EIU faculty push for provost no-confidence vote

CHARLESTON, Ill. (AP) - Over 100 faculty members at Eastern Illinois University have signed a petition calling for a no-confidence vote for the provost and vice president of academic affairs.

The co-author of the petition is physics professor James Conwell. He says there are concerns about transparency and decisions under Blair Lord, including centralizing employment within departments.

The (Decatur) Herald & Review reports (http://bit.ly/1GNfcDY ) there'll be a faculty senate no-confidence referendum scheduled for several days in November's first week.

If it passes with a simple majority, the results will be presented to EIU President David Glassman. He says any formal action affecting the provost's position is at his discretion.

Lord declined to comment to the newspaper. An email message left Sunday by The Associated Press wasn't immediately returned.

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Information from: Herald & Review, http://www.herald-review.com