Pacific faculty planning a ‘no-confidence’ vote that calls for President Pamela Eibeck’s firing
STOCKTON — Faculty leaders at University of the Pacific’s campuses in Stockton, Sacramento and San Francisco have prepared a resolution of “no confidence” in President Pamela Eibeck that calls for her firing.
The 10-page document, shared with The Record by an anonymous faculty member from one of the campuses, accuses 61-year-old Eibeck of ineffective leadership, financial mismanagement and a lack of fiscal transparency.
It also states that the morale of students, faculty and staff is in decline. The no-confidence resolution was shared with The Record on Friday, one day after about 200 students protested on the Stockton campus against increasing tuition amid budget cutting.
The university had more than 800 full- and part-time faculty members as of the 2017-18 academic year. Faculty may hold a vote to approve or reject the resolution as soon as early November. Eibeck, whose salary is $567,000 a year, is the only female president in the 94 years that Pacific has been based in Stockton. She will mark 10 years at Pacific in 2019.
“The President’s policies put the university in an unsustainable financial position,” the resolution states, in part. “The faculty have lost confidence in leadership, and are worried about the future of the University . ... In the best interests of our students and of the University of the Pacific, the Faculty request that the Board of Regents replace the President.”
Kevin Huber, chairman of Pacific’s Board of Regents, responded to the resolution with a statement Friday.
“My understanding is that faculty from the entire university will be voting on this resolution over the next few weeks, so the resolution only represents a vote of the Academic Council at this point,” Huber’s statement said. “The Board of Regents will respond to the Academic Council after learning the outcome of the faculty vote. There is strong support for President Eibeck from this Board.
“It is understandable that some faculty feel apprehensive about our budget reductions. I wish the Academic Council was proposing to the faculty a less divisive proposal and more productive solutions to address the financial sustainability of the University.”
Pacific’s budget for the current fiscal year is $267 million. According to the university’s website, “Pacific must reduce its university-wide budget by approximately 10 percent for FY20 (which begins July 1, 2019) by cutting spending by about 4.5 percent and reallocating about 5 percent of our budget to create a pool for compensation adjustments.”
Tuition this academic year is $48,264. With room, board and other expenses, the grand total is an estimated $66,503. According to the university, 90 percent of Pacific students receive financial aid averaging $28,000 a year. The university has not yet announced a tuition hike for the 2019-20 academic year.
Pacific senior Caroline Styc, an organizer of the Thursday on-campus protest, said students’ past attempts to discuss their concerns with Eibeck have been unsatisfactory.
“She would listen to our concerns, but nothing came from it,” Styc said. “She was a bit dismissive.”
The protest Thursday was organized immediately after the university painted over critical messages about Eibeck left by students for three consecutive days on the school’s two large “spirit rocks.” The university subsequently issued a conciliatory statement about the school’s erasure of student concerns.
“It was an unfortunate and regretful misstep that should not have happened,” the statement said. “We respect the right of student free expression throughout our campuses and we are making sure that our staff is well aware of the rights of students to express themselves.”
The faculty resolution, meanwhile, voices concern over “the future of the University,” citing budget reductions in four of the past five years, and it states that during her tenure, Eibeck “has not significantly improved any of the key indicators of student success.”