Temple faculty still deciding on ‘no confidence’ vote

Temple University’s faculty union held an emergency town hall meeting Friday to discuss a vote of no confidence in president Jason Wingard and two other high-ranking officials, but the group stopped short of making a decision.

The union’s executive committee plans to meet Monday “to discuss a path forward, which may include a vote of no confidence.”

Hundreds of faculty members who attended the virtual meeting expressed deep concerns over the direction of the university and its leadership. The Temple Association of University Professionals sent out a media alert following the meeting which included quotes from members.

“I’ve never seen anything so bad and scary in all my years here,” political science professor Barbara Ferman said.

In all of its 50-year history, the union has never taken such a vote regarding a university president. During Friday’s meeting, faculty addressed concerns regarding the reduction of faculty positions, non-renewal notices on contracts, the state of the university’s office of research, and increasing class sizes.

This meeting follows a tumultuous period at the university which also includes an ongoing graduate union strike, the first-ever fatal shooting of a Temple police officer, and broader concerns over campus safety.

TAUP is focusing its attention on Wingard, along with provost Gregory Mandel and Ken Kaiser, senior vice president and chief operating officer for the university.

“We’re very concerned with the way this whole university is run,” sociology professor Mary Stricker said.

WHYY News reached out to Temple for comment, and a spokesperson responded saying they were “aware” of the union’s meeting.

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

Wingard, Temple’s first Black president, has been working at the university since June 2021.