Frostburg’s Vote of No Confidence

On May 12, 2024, three proposed resolutions were drafted in response to administration’s actions and treatment towards FSU. Titled, “From Concerned Frostburg Faculty Members,” three no confidence drafts have been posted. One article for President Ronald Nowaczyk, one for Acting President Al Delia, and one for Provost Traki L. Taylor. All three detail the reasons for each individual vote. In the President’s, there are bullet points referencing the budget issues, facility issues, morale issues, and other ‘dissatisfaction and mistrust,’ issues. One specific budget issue that is noted deals with the financial aid issue some faced. Nowaczyk and his team, “mismanaged the Oracle software….leading to student loans, grants, scholarships, alternative loans, and other external sources that were not applied to financial aid packages leading to severe complications for numerous students,” (2024). Other issues are failing to provide leadership, increasing administration positions while having a decrease in faculty positions, failing to provide operational facilities, growing frustration within faculty, solely making changes to the institutions without consulting senates or other faculty members, allowing additional budgets cuts to apply on the already tightened budget, and has failed to hold a budget transparent module. Then further in the proposal, “Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the faculty of Frostburg State University expresses a vote of no confidence in the leadership of President Ronald Nowaczyk,” (2024).

In Acting President Delia’s draft, it says he, “…lacks a fundamental credential for the presidency, an earned doctorate or other terminal degree in a field represented at Frostburg State University,” (2024). His other issues at noted as follows; making sole decisions that effected the number of sabbaticals, considered changing a floor in the library without consulting those that would be affected, creating a team and expecting solutions within two months, excluded expert opinions on academic problems, ‘lack of budget transparency,’ and further added to the disconnect between members of faculty and administration. It ends with expressing the vote of no confidence on Delia.

Provost Taylor’s proposal stems from the lack of fairness seen from her decisions. The other problems listed fall under the attitude and energy seen. Such as, not keeping communication, intruding on department decisions, feeding and maintaining a competitive/mistrustful environment, failing to in a timely manner to faculty petitions, “ignoring department-level decisions and documented evidence for untenured faculty renewal forcing departments to continue employing problematic faculty who endanger program quality and accreditation, display uncollegial behavior, and negatively impact department morale,” (2024), and has negatively managed human resources of the Library and three colleges in Frostburg State University. She showed that by disregarding deadlines until the last minute, demanding information in an untimely manner, withholding tenure and promotion letters, upholding double standards that deal with remote work, ignoring concerns about others, not being able to remain neutral in a conflict that she was mediating, and disregarding faculty and staff members to colleagues. Much like the President and Acting President, the Provost has broken the ideal of sharing power by making sole decisions when there should be consultations. The draft resolves in a vote of no confidence and ends with, “…even in her two-year tenure….these actions have eroded trust and created a sense of disenfranchisement among the faculty,” (2024).

So, what does this mean?

The Faculty Assembly sends this to the Chancellor and the Board of Regents in hopes to resolve these issues. That could mean them losing their positions, being supervised/monitored, etc.

 Going forward, these proposals are up and available for anyone to read, FSU affiliated or not.

Link: https://concernedfrostburgfaculty.blogspot.com/?m=1