Chancellor Rebecca Blank announced Tuesday she opposes a UW Faculty Senate vote of “no confidence” in UW System President Ray Cross and the Board of Regents.
Blank said in a blog post that the “No Confidence” resolution, in which the Faculty Senate explicitly condemns Cross and the board for their failure to protect tenure and shared governance, will not have “any positive outcome.”
“Such a vote would put the UW-Madison faculty in opposition to our governing board, with which we work closely and must have a positive relationship,” Blank said in the post.
Blank said she does not agree with the Faculty Senate’s draft of the resolution, which emphasizes how the actions of Cross and the board have damaged UW-Madison’s reputation.
“I can personally attest that [Cross] has consistently advanced the best interest of our campus,” Blank said. “He does not deserve this resolution.”
While Blank acknowledged the “anger and frustration” of faculty and staff members as a result of budget cuts, she emphasized that the Faculty Senate’s resolution is “counterproductive.”
“There is a risk of substantial negative effects,” she said. “I believe [the resolution] will only reduce support for us at a time we need to communicate our value to the citizens of Wisconsin as strongly as possible.”
