Oregon State University faculty, staff and students in the College of Forestry have given Dean Hal Salwasser a vote of confidence, while also expressing support for making a number of changes within the college.

Of the 300 votes tallied in last week’s survey, 66 percent expressed confidence in the dean, while 24 percent delivered a vote of no confidence and 10 percent abstained from voting.

There was a similar split among voters regarding changes suggested by the college’s Committee on Academic Freedom and Responsibility, and the dean’s plan to address those suggestions. Sixty-three percent supported the changes and the plan, while 17 percent opposed and 20 percent abstained.

The committee was appointed by Salwasser after a controversy arose over some senior faculty who tried to delay publication of a graduate student’s research in the journal Science. The research findings contradicted common wisdom held by some in the forest industry regarding logging after a forest fire.

Salwasser was at an administrative retreat Tuesday and unavailable for comment, according to his assistant. However, in statement Salwasser released June 1 in response to the findings of the Committee on Academic Freedom, the dean promised to strengthen his relationship with members of the college.

“To be a more effective leader, I need a stronger, more personal relationship with the individuals who make up the heart and soul of this institution,” he wrote, “one that engenders trust.”