NICC Decision to Terminate President Riedel Affirmed by District Judge

Northeast Iowa Community College’s 2024 decision to terminate its then-president has been affirmed by a district judge, with court documents providing additional details about the actions that led to the split.

Winneshiek County District Judge John Sullivan released his ruling on former NICC President Herbert Riedel’s termination from the Calmar-based community college, reiterating a previous judgment stating the decision was justified.

Riedel was first placed on administrative leave in October 2023 after nearly two years in the role of president, and his position at the college was terminated in July 2024 after an administrative law judge found just cause in the college’s decision to remove him.

According to court documents filed Feb. 2 in district court, Riedel submitted a petition for judicial review contesting his July termination. Sullivan’s ruling found that evidence “considered as a whole, supports the NICC Board’s decision to terminate Riedel for just cause.”

“Indeed, substantial evidence supports the Board’s claims that Riedel failed to make satisfactory progress in ‘building and sustaining’ trust with all college stakeholders, and particularly the members of his leadership team and staff; open, respectful, and diplomatic relationships and reputation amongst staff and improving communication and developing and strengthening bonds with community partners,” the ruling stated.

The judgment stated Riedel’s relationships with upper-level staff — including his executive assistant, the vice president of administration, human resources executive director and vice president for institutional effectiveness and advancement — were “fraught with dissension and distrust from the start of Riedel’s tenure.”

These problems were a factor in three employees’ decisions to quit.

According to the ruling, Riedel acknowledged the possibility that he failed in building trust with former vice president of finance and administration and current President Dave Dahms and others, “but asserted that it would not have been possible to build trust with them over any amount of time” due to their bias against him and “their opposition the manner in which he sought to implement his new vision for the school.”

Riedel added that any lack of trust present in college leadership “did not significantly impact the college’s mission,” Sullivan’s ruling stated.

However, Sullivan found that Riedel’s actions did cause disruption to the college, creating an atmosphere “fraught with deep mistrust and lack of cohesion” among college leadership, which didn’t get better after Riedel was put on performance action plan. The plan urged Riedel to improve communication and relationships with community partners, but evidence showed that he failed, Sullivan’s ruling stated.

“Substantial evidence also supports the Board’s just cause finding in that Riedel failed to demonstrate an understanding of the Iowa community college system, including his relationship with the Board; and that Riedel continued to offend, disrupt, and undermine his and the College’s relationships with stakeholders,” Sullivan’s ruling stated.

Concerns around Riedel’s “approach to community and business partners” started immediately after his hiring, the court document stated, with college staff and donors noticing when speaking with Riedel that he focused conversations on himself rather than the college and its mission.

Riedel’s actions threatened relationships that could have led to funding being withheld from NICC, the ruling found, including when a NICC Foundation committee “moved to withdraw funds from the school until its relationship with the president improved.” One donor who had previously committed $1 million to the college considered taking it back.

Foundation Board President Julie Huiskamp made a Statement of Concern about Riedel and how his behavior and actions have led to people questioning “the integrity and stability of the institution and its leadership,” according to the court document. Rick Dickinson, retired president and CEO of Greater Dubuque Development, also penned a letter sharing his, former and current NICC employees and business leaders’ opinion that “NICC had become rudderless and was spiraling downward.”

“Dickinson feared that the school under Riedel’s leadership had a lack of understanding regarding business and community services, which undermined NICC’s mission and its ability to flourish,” the ruling stated.

Riedel also filed a lawsuit against the community college board of trustees in December 2023, alleging it violated open meetings law by implementing proceedings discussed in closed session but never voted on in an open meeting. A hearing in Winneshiek County has been set for March 3.

story and photo courtesy of Iowa Capital Dispatch