Faculty at NYU’s biggest school gave president John Sexton a vote of no-confidence yesterday, accusing him of a high-handed management style as he pursues aggressive growth plans in Greenwich Village.
In a vote by faculty at NYU’s School of Arts and Sciences, 298, or 52 percent, voted against Sexton, while 224, or 39 percent, supported the hard-charging boss.
Eight percent of voters abstained. More than 83 percent of eligible faculty participated in the vote.
Arts and Sciences hosts about 700 of the university’s 2,000 faculty members.
Other NYU schools are mulling no-confidence votes of their own.
“We hope the trustees will respect this very clear consensus and accept the president’s resignation as soon as possible,” said Mark Crispin Miller, a professor of media studies who has helped lead the charge against Sexton.
“He cannot function as president of the university if the faculty has no faith in him.”
That might be wishful thinking. NYU’s Board of Trustees has consistently expressed unanimous support for Sexton, who has held the job for 12 years.
“The vote — although supported by fewer than half the tenured faculty [in Arts and Sciences] — is a disappointing outcome, in part because it does not seem to take account of NYU’s progress over the last decade,” Board of Trustees chairman Martin Lipton said in a statement.
Critics charge that Sexton has paid himself and other top administrators fat salaries and spent lavishly on new facilities despite feeble financial aid for students and flat faculty wages.
But supporters note that Sexton recently raised a record-breaking $3 billion to fund his initiatives, and back his view that NYU must grow to remain competitive with other top schools.
Sexton said he values NYU professors.
“Faculty must be at the center of the academic endeavor and involved in the decision-making,” Sexton said in a statement. “We have taken some important steps in that direction and, particularly with this vote in mind, that effort will continue.”