Bruce Rastetter, president of the Iowa Board of Regents, said he was disappointed in the University of Iowa Faculty Senate’s vote of no confidence for Bruce Harreld, incoming University of Iowa president.

The University of Iowa’s faculty gathered for an emergency meeting Tuesday to discuss whether their feedback was considered for the search for the new UI president. They voted they had no confidence in the Board of Regents.

UI faculty described the search process as flawed, disrespectful, devastating, a waste and a failure, according to a Daily Iowan article.

The UI undergraduate and graduate student senators had similar meetings later Tuesday night that resulted in similar motions as the faculty, according to the Daily Iowan.

Although the votes are entirely ceremonial and carry no legislative weight, the Board of Regents was quick to respond.

Rastetter said the regents spoke to stakeholders across the state and took into account their recommendations for the qualities required in the next UI president.

“After listening to all stakeholder feedback as well as having frank conversations with each of the candidates, the Board unanimously thought Bruce Harreld’s experience in transitioning other large enterprises through change, and his vision for reinvesting in the core mission of teaching and research, would ultimately provide the leadership needed,” Rastetter said.

After the regents narrowed the president search to four candidates, Harreld, a former IBM and Kraft General Foods executive, received only 1.8 percent approval from the university’s faculty and a 2.6 percent positive response from the entire university.

The other three candidates each had about a 90 percent approval rating.

Rastetter said in a press release he was disappointed in what he believes is the UI faculty’s commitment to the past.

“We are disappointed that some of those stakeholders have decided to embrace the status quo of the past over opportunities for the future and focus their efforts on resistance to change instead of working together to make the University of Iowa even greater,” Rastetter said.

UI professor Kembrew McLeod has been an outspoken critic of Harreld’s hiring.

In an opinion piece for Slate.com, the communications studies professor blasted the errors on Harreld’s résumé, as well as his poor performance at his first public forum Sept. 1.

“They didn’t listen to campus community when deciding on the next president,” McLeod said. “It’s pretty clear they picked who they wanted to be president.”