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YSU senate backs provost
By jeanne starmack
youngstown
Youngstown State University’s Academic Senate cast its support to interim Provost Martin Abraham by voting against a resolution of no confidence in his leadership.
Reorganization of colleges and the honors program without “meaningful consultation with students, faculty or staff” prompted the resolution, which was an amended version of one tabled from the senate’s December meeting.
The first version had called for no confidence in the entire administration.
Michael K. Jerryson, assistant professor in the department of philosophy and religious studies, made the motion Wednesday to pass the second version.
In response to a question about why it had changed, he said, “We want to be careful about where we point our fingers.”
“There’s a lot of good work within the administration,” he said, adding that he didn’t want “to lump others in with one person who is the problem.”
The resolution said that Abraham, who is a senator and was present during the vote, did not exercise oversight in a manner that reflects respect for shared governance.
Shared governance requires appropriate consultation with students, faculty and staff before important decisions are made, and it is central to YSU’s ability to achieve its teaching, research and service missions, it said.
Senators, who help set academic policies at the university, include 70 faculty members, 15 administrators and 15 students.
Before the vote, they debated whether the resolution was a good or bad idea.
“Students were not on committees but there were two meaningful committees,” said Howard Mettee, a chemistry professor.
He said there were faculty and department chairmen from three colleges that were involved in a proposed consolidation on the committees.
“Students were not involved, unfortunately, but there was some meaningful consultation, and no changes were initiated,” he said.
“They were talked about, then faded away,” he continued. “So this is not a good time. YSU is at a critical state. Higher education is at a critical state. ... We have talented people on the faculty and we can do this job ... but we may never get there if we continue to shoot at each other.”
Deborah Mower, a professor of philosophy and religious studies, said Abraham might be a fine person and might do a fine job in many ways, but that was not the point.
“But it’s an issue of policy,” she said. “Follow policy, and the senate should not be bypassed.”
Michael Slavens, a student senator, said Abraham has been “very collaborative” and “very student-success-oriented.”
Loren Lease, a professor in the department of sociology, anthropology and gerontology, said that Abraham and the board of trustees approved the division of the honors program before coming to the senate.
“We were not consulted,” she said. “There was no clear reason for dividing the college.”
“I had students who were terrified by the split,” she continued. “What does that mean to their degree? Their major?”
Then, a senator called for the question. It was time to put an end to the discussion and vote.
Greg Sturrus, interim dean of the STEM college, pulled a rare move and called for a roll-call vote. Senate Chairman Chet Cooper, who is used to conducting voice votes and shows of hands, had to consult bylaws to figure out the rules for a roll call.
Meanwhile, senators, began walking out.
“I was a bit surprised by it,” he said later. “It doesn’t happen very often.”
As the vote was getting under way, Cooper was reminded to get another count for a quorum, because so many people had left.
The first person to vote “no” as names were called was Abraham. When the vote was finished, 54 people had voted “no” and three had voted “yes.”
Two of those “yes” votes were from Jerryson, who’d moved to pass the resolution, and Lease, who had seconded that motion.