Board of Trustees fires NICC president
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - The Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Board of Trustees have fired its president, Dr. Herbert Riedel, following a unanimous vote.
Dr. Riedel started in the role in the summer of 2022, but was placed on paid administrative leave without a public explanation on October 8th, 2023.
On October 30th, Riedel wrote a letter to the ‘Driftless Journal’ publication saying the Board of Trustees put him on leave as retaliation for complaints he made about Trustee member, Jim Anderson. He says Anderson micro-managed the college and interfered with his day-to-day management - even claiming Anderson potentially violated Iowa’s campaign ethics and open meetings laws. Riedel says when he alerted NICC’s attorney about his concerns, the board put him on leave.
KCRG-TV9 reached out to NICC at the time for comment on Riedel’s claim. They said they had not received any formal complaints regarding violations of campaign ethics or open meeting laws, and that he was placed on paid administrative leave for the following three reasons:
- Issues raised during his initial evaluation
- Complaints regarding hiring practices
- Complaints regarding treatment of administrative staff
On November 20th, The College’s Board of Trustees held a closed session to discuss the possible termination of Dr. Riedel. Following a unanimous vote, Dr. Reidel’s contract was terminated.
NICC vice president David Dhams has been serving as acting president since Dr. Riedel was placed on leave.
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