Faculty and staffers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have voted no confidence in the leadership ability of Chancellor Javier Reyes.
There was an emergency meeting Monday and following the meeting the faculty voted no confidence by a margin of 437 to 332 with 20 people abstaining.
Meantime, both the Board of Trustees and The UMass President have issued their own statements in support of the embattled leader.
Meehan in a statement said: “As I have shared previously, Chancellor Javier Reyes has my unwavering support and confidence to lead the UMass Amherst campus. He continues to guide the campus through this difficult moment with integrity, transparency, and a deep and sincere commitment to our university community. I remain confident his thoughtful leadership and active engagement with all on the Amherst campus will result in a productive dialogue. I am grateful to him for his exemplary leadership of UMass Amherst.”
UMass Board of Trustees Chair Stephen Karam issued his own statement:
“On behalf of the UMass Board of Trustees, I want to reaffirm our strong support of Chancellor Javier Reyes and his leadership of the UMass Amherst campus. Chancellor Reyes continues to do an exceptional job leading the UMass Amherst campus through a challenging time. We value his integrity, his leadership, and his commitment to all our students, faculty, and staff. He has our full support.”
The call for a vote came after Reyes called police to take down a pro-Palestinian encampment earlier this month, leading to the arrests of more than 130 demonstrators.
(Photo Credit: UMass Amherst)