Lindsey Netherly can be reached at [email protected].