Southern Oregon University professors overwhelmingly lack confidence in the school's administration, according to the results of a confidential vote released yesterday..
The results of the week-long tally, released by the Faculty Senate, show that most of the 217 faculty members who voted have no confidence in the ability of Vice President of Finance and Administration Craig Morris, Provost Jim Klein and President Mary Cullinan.
The Mail Tribune reports that all but one member of the Faculty Senate voted in favor of holding the confidential vote.
Per Oregon law, because more than two thirds of the faculty voted no confidence for Morris and Klein, the Faculty Senate can make a recommendation to Cullinan that the administrators be removed from their positions.
In November, Cullinan announced that the university would enter retrenchment, a process that allows administration to cut programs and eliminate professors without breaching the faculty union contract.
Today marks the end of the comment period for a provisional plan, which proposes cutting several majors and minors and 12.5 professors over the next three years.
Cullinan has said SOU will need to trim from $3.3 million to $5 million from its budget over the next three years.
The senate plans to discuss further actions during its next regular meeting on March 10.