Rutgers—Camden faculty vote 'no confidence' in chancellor, provost amid ongoing issues at U.
Rutgers—Camden’s College of Arts and Sciences faculty held no confidence votes on Chancellor Antonio D. Tillis and Provost Daniel Hart, starting from Wednesday afternoon to Friday at 3 p.m., according to a press release.
Approximately 85 percent of faculty voted and the results opposed Tillis, passing by nearly two-thirds majority with a vote of 94 to 56, with 19 abstentions. The results also opposed Hart, passing by three-quarters majority, with a vote of 111 to 37, with 21 abstentions.
Jim Brown, president of the Camden chapter of the Rutgers American Association of University Professors and American Federation of Teachers, said the vote of no confidence was a result of mistrust of Rutgers—Camden’s leadership and their recent controversial firing of College of Arts and Sciences Dean Howard Marchitello, according to the release.
Last week, faculty and students questioned Tillis about the firing decision but were not satisfied with the explanation from the chancellor, which prompted many to believe the decision was related to Marchitello’s public discussion of pay inequity and inadequate investment at Rutgers—Camden, according to the release.
"We need a chancellor who favors input and reflection, not top-down decisions or outside consultants," said Keith Green, the director of Africana Studies and an associate professor of English at Rutgers—Camden. "A vote of no confidence sets the tone for conversations that we will have with this administration (or the next): We need to be a part of every meaningful decision and build our future together.”
University President Jonathan Holloway discussed the no confidence votes for Tillis and Hart before the University Senate on Friday.
"There are a lot of challenges and there have certainly been missteps, but (Tillis) and I are committed to moving forward in a positive, constructive and collaborative way with the Rutgers—Camden community and, particularly, its faculty," Holloway said. "I want to reiterate my intention to work with (Tillis) and (Hart), the provost, to realize our shared vision for Camden."
