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Greenfield Community College union votes 'no confidence' in president and provost

Greenfield Community College's main campus.
Paul Franz
/
Daily Hampshire Gazette / gazettenet.com
Greenfield Community College's main campus.

Union faculty and staff at Greenfield Community College Tuesday voted overwhelmingly "no-confidence" in the school leadership.

What lead to the vote was President Michelle Shutt's "suppression" of a report from diversity, equity and inclusion consultants said Trevor Kearns, a professor of English at the college and president of the professional union at the college.

The consultants were hired by GCC and spent time on campus last year, Kearns said.

"In that report, there are some alarming accounts of the consultants' work with the president, the provost and members of their leadership cabinet," Kearns said.

The report specifically singled out Shutt and Jordan, "for the negative impact they have on campus culture," Kearns said.

There were 78 ballots cast — just under 50% of union members ,Kearns said. Among them 95% voted "no confidence" in Jordan and 87% voted no confidence in Shutt.

"I think that the numbers speak for themselves," Kearns said. "There's virtually no confidence in the leadership of the provost. There is a bit more confidence in the leadership of the president, or at least there's more confidence that [Shutt] can actually change course."

In an email statement Schutt said she respects GCC faculty and her goal is a campus that works together to address challenges.

The Board of Trustees said in the same email statement it "supports the President’s plan" without being specific.

Jill Kaufman has been a reporter and host at NEPM since 2005. Before that she spent 10 years at WBUR in Boston, producing "The Connection" with Christopher Lydon and on "Morning Edition" reporting and hosting. She's also hosted NHPR's daily talk show "The Exhange" and was an editor at PRX's "The World."
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