With a vote of no assurance from the Arkansas Tech University college senate in the shadows, the board of trustees issued a letter Wednesday in guidance of President Robin Bowen.

The college senate forged a vote on Dec. 1 of no self-confidence in Bowen’s leadership after a survey of 285 full-time college users on the Russellville campus — which confirmed that 81.9% of the 235 respondents mentioned they had no assurance in Bowen.

There was no public vote taken by the university’s board of trustees at its frequent conference Tuesday, but Arkansas Tech spokesman Sam Strasner explained the letter was reviewed in executive session through that conference.

The trustees, in the unsigned letter, stated they just take their obligation and the board’s “purview extremely seriously.”

“The board recognizes the troubles, frustrations and discontent which preceded this vote, which is recognized by performing with the Affiliation of Governing Boards to identify actions forward in an effort and hard work to be responsive to the campus neighborhood,” the letter said.

When contacted, Bowen said she is respectful of the college senate vote, which she reported is reliable with comparable expressions of dissatisfaction that have been cast at higher-education institutions all-around the nation as they grapple with the covid-19 pandemic.

“I am grateful for the aid the ATU board of trustees has demonstrated in the wake of the vote, and I continue to be totally dedicated to Arkansas Tech University, its mission and, most importantly, its students,” reported Bowen, who began in 2014. “I am also grateful for the members of our college group who labored diligently on the restructuring method to determine operational efficiencies and place ATU to satisfy the worries of declining enrollment in bigger education. As a outcome of those people initiatives, Arkansas Tech has proactively and strategically preserved a solid monetary posture.”

Though the board located “this vote deeply troubling,” the letter stated, the report of the ATU faculty senate “contradicts the constructive overview done by the Better Learning Commission affirming the university’s continued accreditation.”

School senate chairwoman Jamie Stacy claimed the college of Arkansas…