The results of the Ithaca College staff vote of no confidence in President Tom Rochon were released Jan. 17, with 48 percent of voters voting “no confidence.”
The results reveal that of the 705 staff members who were invited to vote, 407, or 58 percent, responded. Among the respondents, 48 percent said they had no confidence, 33 percent said they had confidence and 19 percent chose to abstain.
Similar votes were hosted for faculty and students by Faculty Council and the Student Government Association. In the student vote, 71.75 percent of student voters expressed no confidence, with 3,756 out of 6,907 who were emailed the poll voting. In the faculty vote, 77.8 percent of those who voted said they had no confidence, with 406 out of 469 faculty at the college who were emailed the poll voting.
The vote for staff members began Dec. 17 and closed Jan. 15. Participating voters replied to the question: “Do you have confidence in Tom Rochon as the President of Ithaca College?”
The Staff Council Executive Committee said in the announcement of the voting results: “In light of President Rochon’s retirement announcement, we are committed to working with all constituencies to foster a more welcoming, respectful, and inclusive community at Ithaca College.”
Rochon announced Jan. 14 that he would leave his position July 1, 2017. His resignation comes after a semester of protests led by the group POC at IC and the student and faculty votes of no confidence.
The announcement of the staff vote results also said Staff Council will begin hosting a series of town hall meetings open to all staff members at the college in February. A finalized meeting schedule and list of topics will be announced no later than Jan. 22, according to the announcement.
