After a 29-16 vote of no confidence in the academic leadership of Radford University Provost Wil Stanton by the Faculty Senate on Oct. 22, time continued to tick by with no official word coming from RU President Penelope Kyle regarding the future of Stanton.

Kyle attended a Nov. 10 Faculty Senate meeting, but offered no insights as to her thoughts in regard to the provost’s future. Instead, the meeting was more of a venue for faculty to express their views to Kyle that she had not been “well-served” by Stanton, as several faculty senators said.

Kyle was asked in that meeting about her managerial relationship and communication with the provost. “That’s a very close relationship,” Kyle said, adding that there is nothing of any importance that she does that is not known by the provost. “He has an open door policy with me; I have an open door policy with him,” Kyle said.

The university community was then left to wonder after that meeting if Stanton would stay in his role as provost. Rumors began to surface late last week that an answer might come as early as Monday, and late Monday afternoon Stanton put those rumors to rest with his e-mail to faculty announcing his resignation as provost effective Dec. 31. That resignation will be followed by a year sabbatical and finally a return to a teaching faculty position in 2011. RU officials have not responded to a question of what Stanton’s salary will be after Dec. 31. Stanton’s initial salary as provost was $208,000 but he received a 20 percent raise after about one year on the job to bring his current salary up to $249,600.

Communication Professor Gwen Brown (pictured at left), who initially brought the motion of no confidence to the Faculty Senate floor, said she appreciates Stanton’s willingness to step down for the good of Radford University. “It is time, now, to heal the breach between the faculty and the administration and to restore a healthy relationship that accords with our traditions of shared governance.”

Mathematics Professor Steve Corwin said that the resignation does fulfill the strict goals of the no-confidence vote, but he said that he was unsure whether relations between the faculty and the current administration can return to normal.

Corwin expressed concerns with faculty mending relationships with their deans, as he referred to a letter dated Oct. 12 in which the RU Council of Deans signed a statement of support for the leadership of RU and specifically for the provost.

“Our most important relationships with administrators are with our deans, and their letter of unconditional support for the provost . . . set them against the faculty much too clearly and directly for comfort,” Corwin said. “People have short memories, it is true, but I doubt that that letter can be entirely overcome, at least in colleges in which most faculty wanted to see the provost go.”

Glen Martin, a professor in the Department of Religion & Philosophy, said the decision to return to teaching was a wise and honorable decision on the part of Stanton, but added that “the responsibility for the tragic mess lies not only with the provost but with the past actions of both the Board (of Visitors) and the president. Hence, the implications of the no confidence vote were larger than just the provost.”

That being said, Martin said that there are recent positive signs of the board and president really learning and growing in their roles and responsibilities toward RU.

“For example,” Martin said, “they have hired a very competent consultant who is advising them. It may be that, with the help of the board and the president, RU can search for a new provost who can inspire the educational mission and confidence of the faculty and restore a quality academic atmosphere.”

Martin said recent events open up real hope for turning RU around. “We have had enough of ‘no confidence’ votes, at least for the present,” Martin said. “Now it is time to work together to re-establish our educational mission.”

In an e-mail to faculty and staff Monday, Kyle thanked Stanton for his service, saying, “I want to acknowledge and thank Wil for the contributions he has made and recognize him for all that we have been able to accomplish as a result of his efforts.”

She also said in that e-mail, “I want to assure all of you that I am more personally and professionally committed than ever before to fostering and sustaining the culture of trust, transparency and empowerment that we need in order to build the future we all want and which Radford University deserves.”

Tim W. Jackson is Editor of the New River Voice.