INDIANA, Pa. -- Francisco Alarcon, a faculty union leader, called it an act of "last resort," the result of trying for two unsuccessful years to get Indiana University of Pennsylvania President Tony Atwater and his administration to listen.
Dr. Atwater, in turn, said it was "politically motivated" and further evidence of how aggressive and adversarial Pennsylvania's university faculty union is.
Both men spoke yesterday after faculty at Pennsylvania's largest state-owned university returned an overwhelming vote of no confidence in Dr. Atwater's leadership. The tally from three days of balloting by the campus chapter of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties was announced at a university Council of Trustees meeting.
A total of 777 individuals, from full-time tenured faculty to part-time adjunct instructors, were eligible to cast ballots in the online vote. Of them, 672 did.
"Of those who voted, more than 84 percent voted that they no longer have confidence in President Atwater's leadership," said Dr. Alarcon, a math professor and vice president of the union's campus chapter.
Those voting no confidence numbered 568, while 64, or roughly 10 percent, expressed confidence in the president's leadership, Dr Alarcon said. Six percent or 40 individuals abstained from taking a position.
He read the results into a microphone before an auditorium crowd of 200 on campus that included Dr. Atwater, seated on stage with the trustees. The president since 2005 looked directly at Dr. Alarcon with a tight smile. In a news conference afterward, Dr. Atwater offered a firm defense of his presidency and said he and the school with roughly 14,600 students would not be distracted by the turmoil.
"I will not allow the issues to get in the way of the institution's ability to strongly serve the educational interests and needs of students," he said.
He called the vote "unfortunate but not surprising."
But he also said he recognized the symbolism of the result. "It think it certainly opens the door to some more dialogue and discussion," he said.
The union said the vote stems from what it calls Dr. Atwater's "flagrant disregard" for shared governance; "inappropriate and excessive spending" in tight budgetary times; a leadership style that "alienates" those on and off campus; and "poor decision-making."
A list distributed by the union before the vote included 31 wide-ranging assertions, among them that more than $30,000 was spent for driveway lighting and flower garden work on the president's home, a $3 million addition to athletics spending was made at the expense of academic budgets, and that Dr. Atwater insists on preconditions and restrictions when speaking with faculty groups.
Faculty say they are concerned about $32 million that Indiana must pay by mid-2011, the expected opening of the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex near campus. About $15 million so far has been raised toward the school's share of a project now expected to cost $80 million including construction, land and furnishings.
Administrators at yesterday's news conference said the school is weighing options should fundraising fall short, but they declined to elaborate.
Dr. Atwater said the union wants not only shared governance, but to "co-manage" the institution. He said the fact that three of the last four presidents [who have served at least a year] at Indiana have faced no-confidence votes suggests a pattern.
He and other administrators countered with a list of accomplishments under Dr. Atwater, including academic gains, campus improvements and what they called "an enhanced university presence" in Pittsburgh. The administration also released a point-by-point rebuttal, saying the president's residence requires maintenance; he does not restrict discussions with faculty, and did not divert academic funding for athletics.
A student government representative shared her own grievances during yesterday's trustees meeting. Others who spoke had mixed views.
"Whining," said retired campus professor Bill Shane of the faculty complaints.
"He doesn't listen," English professor Michael Williamson said of Dr. Atwater.
The president is due for a formal job review next year, officials said.
First Published: December 19, 2009, 10:00 a.m.
