Since taking the helm of Pennsylvania's largest state-owned campus, Tony Atwater says he has steered Indiana University of Pennsylvania through "economic pressures" that often drive a wedge between professors and administration.

Yes, times are hard, say faculty union leaders. But they say problems that professors have with Dr. Atwater's presidency run deeper, having more to do with his style of leadership and priorities for the campus than with the recession and its impact on the school's finances.

Dr. Tony Atwater

"What's needed is a change in direction," said Indiana math professor Francisco Alarcon, one of those union leaders.

Whether or not a majority of the teaching force shares that view will become apparent this week as roughly 700 faculty, from tenured professors to adjunct instructors, decide whether to take part in a vote of no confidence called by the union against Dr. Atwater.

Online balloting began yesterday. Campus representatives of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties say they will share the results Friday at a campus meeting of Indiana's council of trustees.

Calls for such votes are an obvious rupturing of the collegial relationship between professor and campus chief. However, the votes themselves are not necessarily fatal to a president's tenure.

This week's tally is the fourth such faculty vote since 2001 involving a campus president in the State System of Higher Education, whose 14 universities in Western Pennsylvania include California, Clarion, Edinboro and Slippery Rock, as well as Indiana.

At East Stroudsburg University, President Robert Dillman has remained in office after no-confidence votes in 2004 and 2006, state system spokesman Kenn Marshall said yesterday. At Indiana, former President Lawrence Pettit faced such a vote, though his retirement two years later after 11 years in office followed a contract extension and was unrelated to the vote, Mr. Marshall said

Kutztown University faculty called but later canceled a vote last year involving President F. Javier Cevallos after he reached out to the faculty, Mr. Marshall said.

Dr. Atwater, a journalist-turned-academic, was hired by Indiana in December 2004 after serving as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Youngstown State University.

Indiana's enrollment this fall of 14,638 students is an all-time high. But the union says concern has been mounting among faculty over what it describes as poor spending decisions and abrupt changes in policy and campus traditions made without faculty consultation.

Dr. Atwater's decision to press ahead with construction of the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex near campus means Indiana will be on the hook for tens of millions of dollars in a bad economy, said Dr. Alarcon, vice president with APSCUF's campus chapter. He estimated the school in four years has raised about $15 million for the project but needs another $32 million by mid-June 2011 as the complex nears completion.

"The state is paying for the construction. Come 2011, the university is supposed to pay the state back. You do the math," Dr. Alarcon said. "It's almost $1.75 million for each of the next 18 months."

Rather than simply repair steps leading to the campus library for about $200,000, the school under Dr. Atwater is revamping the entrance at a cost of $700,000, even though the budget for library acquisitions may be reduced this year to as little as $100,000, Dr. Alarcon said.

What he called "the proverbial final straw" came in October, when Dr. Atwater transferred budgetary authority for personnel decisions to the central administration.

Dr. Atwater yesterday was unavailable to be interviewed about Dr. Alarcon's specific assertions, but the president released a statement calling the vote "unfortunate but not surprising." He said the union did not respond to an offer he made to meet to resolve differences.

Dr. Atwater disputed the union's claim that he has frozen filling of vacant faculty positions this semester and said he has "a demonstrated record of productive, collaborative and informed leadership.

"The very difficult economic times ... have and will require difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions," he said. "I have made several such decisions over the current academic year."

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