SUNY-ESF’s Academic Governance has voted to remove the chair of its body, Klaus Döelle, according to an email obtained by The Daily Orange on Wednesday.

Eighty-nine percent of 102 faculty who casted ballots voted to remove Döelle immediately from his position, and 78 percent of faculty voted to rescind his status as Past Executive Chair, for officer succession.

The Academic Governance Executive Committee body received two complaints against Döelle on Friday, Feb. 16, one internal to the committee and one from an external faculty member, according to an email obtained by The D.O.

The formal complaint to the Academic Governance Executive Committee stated that Döelle was never formally appointed by proper Academic Governance procedure which should have occured in Sept. 2017, has not taken steps in regard to some of the administration’s actions, and “exhibits a lack of understanding of basic processes associated with the Bylaws and Standing Rules of Academic Governance,” among other things, according to an email obtained by The D.O.

The committee, which is a subsection of the full Academic Governance body, met on Feb. 16 and made a recommendation to remove Döelle from his position, and not retain his title of Past Executive Chair.

The removal vote was held in a closed special session of Academic Governance on Tuesday. Only voting members could attend the meeting. Absentee ballots were also collected. Döelle was not present at the meeting.

Döelle’s term was set to end this year, according to SUNY-ESF’s Academic Governance website. Döelle is an associate professor in the paper and bioprocessing engineering department.

John Hassett, a professor of chemistry and Academic Governance member, said it’s difficult to get volunteers for Döelle’s position and the governing body should be uneasy about removing someone from office in this way.

“We can hurt ourselves as much as our current chair by doing something like this,” Hassett said.

The officer removal comes as tensions increase between faculty and SUNY-ESF administrators.

At last Tuesday’s Academic Governance meeting, the governing body passed three resolutions — two in relation to the administration’s controversial decision to remove three department chairs at the start of the semester — and announced that a vote for campus visitation had passed.

Published on February 28, 2018 at 7:23 pm

Contact Haley: hykim100@syr.edu