ODU Faculty Senate issues no-confidence vote in Hemphill, other leaders

A large majority of Old Dominion University‘s Faculty Senate cast a vote of no confidence in the university’s president, provost and a vice president Tuesday, in reaction to ODU’s plan to cut online courses from 16 weeks to eight weeks in the upcoming academic year.

Fifty-four faculty senators voted on the resolution, with 41 voting for it, seven against and six abstaining, according to a statement from the senate.

Along with their objections to the Forward Focused Digital Transformation Initiative backed by President Brian O. Hemphill and the university’s Board of Visitors, the senate resolution said that Hemphill, Provost Brian Payne and Vice President for Digital Transformation and Technology Nina Rodriguez Gonser “dismissed” faculty concerns about the initiative last fall.

“It is deeply regrettable that our shared governance processes have deteriorated to the point where a resolution of no confidence became necessary,” said Faculty Senate Chair Corrin Allen, an associate professor of speech-language pathology. “We take no satisfaction in this action. Our priority has always been to work collaboratively with the administration in advancing the university’s mission. We hope this moment serves as a catalyst for restoring trust, strengthening communication and reestablishing the collaborative decision-making that is essential to ODU’s academic integrity and future success.”

The resolution alleges “critical failures” in the three administrators’ leadership, including “imposing a ‘one-size-fits-all’ mandate … for all distance programs regardless of pedagogical needs,” and “erosion and misdefinition of shared governance,” in which faculty members participate in the planning of initiatives that include curricular changes. The resolution also alleges “inconsistent, sometimes confusing and contradictory” communication from the university’s administration, and a “dismissive tenor of communication.”

Also, the faculty resolution argues that the ODU Board of Visitors has shown “hostility and lack of direct engagement” regarding faculty concerns, and says that Hemphill failed to respond to a Jan. 13 letter from the American Association of University Professors expressing “grave concerns” about the university’s “failure to adhere to standards of shared governance and academic freedom.”

The resolution calls for administrators to delay implementing the initiative this fall in favor of “a phased, pilot-based approach” and a commitment to partnership between faculty and administration.

Dispute between faculty, BOV

In addition to the resolution, senate leadership provided results of a faculty survey on the FFDTI proposal taken by 431 full-time educators last fall, about a third of ODU’s nearly 1,300-member faculty. The survey focused on the proposed change from 16-week semesters for online classes to accelerated eight-week asynchronous formats.

More than three-quarters of surveyed faculty members disagreed or strongly disagreed with ODU requiring the new eight-week format for undergraduate classes, and 71% opposed the same requirement for master’s level classes. More than 66% expressed low or very low confidence in Hemphill regarding curricular leadership in the initiative.

According to a Dec. 2, 2025, email from Allen to ODU Rector P. Murry Pitts, Hemphill and Payne canceled plans to attend a Nov. 25 faculty senate meeting to discuss the initiative and rescheduled the meeting for Dec. 4. Pitts, a Charlottesville-based investor whose board term ends at the end of June, responded to Allen’s email later that day.

“I do want to clarify that the president’s notification regarding the [Nov. 25] meeting came with a detailed rationale and an immediate rescheduling,” Pitts wrote. “Please note that a great deal of your narrative is taken out of context and seems to be inflated in order to insinuate that the president is unwilling to meet with the faculty under reasonable circumstances and that he does value faculty engagements.”

Pitts added that he is “totally supportive” of the digital initiative, and that the board of visitors is “fully aware and equally committed to this worthwhile effort.” In April 2025, Pitts wrote, when Hemphill rolled out the plan, the board directed him to “move forward with all due speed,” bringing the plan into operation within 18 months instead of three years as planned.

“The faculty voice is important, but, as a board, we will not agree to slowing down or stopping an initiative that requires adaptability, resilience and work,” Pitts added. “I encourage you and your colleagues to roll up your sleeves and be productive partners in both changing and shaping the future of a university that deserves nothing but the best.”

On Tuesday, Pitts and Vice Rector Andy Hodge wrote on behalf of the full Board of Visitors to express “full confidence” in Hemphill “and in the strategic path currently underway” at ODU.

Hemphill also issued a statement Tuesday in which he noted that he is “grateful” to the board for its support and refers to the board’s statement “reaffirming its confidence in the leadership and strategic direction of Old Dominion University following a faculty senate vote related to the implementation of a component” of the digital plan.

Wie Yusuf, a professor in the Strome College of Business’ School of Public Service and vice chair of the ODU Faculty Senate, said in an emailed statement Wednesday that faculty members “remain steadfastly supportive of the innovation necessary to protect ODU’s future” but oppose a “rushed” implementation of the digital initiative.

“By mandating a universal eight-week asynchronous format and labeling these curricular changes as ‘operational,’ the administration has bypassed the professional judgment of the faculty experts responsible for academic rigor,” she said.