Temple faculty union debates no-confidence vote in President Wingard, but makes no decisions

On the eve of its spring break, nearly 600 members of Temple’s faculty union discussed for more than 90 minutes whether to take a no-confidence vote in university leaders, but no decision was made Friday.

Now, the executive committee of the Temple Association of University Professionals, the faculty union, will meet Monday afternoon to talk about the next steps, which could include the no-confidence vote, union leaders said.

“Clearly lots and lots of people are concerned,” TAUP president Jeffrey Doshna said. “It was good to see such wide participation on a Friday, going into spring break.”

» READ MORE: Temple faculty union to discuss taking no-confidence vote in president Wingard and two top administrators

Doshna had said Wednesday that he heard concerns from enough members that it made sense to have a meeting where faculty could discuss whether to take a no-confidence vote on President Jason Wingard, Provost Gregory N. Mandel, and Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Ken Kaiser.

Kaiser, however, is no longer being considered for any action, following Friday’s discussion, Doshna said. Instead, Mitchell Morgan, chair of the board of trustees, has been added.

The discussions reflect a Temple in turmoil: A graduate student strike has stretched into its sixth week, and the campus continues to reel in the aftermath of the slaying of Christopher Fitzgerald, a Temple police officer posthumously promoted to sergeant, who was shot to death while on duty patrolling off campus. A student group held a protest rally on campus earlier this week, calling for more transparency in campus crime reporting and a better plan to keep students safe.

The university also recently did not renew contracts for some nontenure track faculty as it copes with a 6.4% enrollment drop this year. Since fall 2019, enrollment has fallen 14%, to 33,606 students this year.

Temple in a statement Friday evening acknowledged the discussions.

“We are hopeful that the outcome of their discussions is that faculty members will continue to work with us to address the serious issues facing the university,” the school said.

There was disagreement at the meeting about whether a no-confidence vote was the right way to proceed. Some voiced concern that taking a vote of no confidence against Temple’s first Black president after he’s been on the job less than two years does not send the right message.

“It’s something we are absolutely cognizant of,” Doshna said.

» READ MORE: Temple grad students overwhelmingly vote down proposed contract, strike continues

But Nora Newcombe, a professor of psychology, disagreed with that sentiment.

She said she favors taking a no-confidence vote, given their treatment of the striking graduate students and their seeming unwillingness to talk and work together.

“I don’t see there is an alternative,” she said.

Barbara Ferman, a political science professor who has been at Temple since 1992, said in a union press release sent out after the meeting that she had never seen anything “so bad and scary” during her time.

“I spend my time writing grant proposals and the office of research has no leadership,” she said. “Temple’s ethics and compliance officer gave one week’s notice and then resigned from the university. Tenured lines are down and we’re hiring less and less. The problems are very serious.”

But another faculty member who also disagrees with the way the university has handled the graduate student strike said its actions still don’t warrant a no-confidence vote.

“It’s just not a good time to be turning on each other,” said the college of education faculty member who asked not to be named.

Others expressed grave concerns about not only the handling of the strike but the overall running of the school. Doshna has cited concerns about Wingard’s general lack of presence on campus.

“If the administration takes some significant steps between now and when we meet [on Monday], that all gets factored into what the next steps are,” Doshna said. “What I’m hoping is that the board of trustees and university leadership see how many of us spent time seriously and thoughtfully debating and discussing the serious challenges facing Temple right now.”

Doshna said he hopes to hear from more of the 2,600-member union between now and Monday.

In the meantime, also on Friday, Jennifer Griffin, vice president for public safety, outlined efforts to reorganize the department and make more than a dozen “strategic and tactical leadership” hires, including director of messaging and communication, deputy director of organizational affairs, and director/captain of tactics and professional development.

» READ MORE: Temple defends its police staffing struggles after the shooting death of one of its officers

“These positions are critical to public safety developing and expanding our skills and capabilities department-wide to better serve the university and community,” Griffin wrote. “It should be noted that while other department budgets have been reduced, our budget has not.”

Griffin previously said that the department, which currently has 72 officers — 97 if sworn officers in other capacities such as detective and supervisor are counted — has the money to hire more officers, but has had difficulty filling positions because of a nationwide shortage. In her memo, Griffin said the department is reviewing its salary and benefit package to make sure it’s competitive. The starting police officer salary, which took effect in a new contract last year, is $59,200, she said.

She said the university, under a revamped agreement that started this week, is again paying supplemental patrols from the city police department to work in off-campus hotspot areas.

The department also is overhauling its website to provide more information, including crime and case updates and safety messages. That overhaul is scheduled to be completed in the next month, she said.