And then there were seven.

On Thursday, Metro State University became the last of the seven Minnesota state universities to join in a faculty protest against Chancellor Steven Rosenstone.

The Metro State Faculty Association approved a vote of no-confidence in Rosenstone, 62, who heads the Minnesota State Colleges & Universities system, a network of seven public universities and 24 two-year colleges.

"The faculty has completely lost confidence in the ability of Chancellor Rosenstone to serve the students, faculty and staff of MnSCU," said Matt Filner, vice president of the faculty association, in a statement released Thursday.

Faculty groups at the other six state universities have passed similar resolutions over the past three weeks.

Rosenstone's office had no immediate comment.

Thomas Renier, chair of the Board of Trustees, reaffirmed his support for Rosenstone in the face of what he called a union tactic to "stop the critical conversations" to bring needed reforms to the system.

He was referring to a decision by the two faculty unions not to take part in ongoing discussions about a strategic plan called "Charting the Future," which is designed to find ways to improve efficiency and student outcomes on the system's 54 campuses. The unions say that faculty concerns, about the possible impact on the quality of education, have been routinely ignored during the planning process.

In a statement released Thursday, Renier said that MnSCU officials would "welcome the faculty back to the table any time they choose to return."