The discontent resulting from a faculty vote of confidence would not be directed toward interim President Lou Hencken, but rather at the process by which he was appointed Eastern’s ninth president along with the entity that placed him there, the Board of Trustees.

The motion to discuss the possibility of taking a vote of confidence against the board is on Tuesday’s Faculty Senate agenda.

If a no confidence vote was cast against the board, no direct action could be taken since the board members are appointed by the governor. The vote would stand as a strong disapproval against the board, English professor John Allison previously said.

Allison proposed the motion to discuss the vote of confidence.

Some have expressed discontent from what they perceived as a lack of campus input during the presidential search process that consisted of one meeting. The board decided Sept. 30 to end the search and extend Hencken’s contract two years. The contract could be finalized at the board’s Nov. 7 meeting, and would drop Hencken’s interim title.

The lack of extensive consultation for the campus entities has made some question whether the board is adequately doing their jobs as the governing body of the university.

After a presidential search to find a replacement for former Eastern president Carol Surles in 2001 ended, the search reconvened this fall. The 13-member Presidential Search Committee first met Sept. 23 and one week later, the board voted 6 to 1 to extend Hencken’s contract.

That quick decision has some faculty and students believing shared governance, or equal representation, was not followed. The search committee’s purpose was to suggest what attributes their entities would like to have in a president.

Bill Davidson, the student board representative and student executive vice president, was a member on the search committee and previously said he had believed the majority of the committee had wanted to continue the search.

Faculty and students have made one thing clear – the issue is not Lou Hencken, but the process that he was placed into the position.

What a vote of confidence would do

The Faculty Senate is set to only discuss if preliminary actions should be taken. The vote of confidence would only result in a black eye for the university, and could draw attention from the state government or the Illinois Board of Higher Education.

“I’m comfortable with the process the board has taken,” BOT chair Nate Anderson previously said. “We’re very comfortable with that.”

If the senate passes a resolution for the vote of confidence, Allison hopes the next step would be a campus wide referendum that would gauge if there is faculty interest in a vote of confidence.

Why some have problems with the decision

There are a number of reasons why some have problems with the lack of a search. Some say the search did not accurately represent the university’s concerns to maintain its status as an equal opportunity employer. Others prefer the university president have a doctoral or terminal degree, along with experience in higher education academics.

That issue is a concern because some faculty believe in order for a president to accurately portray the university’s goals, he or she needs to have been a faculty member. Hencken has previously said he defers to Blair Lord, provost and vice president for academic affairs, on almost all issues that deal with academics, but Lord is not the one who primarily represents Eastern with the General Assembly and with boosters.

Hencken has a master’s degree from Eastern, and has held various positions in the Housing and Dining Office and Student Affairs Office.

Some faculty believe a better candidate, with Hencken’s credentials, could be found. Although board members say Hencken is the prime candidate for dealing with Eastern’s budget situation, faculty resound that other universities and other states are also dealing with the same budget shortfalls.

Why the board made their decision

The selection to extend Hencken’s contract by two years was made for two main reasons, numerous board members say – stability in the university’s renewal of the North Central Accreditation and Hencken’s rapport with state legislators.

NCA representatives will not arrive on campus for reaccreditation until 2005, but the university is currently in the process of conducting a self study.

Board members have said stability at the presidential position will reflect well upon the NCA members. However, NCA representatives have previously said presidential stability is not one of the major determining factors of the reaccreditation.

If Eastern were to lose NCA accreditation, the results would be devastating. Not only would the university lose the ability for students to receive financial aid, but the university’s ability to accept and transfer class credits would also be lost.

Hencken’s 36 years of experience at Eastern was also a determining factor the board looked at. Because of the state’s budget problems, Hencken’s experience with the university’s operations was a plus, Anderson said.

“There’s no one who knows the campus better than Lou,” said Besty Mitchell, search committee chair and BOT vice chair.

Hencken has previously said his experience at Eastern would enable him to know what areas of the university could be cut and what areas could not.

Hencken has good working relationships with the local politicians. Maybe more importantly, Hencken has been successful in attaining private donation in a time where that revenue source has been declining. Eastern received $2.7 million in private funding last year, an increase of $500,000 from the previous year.

And now, with the interim title seemingly dropped from his business card, Hencken’s effectiveness as a fundraiser could increase even more, he admits.

The state budget, in multi-billion debt, is predicted to be even worse than last year, when the university had to return that resulted in the faculty receiving no raises.

Hencken previously said it would be the “worst time” for a new president to take office at Eastern.

Administration editor Tim Martin can be reached at [email protected]