MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Monday overwhelmingly supported a no-confidence vote in UW System President Ray Cross and the UW Board of Regents.
Their voice vote came in the university’s Faculty Senate, which has 220 senators representing more than 2,200 staff members. Supporters of the measure say System leaders should have fought harder against $250 million in GOP-led funding cuts over two years.
They were also angered by a budget provision that weakened job protections.
Republican lawmakers removed tenure from state law last year and gave chancellors more flexibility to lay off staff. A policy adopted by the regents in March would allow layoffs if an academic program were discontinued. Previously, faculty could be dismissed only in a campuswide financial emergency or for just cause.
Cross said in a statement that he disagreed with the resolution and would continue to fight for the UW System.
Regents President Regina Miller said the board has “total confidence” in Cross. She said changes in tenure and layoff policies were “very reasonable and fair” and comparable to other schools.
UW Chancellor Rebecca Blank had warned against the no-confidence vote, saying it could hurt the school when state lawmakers again take up the budget.
Sociology professor Chad Alan Goldberg, who drafted the resolution, rejected that idea.
“Colleagues, if fear of political reprisal…prevents us from speaking our minds, then our academic freedom is already lost,” he said.
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