PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- University of Southern Maine President Selma Botman reacted Thursday after a no confidence faculty referendum directed towards her failed to pass.
The referendum was held because some faculty expressed their concerns with President Botman's administrative style and handling of university finances.
They argued Botman has not done enough to stem decreasing enrollment figures, that she cut classroom spending, and that she approved discretionary pay raises, while union members have gone without raise since 2009.
Although more than half of the faculty who voted expressed no confidence in President Botman, it failed to pass because it didn't receive a two-thirds majority of all USM faculty.
Botman said Thursday business is going on as usual, and she's committed to working with faculty to improve the university.
"Challenges remain. We have to ensure a balanced budget, we have to ensure enrollment, and we have to continue to transform lives. That's the wonderful part of what we do," Botman said.
"Using the tool of measurement that the senate agreed upon with the president, that does not meet the two-thirds necessary for a confidence vote, but it is over half of the faculty, and so I think what that indicates is there is on campus a somewhat fairly strongly held diversity of opinion on what direction the university is going in," Ron Schmidt on the USM Faculty Senate Executive Committee said.
The faculty senate said it will report the results to the University of Maine System Chancellor and Board of Trustees.
In a statement Thursday, Chancellor James Page said, "this vote reflects the divided sentiment of USM's faculty and I take the viewpoints expressed very seriously."
Page is scheduled to visit the USM campus next week.
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