Faculty at Emory University are scheduled to begin voting Monday on whether they believe President James Wagner is fit to lead the respected private school.
Online voting for faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences will continue through Friday.
Some faculty have concerns about Wagner’s communication style and leadership decisions. Should a majority vote “no confidence” in him, it would send the message they no longer think he should be president.
The outcome won’t affect Wagner’s employment status. That decision rests with the board of trustees, which has said it supports him.
Wagner and faculty have had a strained relationship since September, when cuts were announced to the College of Arts and Sciences.
Administrators say the changes will allow Emory to enhance core strengths and expand into developing academic areas. Faculty are worried that the cuts will threaten academic quality and harm students.
The relationship worsened in February after Wagner was vilified for a column he wrote that used the three-fifths compromise as an example of how people with opposing viewpoints can work together. The compromise was an agreement between Southern and Northern states to count slaves as three-fifths of a person for representation in Congress.
Wagner has repeatedly apologized.
About 500 faculty teach in the College of Arts and Science. Emory has nearly 3,000 faculty in nine schools.
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