Indiana University Bloomington’s Faculty Council is preparing a “No Confidence” vote against President Pamela Whitten, Provost Rahul Shrivastav and Vice Provost Faculty and Academic Affairs Carrie Docherty.
Colin Johnson, president of Bloomington’s Faculty Council, announced the vote will take place April 16 between 2:30- 5:30 p.m. at the IU Auditorium, one of the only venues able to hold thousands of eligible faculty. A petition for the vote earned 226 signatures before being presented to council leadership, meeting the minimum 50 signatures required.
Votes of “No Confidence” for Whitten, Shrivastav and Docherty will be held separately, Johnson said.
Johnson said the vote is “profoundly significant,” and he urged faculty to vote thoughtfully and seriously.
“Whatever has led us to this point, and whoever may be responsible for this significant chasm that seems to have developed between the faculty — or at least, some of our faculty colleagues — and university leaders, it is a sad state at which we collectively find ourselves at the moment,” Johnson said.
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Johnson said it is “absolutely essential decorum be maintained,” considering the severity of the votes.
The petition detailed a number of controversies in the last year, such as the potential severing of the Kinsey Institute, the cancellation of a Palestinian artist’s exhibition, the unusual suspension of a tenured professor, and failure to stand against Indiana’s legislature.
An IU spokesperson provided a statement after Johnson announced the vote.
"The current climate in higher education is uniquely challenging, with universities addressing and adapting to unprecedented new pressures and demands," the spokesperson said. "Indiana University continues to evolve in ways that keeps it on a positive and powerful trajectory forward. As it confronts these new realities, IU remains driven by an unwavering commitment to student success and opportunity resulting from valued collaboration with our faculty and staff.”
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Shrivastav, who is present at every Bloomington Faculty Council meeting, said he encourages members to share their perspectives. At an April 2 council meeting, he said the university is moving toward a “bold vision” for the future.
“That doesn’t mean it will be an easy path or that everyone will agree with, or understand, or like every decision or every new direction we take,” he said. “But to get to the future we all aspire to, we must continue to be willing to listen and collaborate with each other and with colleagues across the university on finding solutions to our toughest challenges and realizing the amazing opportunities we have ahead of us.”
Aubrey is our higher education reporter and a Report For America corps member. Contact her at aubmwrig@iu.edu or follow her on X @aubreymwright .
