University of West Georgia faculty passed a no confidence, albeit non-binding, resolution against its new president, Brendan B. Kelly, faculty announced Monday.
Faculty passed the resolution by 263 to 129 vote, with 55 abstentions. The vote began Nov. 2 and ended at 5 p.m. Monday.
West Georgia has about 13,000 students, the seventh-largest enrollment of any public university in the state.
Many faculty members have been at odds with Kelly, who arrived in March, over the university’s recent reorganization of several departments, what they say has been a lack of transparency from his office about the budget and other matters.
Daniel K. Williams, the university’s faculty senate chair, said: “I sincerely hope that President Kelly will pay attention to this vote and use it as an opportunity for positive change in his relationship with the faculty.”
Williams has said the referendum is part of an effort to get the state’s Board of Regents, which oversees operations at the university and 25 other University System of Georgia schools, to intercede and resolve the dispute. Only the Georgia Board of Regents has the power to remove Kelly. University System of Georgia Chancellor Steve Wrigley said in a statement Monday that he and the board “wholeheartedly support President Kelly and his work to lead UWG through tremendous challenges.”
Kelly said in a statement he’ll continue to focus on serving students.
“While 2020 has presented serious challenges with a global pandemic and significant budget reductions, those circumstances do not change the fact that our university has to advance to best serve the expectations, needs, and aspirations of every student currently attending UWG and all those who will," Kelly said. "I remain committed to engaging with all campus stakeholders in the established governance processes and will continue to reach out to the campus community and its leaders.”
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