A vote of no confidence against University President George Ross and Provost Gary Shapiro by the Academic Senate was met with an immediate rejection by the chairwoman of the Board of Trustees.

"The Board remains confident in the leadership of Drs. Ross and Shapiro and their commitment to the academic, personal and professional success for our students," said Sarah Opperman, chairwoman of the board. "Likewise, the Board is firmly committed to the College of Medicine, which will improve access to care and increase the supply of physicians in underserved areas, with a specific focus on training physicians who will practice in central and northern Michigan."

The trustees will meet in a regular session Thursday morning.

The A-Senate had approved a motion by a 52 percent majority in a hasty vote at the end of Tuesday's session against the two.

“Dr. Ross’s and Dr. Shapiro’s refusal to abide by the Academic Senate’s resolution on the CMED initiative is evidence of their disregard for the principles of shared governance at CMU,” stated the fourth point of the motion.

Student Senators Christopher Benison and Michelle Campbell presented the motion in the last 10 minutes of the meeting.

Benison read the motion and A-Senate Chairman Jim McDonald opened the floor to discussion.

Campbell said in an email the next step after the vote is for the Central Michigan University Board of Trustees to "examine the leadership of President Ross and Provost Shapiro."

The board of trustees need to look at the issues brought up in the motion, she said.

"I and Senator Benison felt it was appropriate to present this at the meeting today because the evidence was overwhelming that the President and Provost have ignored shared governance and the voices of the CMU community to the detriment of CMU's students, faculty, and staff," she said. "I hope that the board of trustees takes the vote of no confidence seriously and reacts in an appropriate manner that will satisfy the concerns and grievances of students, faculty and staff on this important issue."

The motion was approved against Ross and Shapiro in less than a minute.

Student Government Association President Vincent Cavataio said the wording in the motion regarding the “Resolution for the Proposed Central Michigan University College of Medicine” is inaccurate.

The motion states “Dr. Ross and Dr. Shapiro have ignored the results of a vote taken by the Academic Senate on Nov. 1, 2011, to support a motion entitled “Resolution for the Proposed Central Michigan University College of Medicine.”

“The motion in question was introduced as an incidental resolution. That means that no discussion can take place,” Cavataio said. “No one had a choice in the matter even if they wanted to.”

During the presentation and discussion of the motion, Ross remained silent and Shapiro appeared to shake his head, chuckle and talk to surrounding senators.

Ross and Shapiro left immediately following the vote.

McDonald opened the floor to more discussion but with one minute left in the allotted meeting time, George Ronan, a senator and professor of psychology, said there was “not enough time to make any decisions.”

Sarah Opperman, chairwoman of the board of trustees, sent her emailed statement through Steve Smith, director of public relations, to Central Michigan Life.

Ross and Shapiro were unavailable for comment and Smith said the university was "standing by the statement" made by Opperman.