Inver Hills college chief faces no-confidence vote over spending
Updated: Jan. 21, 6:43 a.m. | Posted: Jan. 20, 1:38 p.m.
The faculty union at Inver Hills Community College has scheduled a no-confidence vote on the school's president over disputes of what they see as inappropriate spending and cuts to student services.
Union members will hold the no-confidence vote on President Tim Wynes' administration Monday. Wynes has served as president of the school since 2010 and has led Dakota County Technical College since 2013 as first interim and then permanent president.
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David Riggs, president of the Inver Hills State College Faculty Association, said faculty and student morale at the college has declined dramatically during Wynes' tenure.
"There's a black cloud hanging over the people who work at the college, and that's significantly tied to the high turnover rate," Riggs said.
Riggs said Wynes has used some of the school's funding to hire a consultant and prepare a remodel to the school's bookstore that was later abandoned.
"We just feel there's a real lack of accountability in some of the decisions that the president of the college has made in terms of how he's chosen to spend what he refers regularly to as relatively scarce resources," Riggs said.
Wynes didn't immediately respond to a request for comment, but said in a post on the school's website that he has tried to engage faculty and others in the school in conversations about how students can best be served. He said faculty leadership's decision not to participate in some campus meetings was "unfortunate."
"As we speak, strategic planning is taking place on this campus. From that work, plans to address stewardship, enrollment, retention, and more will be forthcoming," Wynes said. "While it indeed has been a long time coming, the work that needs to be done is in progress."
Wynes urged those with concerns about his leadership to not "let fear, anger or misunderstanding hold you back from sharing your ideas and solutions."
The union's no-confidence vote is not binding. They're asking that Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) bring in an independent auditor to investigate concerns about Wynes' leadership.
A spokesperson with the MnSCU system said they are aware of the no-confidence vote, but wouldn't comment until after results are released.