19-02-2025
St. Norbert professors vote 'no confidence' in college president after major cuts recommended
DE PERE - St. Norbert College faculty voted no confidence in college president Laurie Joyner on Tuesday, more than a month since the college recommended cutting faculty and 13 academic majors.
"In light of the overwhelming evidence of failed leadership, we, the faculty of St. Norbert College, formally declare no confidence in the Presidency of Laurie Joyner and call for immediate action by the Board of Trustees to restore leadership that aligns with the mission, values and sustainability of the college," the resolution, shared with the Press-Gazette, reads.
Faculty voted 66-11 to pass the motion, with two abstentions: 85% of voting faculty and administrators in total voted no confidence, according to multiple faculty members who attended the vote. The resolution calls for a pause on faculty and program eliminations, an independent financial review and a leadership change.
While no confidence votes are symbolic, they show significant opposition among the faculty to leadership. Administrators who receive no confidence votes leave office within a year about half the time, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.
The Press-Gazette reached out to St. Norbert with questions on whether the vote will impact recommendations to cut faculty or influence any other changes. The college did not respond, but provided statements from Patti Brash McKeithan, chair of the college's board of trustees, and the abbot of St. Norbert Abbey, Dane Radecki, who stated the board and the Norbertines will both continue to back Joyner.
"We are deeply disappointed by the vote of no confidence. This vote, unfortunately, adds to the misguided and misinformed campaign attempting to diminish President Joyner's efforts and trust in her leadership. We stand firmly with President Joyner, and we urge the community to see the bigger picture and the progress we have made under her leadership," a portion of the letter from McKeithan reads. "Votes of no confidence have become weapons of resistance rather than genuine warnings of leadership failure. We call on faculty, staff, students, and alumni to focus on constructive engagement—working with the administration to navigate challenges rather than seeking to delay, deny, and delegitimize the leadership charged with enacting essential changes to ensure St. Norbert College continues its inspiring mission."
The statement comes less than two weeks after McKeithan released an initial letter backing Joyner.
This is the second no confidence vote Joyner has faced in her career. At Saint Xavier University, faculty members voted no confidence 71-33 after university administration reportedly stopped recognizing the faculty union and rewrote faculty bylaws. Joyner left Saint Xavier, which is in Chicago, for St. Norbert in 2023, just under two years after the vote.
St. Norbert faculty were first notified they'd been recommended for cuts on Jan. 15. The college still hasn't made a decision on whether those cuts will be finalized, which some professors have said leaves them in limbo on what their futures will look like. Faculty members declined to speak on the record before cuts have been finalized.
The recommended cuts would eliminate 13 majors, including theology, and revise four more, and administrators said at a town hall that there would 'probably' be a fourth round of cuts in the future. St. Norbert hasn't released the final number of faculty recommended to be cut or what that timeline looks like.
From a former president: 'Snuffing out the light': Former St. Norbert president opposes recommended cuts in letter to trustees
Students were told the college would ensure they'd be able to fulfill their degree requirements and that the administration was exploring options including online programs, working with partners like UW-Green Bay and hiring adjunct professors.
St. Norbert's faculty handbook forbids the college from hiring new professors in academic areas where tenured faculty have been terminated unless the terminated professor was offered and rejected reinstatement. When asked about this, marketing communications director Morgan Bobinski said the college's leadership is following faculty handbook guidelines 'exactly as written.'
On Jan. 31, the American Catholic Historical Association announced it was canceling its 2025 spring conference, which was scheduled to be held at St. Norbert, due to news of the college's recommended cuts to the humanities. The association urged the college not to go through with the recommendations.
No confidence votes aren't unheard of in Wisconsin. Last year, both the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and Marquette University voted no confidence in their administration.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: St. Norbert professors vote 'no confidence' in president after cuts
