Updated on 4/24 at 4:42 p.m.
Temple Association of University Professionals expressed no confidence in Provost Gregory Mandel and Board of Trustees Chair Mitchell Morgan after a weeklong voting process, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Eighty-one percent of more than 1,000 faculty members cast votes of no confidence in Morgan and Mandel from April 14 to April 21.
The faculty union, made up of more than 2,500 members, does not have the ability to authorize change, and the vote is largely symbolic.
“As a community, we may not always agree—and we don’t have to—but if we don’t share our views, we cannot increase our understanding and move forward,” wrote acting president JoAnne Epps, in an announcement to the Temple community. “To ensure this, we must listen to the diverse perspectives of all Temple constituencies, act collaboratively and regain faculty confidence.”
The announcement has followed a lengthy process of internal discussion and votes for authorization of the no-confidence vote, which originally included Mandel, former President Jason Wingard and Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Ken Kaiser.
On March 1, The Temple News first reported that the union was considering a no-confidence vote against university leaders in response to the university’s handling of the TUGSA strike and safety concerns.
TAUP’s frustration with senior leadership came amid sustained dissatisfaction from the Temple community about Wingard’s response to the university’s growing challenges, primarily marked by 92 percent of students disapproving of his performance, according to a March poll conducted by The Temple News.
On March 23, Mitchell Morgan and other members of the board announced the creation of a special committee which assumed responsibility for leading the university prior to Wingard’s resignation.
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