‘No confidence’ letters prompt CCC board to hire investigator

Demeaning behavior and actions alleged

CLOVIS — A third-party investigator will be hired to look into matters that prompted letters of “no confidence” regarding Clovis Community College’s president, Charles Nwankwo.

A special meeting of the CCC board was held Monday at the college with all five trustees present. Nwankwo was also present for the session, sitting with the trustees.

The meeting was called to order and shortly after opening the board voted to go into executive session. Nwankwo did not stay for the executive session.

When the members announced they were out of executive session about an hour-and-a-half later, board chair Lora Harlan read a statement that said in part: “We committed last week to addressing the concerns of all our staff shared in the letters of ‘no confidence’ against Dr. Nwankwo.”

“We, the Board of Trustees, have already begun those conversations with Dr. Nwankwo, our only employee, as we promised, within the confines of an executive session as prescribed by law in the context of personnel issues.”

Harlan said the investigation will be an “ongoing” process.

“It falls to the Board of Trustees to look at all information reported to us, to do so in a timely manner, to respect confidentiality to the best of our ability, and to make the best decisions for the future of CCC, our students, and our community moving forward,” her statement read.

“The Board realizes the need to work together in the interim to continue our core mission and to keep our students as top priority.”

After the reading of the statement the board voted unanimously to hire a third-party investigator “with guidance from the board’s counsel” to look into matters “that have been brought before it.”

At last Wednesday’s regular monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees three letters of “no confidence” regarding Nwankwo were presented to the board.

The three letters, all nearly identical, came from members of the college’s Support Employee Association, Faculty Association and Professional Employee Association.

Specific allegations against the college president have not been made public.

The letters allege that Nwankwo has shown “behaviors and actions that demean employees” in private and in public. Nwankwo has declined comment.