The MCCC Faculty Association passed a vote of no confidence in the leadership of the college’s president, Dr. Jianping Wang at a meeting on Thursday, April 11. Eighty-five faculty members voted, three abstained and the remaining 82 voted no confidence.
At the same meeting, Professor Alvyn Haywood was elected president of the Faculty Association and presided over the no-confidence vote, a move that the association had brought to the floor and discussed last year but had tabled.
After the vote, Professor Haywood said, “Under the circumstances, I would say this was the wisest way to go. We have found that the president, when things don’t go her way, can be retaliatory.”
Mathematics professor Kyle Anderson added, “Going back a year ago, when the faculty
When asked about the vote, Dr. Wang said, “If people are genuinely concerned about my leadership, I always welcome people to come and tell me. If we are truly interested in improving this college, then we should work together.”
A faculty member who asked to remain anonymous said, “I’ve been here over 30 years and I’ve never seen the faculty totally agree on anything—except for this. The vote speaks loudly as to the seriousness of these issues.”
As explained in a VOICE article last year when the earlier no-confidence vote was brought up and tabled, the vote is essentially a resolution that states that the college’s full- time faculty members have lost confidence in the president’s ability to run the institution.
The vote has no direct consequence in the day-to-day operations of the college, but it does put pressure on the Board of Trustees to address issues related to the president.
The faculty will be meeting with the Board of Trustees in an open forum at the monthly meeting on Thursday, April 18 to explain to the board their reasons for the vote and their dissatisfaction with Dr. Wang’s leadership.
As
An hour prior to the
Dr. Wang continued, “Help me to put things into perspective, saying if you are so unhappy about something, why don’t we work together to address that, if your equipment is outdated or your chairs are broken.”
As a part of the justification for the vote, Professor Haywood said, “Five vice-presidents of academic affairs have come and gone [since Dr. Wang became president], and I think that’s the most glowing example of a hostile work environment. They did not leave because they wanted to leave.”
Haywood continued, “That says something and I don’t mean about the vice presidents. It’s like being married, you know, and if you’ve been married more than three times, maybe you go and say: is it something about me?”
On Wednesday, April 10, Dr. Wang sent out an email to faculty that said, “I wish to inform you that [Vice President of Academic Affairs] Dr. Brandon Shaw’s service to the College will conclude at the end of this academic year. Please join me in thanking Dr. Shaw for his service to our students, faculty, and the College community and wishing him the best in his future endeavors.”
Dr. Shaw could not be reached for comment.
Dr. Dylan Wolfe, a Communication professor, stated, “This is really about the responsibility the faculty felt they had as professionals who care about the college, and the college’s mission, and particularly our students.”
NOTE: Jim Franklin, Professor Emeritus of English, served as
Correction was made April 12th at
