Faculty senate nixes vote on MTSU president

The senate voted 38-11 Monday night to adopt its steering committee’s position that it’s inappropriate for a full faculty vote on its confidence in McPhee due to a pending lawsuit.

English professor Ted Sherman’s motion for a campus referendum on McPhee failed because it was not seconded.

Educational leadership professor Joel Hausler, who was the first to publicly call for a no-confidence vote, said he was disappointed in the faculty senate’s actions.

“It’s not going to go away just because they chose to ignore it,” he said.

McPhee, reached by telephone in Orlando, Fla., where he was attending a meeting of concrete industry leaders, told The Tennessean newspaper he was “pleased to have the confidence of the faculty.”

Middle Tennessee offers a degree in concrete industry management.

McPhee’s problems began in October when his administrative assistant accused him of sexual harassment, saying he’d made inappropriate sexual comments during office meetings and golf games, and created a hostile work environment.

The Tennessee Board of Regents found in December that McPhee had sexually harassed the woman. He was suspended without pay for 20 days and took a $10,000 cut in pay for a year.

The former assistant is suing McPhee, MTSU and the Board of Regents. She claims she suffered “severe emotional distress, mental anguish, indignation, wounded pride, shame and despair.”

After Hausler asked for a vote on McPhee’s leadership, the faculty senate’s steering committee voted 10-0, with two abstentions, that it would be inappropriate while litigation is pending.

Several former faculty senate presidents said Monday a vote on McPhee would divide the university irreparably.

“No good will come from a vote of no confidence,” recording industry professor Christian Haseleu said.

Others argued it was time to begin bringing some resolution to the matter. They said it was doubtful more facts would surface, and those that do could take years to turn up.

“We are not charged with gathering facts,” said Paul Lee, a professor of physics and astronomy and Faculty Senate member. “Confidence is not something that’s factual. It is emotionalism. It is a perception.”

Sherman said 35 of 37 English professors wanted a vote on McPhee.

“The senate voted,” he said. “That’s the best I can say. My own personal opinion is that on an issue of this importance, it should have gone to a campuswide vote. If this board is representative of the campus, President McPhee would have gotten a ringing endorsement.”
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