Daniel Goldin Presidency of Boston University - Vote of No Confidence

Vote of No Confidence

On October 24, a mere week prior to Goldin’s arrival on campus, the Trustees gave him a vote of no confidence, and called an emergency meeting to address the matter on October 31.

Initial reports as to the reason for this vote were numerous, but mostly implicated Silber’s reputation as a man reluctant to relinquish authority. Goldin reportedly had upset Silber loyalists on the Board by "slighting" Silber with his insistence that he would have no hand in university affairs after his departure. One report even alleged that Goldin had retained a psychiatrist to evaluate Silber in hopes of minimizing his influence.

The Boston Globe has since reported that Goldin had been planning a purge of BU's upper administration, and had already determined in detail who he thought should remain and who should not. Goldin apparently had intentions to clean house; his plans included the sacking of most of the University’s top administrators. The most notable of these were Provost Dennis Berkey and Treasurer Kenneth Condon, both of whom were also finalists for the presidency. This spooked the Trustees, and to a large degree precipitated the no confidence vote.