The University of Minnesota Faculty Senate on Wednesday voted to express no confidence in interim President Jeff Ettinger over his decision to pause the hiring of a new director for the U's Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, a conflict Ettinger said he hoped to avoid in his final days leading the U.
"Is this the only arrow in the quiver?" Ettinger asked faculty senators in their meeting. "Is a vote of no confidence the only way to express the importance of academic freedom to your opinions in this topic?"
The vote is largely symbolic, though Mark Bee, chair of the Faculty Consultative Committee, described it as "arguably the strongest rebuke of a university administrator that a faculty senate can approve," noting that some in academia had described it as "the nuclear option."
No confidence votes are relatively rare at universities, though the Chronicle of Higher Education has reported at least five of them in recent months, many related to leaders' handling of conflicts related to the war between Israel and Hamas.
Earlier this month, the university offered the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies director job — and a history professor position — to Israeli historian Raz Segal, who in an article described Israel's assault on Gaza as "a textbook case of genocide."
Ettinger has repeatedly said that he paused the director search because the center's leader must work closely with community groups outside the university, some of which raised concerns about the selection process. He has said he will defer to the faculty on whether they want to offer Segal a position in the history department, keeping with other university policies.
Faculty members who opposed the no confidence vote said they agreed with Ettinger's logic or had been pleased by other aspects of his 13-month tenure and didn't want it to be overshadowed by one incident. Faculty members who supported it said they feared the move could create a new precedent that makes it easier for U leaders to infringe on professors' and directors' academic freedom, particularly if their works draws opposition.
"The president's decision puts the center and its faculty in an impossible predicament," said Michael Gallope, vice chair of the College of Liberal Arts Assembly.
Ettinger told faculty senators he lamented that they were dealing with a conflict at the end of his time at the U.
"Ultimately, I tried to look at the totality of the circumstances and make the decision that I thought was in the best interests of the university," he said.
This is Ettinger's last week as interim president; on Tuesday, he was called before a state Senate committee over concerns about antisemitism and campus safety. Incoming President Rebecca Cunningham will officially begin work on Monday.
The Faculty Senate also voted to express no confidence in Provost Rachel Croson. Shortly after the vote, the chairs and vice chairs of the U's Board of Regents — Janie Mayeron, Doug Huebsch and Mike Kenyanya — issued a statement saying they supported Ettinger's decision and believed both he and Croson had "served the University of Minnesota exceptionally well throughout their tenures, especially in the face of multiple daunting challenges."
