RADFORD -- The Radford University faculty senate approved Thursday a motion expressing no confidence in the academic leadership of Provost Wil Stanton.

The vote, cast by secret ballot, was 29-16 in favor.

Communications professor and faculty senator Gwendolyn Brown made the motion during the senate's Oct. 8 meeting during which an investigative committee report detailing widespread discontent with the administration of President Penelope Kyle was discussed.

As per senate rules, the motion was immediately tabled. A majority of senators voted to consider the motion Thursday and ultimately approved it.

"The senate has spoken out with the voice of the faculty," Brown said after Thursday's vote. "There are problems. The problems need to be addressed, and the president needs to address them."

University spokesman Jeff Douglas attended the meeting and observed the vote.

"I see this as disappointing and unfortunate," he said. "We need to all get on the same page."

Neither Stanton nor Kyle attended the meeting.

The committee report was based on months of investigation of alleged policy and rules violations by top university administrators, including Kyle and Stanton.

The committee found no violations of policy or procedure but criticized the administration's top-down approach to decision-making and failure to consult the faculty on major academic changes, as well as a lack of transparency and insufficient communication.

It's unclear what might come of the no-confidence motion. The senate is an advisory body for the administration and the board of visitors. It has no power to hire, fire or censure any faculty or administrators.

Some senators spoke against the motion, including Maung Htay, an information technology professor, who asked that its language be softened and that senators bring their concerns directly to Stanton.

Others argued that the motion could stymie future communication and undo months of behind-the-scenes work to improve relations. Concerns about the reputation of the university and what might happen if Kyle takes no action on the motion also surfaced.

On the eve the vote, the university's board of visitors called for unity in a statement released via e-mail to the campus community.

In the open letter Wednesday, the board acknowledged continued discontent among faculty but also emphasized recent overtures, including public apologies, made by Kyle and Stanton to repair relations.

Both Kyle and Stanton have held open meetings with faculty members since the start of classes in August. More are planned, Douglas said.

Stanton, a longtime Radford professor, became the university's second provost in 2007. He was promoted after the demotion of the school's first provost, Ivelaw Griffith, nine months after Kyle hired him.