You don't make a power move like this in public & on Tweeter if you don't have support. The chairman of the BOT's has made his support for the motion known. However, a vote of no confidence doesn't mean that Ramsey is fired. Another problem, it is my understanding that the provost that would serve as an interim President is also in an interim position currently so the committee that nominates the provost will also be naming the interim President.
http://www.courier-journal.com/story/new.../81145834/
“When we ask questions we get temper tantrums,” Trustee Emily Bingham said. “I regretfully express my loss of confidence in the president.”
Ramsey's fate is still in doubt. The board will reconsider the no-confidence motion at its next regular meeting April 20, and proponents say they have enough votes to pass it.
They include Chairman Larry Benz, who said after the meeting that he supports the measure because of his questions about Ramsey’s leadership and the university’s performance.
The no-confidence motion was made and supported by trustees who hadn’t previously challenged Ramsey publicly.
Calling for the vote, Dr. Jody Prather cited a “near complete collapse of a meaningful working relationship" between the board and Ramsey as well as instances that have "harmed and embarrassed the university irrevocably."
Trustee Larry Hayes complained that Ramsey has excluded the board from important decisions, including the one to impose a ban on postseason play by the men’s basketball team.
“That was not good governance or shared governance," Hayes said.
Bingham cited “a drumbeat of crises” that prompted 78 full professors to sign a letter saying they were “ashamed to be associated with the university.” She also said Ramsey had failed to forcefully condemn the sexual misconduct allegations currently facing the basketball program, "already embarrassed by the sexual misconduct of its coach."
“We cannot move forward with leaders whose moral compass on these questions is not clear,” she said.
While a no-confidence vote wouldn’t immediately cause Ramsey’s ouster, it could prompt him to resign. He is under contract until 2020, which may explain why the dissidents aren't seeking an outright vote to fire him.
Hired in 2002, Ramsey has been credited with helping dramatically increase the university's academic standards for incoming freshmen and its graduation rate. He also led fundraising drives that have transformed the campus and its athletic facilities.
But over the past two years, his leadership came under attack as the university dealt with embezzlement scandals and other embarrassments, including an FBI investigation of its top health care executive and an NCAA investigation of allegations that men's basketball players and recruits were provided dancers and prostitutes.
The university also has been criticized for offering buyouts to top officials in exchange for their silence, and Ramsey's compensation has been questioned.
Last year The Courier-Journal reported that Ramsey, provost Shirley Willihnganz and chief of staff Kathleen Smith had been paid $2.4 million, $1.8 million and $1.3 million, respectively, in deferred compensation. The CJ also reported that Ramsey in 2014 was paid 2.5 times more than the average of the Atlantic Coast Conference's other 14 presidents and chancellors — all of whose universities are ranked far higher academically than U of L.