When the Board of Trustees of Morehouse College voted in January to not renew current Morehouse president Dr. John Silvanus Wilson’s contract, faculty say that they were left with more questions than answers about the decision. After weeks of what some Morehouse faculty describe as an impasse in communications with the board and a series of revelations about the board’s governance practices, faculty took a vote of no confidence in the board chair last Tuesday.
A Morehouse spokesperson confirmed on Monday evening that the vote had taken place, but directed requests for comment to a faculty representative, Dr. Ulrica Wilson.
Wilson, who is an associate professor of mathematics at the all-male, historically Black college in Atlanta, said that the vote of no confidence was a reflection of escalating faculty concerns regarding the board chair, Robert C. Davidson Jr.
“We’re hoping to achieve a change in how the board operates,” Wilson said on Monday.
Davidson was not available for comment.
Other faculty were unwilling to speak publicly about the vote of no confidence, but said that they had concerns about the board’s governance style after viewing external assessment documents from entities tasked with evaluating the board. The documents, which have been circulating within the college, chronicle growing tensions between Wilson and Davidson over the years.
In the wake of the vote to not renew Wilson’s contract, the board has provided few public explanations for the decision. Davidson sent out a statement following the January vote that focused on Wilson’s achievements, saying that Wilson “turned around Morehouse in a number of ways.”
