Faculty at Emory University decided Wednesday to conduct a vote to determine the level of confidence they retain in President James Wagner.
Voting dates have not been set. Should the measure end with a “no confidence” majority it would send the message that faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences no longer think Wagner should lead Emory. It is non-binding as Wagner’s employment is up to the board of trustees.
The decision to hold the vote came after nearly 90 minutes of heated debate, said Noelle McAfee, associate professor of philosophy.
Nearly half of the almost 500 faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences were at the meeting, she said. Emory has nearly 3,000 faculty in nine schools.
Faculty previously censured Wagner for an essay he wrote that used the notorious three-fifths compromise as an example of how people with opposing viewpoints can work together toward a common goal. The essay brought national condemnation to Wagner and Emory. The three-fifths compromise was an agreement between southern and northern states to count slaves as three-fifths of a person, rather than property, for purpose of taxation and representation in Congress.
Wagner, who has been president since 2003, has repeatedly apologized. He has called slavery and the compromise deplorable and said it was a mistake to use it as an example.
Wagner and faculty have had a difficult relationship since September after cuts in the College of Arts and Sciences were announced. Some faculty worry the cuts threaten academic quality.
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