Following a historic strike earlier this year, the Rutgers University Senate voted no confidence in President Jonathan Holloway last Friday.
The Senate – which represents faculty, students, staff, and alumni – passed the resolution on a decisive 89-47 vote, 65%-35%.
The no-confidence vote stems, in large part, from the strike in April, which was the university’s first and included tenured faculty, adjunct faculty, and graduate students. But beyond the strike, these past few months have been tumultuous for Rutgers, with tensions rising and a growing divide between the faculty and the administration.
The resolution brought attention to several other issues that the faculty says have caused their confidence in Holloway to deteriorate: lingering labor disputes, the merger of Rutgers’ medical schools in Newark and New Brunswick (which did not have Senate approval), the decision against re-appointing Rutgers-Newark chancellor Nancy Cantor, and the rise in tuition and associated costs for this academic year.
The vote is largely symbolic, given that the University Senate does not have the power to remove a president. Still, that the Senate has lost confidence in Holloway should not be overlooked or underestimated.
Earlier this year, Temple University saw their graduate students strike for six weeks. While Temple did not come to a standstill like Rutgers, the strike substantially impacted the university community; when Temple’s President, Jason Wingard, faced a similar vote of no confidence, he decided to step down.