James W. Sheppard’s first action as faculty chair of the University of Missouri at Kansas City’s College of Arts and Sciences was to resign his new post.
Mr. Sheppard, an assistant professor of philosophy, never wanted to be on the ballot for a faculty leadership position—let alone the chairmanship—and thought he had opted out of the university’s electronic nomination and voting system. But a glitch—or perhaps his own inaction—made him appear eligible for the top spot, and his colleagues voted last spring to put him in charge.
Mr. Sheppard was elected under an online-election system, introduced last year, that was designed to make it easier for faculty members to vote and to get them more involved in campus life by automatically nominating professors for all posts they were eligible for.
According to Daniel P. Hopkins, an associate professor of geosciences and the previous chairman, “The faculty is extremely busy and stressed,” and unwilling to spend time on administrative duties like deciding each major’s academic requirements and reviewing the college’s budget. “The idea that someone should be asked to run for an office that they don’t want is, on the face of it, crazy,” he says, but it was the only way to fill the posts.
Since 2009, faculty members have been expected to log on to see which positions they were eligible for and, if they chose, to remove their names from consideration. Professors who logged on to the Web site but did not remove their names were assumed to be willing to serve. Those who did not log on at all were also listed, but voters were warned that the candidates’ willingness to serve was uncertain.
Mr. Hopkins says he sent multiple e-mails explaining the process.
Mr. Sheppard, who did not return calls for comment, reportedly claimed that he had logged on and removed his name from consideration. But Mr. Hopkins says computer records show that Mr. Sheppard logged on but did not remove his name, making him a viable candidate.
Mr. Sheppard eventually beat out a handful of competitors—including the incumbent Mr. Hopkins—for a seat that he did not want. After Mr. Sheppard resigned, James R. Durig, the newly elected vice chair, assumed the top post.
Although the game of musical chairs has ended, Mr. Hopkins says some professors are arguing that not opting out does not equal consent. But he is holding firm.
“The nominations system was understood to be the method by which we ascertained people’s willingness to serve,” Mr. Hopkins says. “The faculty asked us to implement a system like this.”