Lake Michigan College President Suspended, May Be Terminated

The board of trustees of Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor, Michigan, voted unanimously to suspend the educational institution’s president Jennifer Spielvogel with pay until the next board meeting when the board will vote whether to retain or fire the president.

Dr. Spielvogel became president of Lake Michigan College in January 2016. Previously, she was vice president of planning and institutional effectiveness at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio. From 1999 to 2005, Dr. Spielvogel was assistant vice chancellor for institutional effectiveness at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and a Ph.D. in higher education administration from the University of Michigan.

In a statement the board said that there was just cause to support President Spielvogel’s termination. It listed several issues of concern including “inadequate goals and objectives, unapproved and unauthorized costs expensed to the college, policy violations, renovations to the president’s office, her planned inauguration, purchase of a chain of office medallion, improper management behavior, improper comments, and a lack of professionalism.”

Stephen Small, a member of the board of trustees, stated that “it is with a heavy heart that just three months ago we were really happy and thought for sure we made the right choice, and now it’s ashes.”

Update: On May 5, the board of trustees fired President Spielvogel.