The vote of no confidence is a symbolic action the dissatisfaction of members of the NYU community toward university president John Sexton’s performance as the leader of the university. The controversial vote was first passed by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences in mid-March and with several schools and other NYU worker groups deliberating on holding similar symbolic votes, has spurred local and national media attention. WSN will keep you updated on the latest developments on the vote in this hub.
Key players:
John Sexton | NYU President
At the center of the university’s first no confidence vote, the fifteenth president has been the target of faculty discontent. On March 15, the no confidence vote among the faculty of arts and science passed against the president. His work spearheading the Global Network University and NYU 2031, have sparked a wide debate among the NYU community.
Andrew Ross | President of AAUP
An NYU Social and Cultural Analysis professor and activist, Andrew Ross frequently voices his concerns about John Sexton and the university. Ross spearheads the NYU chapter of the American Association of University Professors and has said that the university is neither transparent nor inclusive of the faculty in its decision-making, specifically regarding NYU 2031.
Jim Uleman | Chairman of the Faculty of Arts and Science
The head organizer behind the vote of no confidence among 682 faculty members, Uleman became the main voice in the multiple emails sent to faculty. Though unwilling to express his own opinions, the professor has been a supporter of the vote. He has advocated for greater transparency in the univeresty’s decision-making process.
Martin Lipton | Chairman of the NYU Board of Trustees
Martin Lipton is the leading member behind the body responsible for electing the president of the university. He has been a member of the board since 1976 and has been chairman since 1998. The board has the final say in who the president of the university is, and Lipton has stated multiple times that he and the board support President Sexton regardless of the vote of no confidence.
A brief history: FAS passed a motion to hold a vote of no confidence against President John Sexton In December of 2012. The faculty primarily wanted to address the break down in communication between administration and faculty in plans such as NYU 2031 as well as concerns about the financial burden of expanding broad as NYU continues to brand itself as the Global Network University.
Furthermore, in the weeks leading up to the vote, news outlets uncovered that the university made $600,000 in severance payments made to former NYU administrator Jack Lew, fueling discussion about university finances.
The vote passed this past March with 52 percent of eligible faculty voters’ support. the Union of Clerical administrative and technical staff at NYU passed a similar motion. Meanwhile, other major undergraduate schools such as the Tisch School of the Arts as well as the Steinhardt School of Communication, Culture, and Human Development have both began deliberating the vote.
