8/10/2019 UAB Graduate Student Association's No Confidence Resolution

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Resolution of No Confidence in President Ray Watts

WHEREAS since its inception, UAB has been a University characterized by a spirit of

innovation and collaboration, and a willingness to take on and overcome great challenges, and

WHEREAS UABs leaders from Joseph Volker and S. Richardson Hill to John Kirklin and Gene

Bartow have known the importance of dreaming big dreams and have inspired those around them

to believe in and pursue those dreams, and

WHEREAS through the efforts of those leaders and the efforts of the members of the University,

UAB has grown from a handful of buildings on little more than a dozen blocks of Birminghams

Southside to one of the countrys premier academic, research, and healthcare institutions, and

WHEREAS great leaders of vision and integrity who exemplify the spirit of UAB are critical to

the continued success of the University, and

WHEREAS the students, faculty, staff, and alumni of UAB need and desire University leaders

who they can trust, and

WHEREAS in recent days the current President of the University, Dr. Ray Watts has betrayed

the trust of the of the UAB community and the spirit of UAB, and

WHEREAS by his mishandling of the UAB athletic program Dr. Watts has brought great harm

to many members of the UAB community, to the University as a whole and to the city ofBirmingham and demonstrated a lack of vision and understanding of the immense potential of

UAB athletics, and

WHEREAS Dr. Watts has demonstrated a lack of understanding of true leadership which

requires shared governance, due process and transparency, through his unilateral, short-sighted,

hasty and uninformed decision to end the football, bowling and rifle programs without consulting

or including the NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative (Frank Messina), faculty, students,

alumni, UAB donors, community, Birmingham city officials or Birmingham businesses, and

WHEREAS Dr. Watts usage of the Carr report to make his decision was inappropriate as it

contained insufficient and outdated data to make a decision of this magnitude, the motives of the

report are questionable at best, with language that suggests that no other alternatives were

considered besides shutting down these programs, and

8/10/2019 UAB Graduate Student Association's No Confidence Resolution

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WHEREAS through his unwillingness to accept the financial support of many members of the

Birmingham community, who have stepped forward and pledged to donate money to athletics,

and his accusations of untruthfulness towards these major donors, Dr. Watts has alienated them

and put the future of UAB fund raising in jeopardy, and

WHEREAS many local and national publications and media outlets have criticized Dr. Watts for

his actions, attitude, and demeanor in relation to his mishandling of the athletic department

review and the shutdown of football, rifle, and bowling, and

WHEREAS the impact of Dr. Watts decisions threatens to further damage the entire athletic

program of UAB and to cause significant financial harm due to the loss of affiliation with

Conference USA, and

WHEREAS the resulting publicity has severely damaged not only the UAB brand but also the

Universitys future potential, and

WHEREAS Dr. Watts has demonstrated extremely poor judgment unbefitting an individual who

occupies the office of President of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and has lost the

trust of his constituents

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Graduate Student Association of the University of

Alabama at Birmingham believes that Dr. Watts lacks the necessary leadership capabilities and is

unfit to serve as President of the University. As a result we hereby vote in favor of a motion of

no confidence in Dr. Ray Watts.