The decision came during a closed meeting of about 65 faculty members and coaches representing each KU department, the same group that had raised the issue in January.

The vote to cancel was unanimous, said Dr. Kevin T. Mahoney, a faculty leader who teaches English at KU.

Cevallos was out of town Thursday and could not be reached. But a prepared statement from the administration welcomed the faculty’s change of heart.

"This is a very positive sign and is an indication of the progress the faculty and the administration have made in addressing the issues and challenges presented," the statement read. "We look forward to continuing our work with the faculty as we move the university forward."

The union’s concerns include inadequate office space, growing class sizes and academic budgets that have not kept pace with enrollment growth.

About 435 members of KU’s chapter of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties had planned to vote on the no-confidence issue in early March.

But that was postponed when Cevallos and other administrators agreed to a series of meetings with faculty members.

Mahoney said faculty members were pleased that talks with Dr. Carlos Vargas, the KU provost, showed a willingness to work on resolving the concerns.

In the past two weeks, Vargas, Cevallos and faculty leaders came up with a list of ideas, including putting more money into academic budgets, finding extra space for learning-disabled students to take tests and converting three floors of Old Main into 50 faculty offices.

According to Mahoney, faculty leaders will assess progress in October and revisit the no-confidence issue if necessary.

In recent weeks, several panels have voiced support for Cevallos, including the state System of Higher Education board of governors, KU trustees, the Kutztown University Foundation and the nonprofit Kutztown University Student Services Inc. The president also received backing from statewide Latino organizations.

Mahoney said those endorsements had nothing to do with the union’s decision to call off the vote.

• Contact reporter Rebecca VanderMeulen at 610-371-5015 or rvandermeulen@readingeagle.com.