Diné College prez placed on paid leave

 

For the second time in two years, the Diné College Board of Regents has put Ferlin Clark on administrative leave.

Clark, who has been president of the college for seven years, was placed on administrative leave with pay by board members during a special meeting Monday. The term of his leave is indefinite but the regents indicated they would investigate unspecified allegations against him as quickly as possible.

The current investigation is not related to the investigation that occurred in 2008 when Clark was put on leave because of allegations that he mismanaged grant funds. The regents determined those charges to be unfounded and reinstated him after a couple of weeks.

The board has released no information about the new allegations - even officials in the college say they are not sure exactly what they involve - but regents said before Monday's meeting that they reflect some of the accusations made public in the media against Clark in recent months.

Those accusations have come from former employees of the college who claim Clark plays favorites and makes life miserable for faculty and staff who question his decisions.

The regents named Ron Belloli, vice president of administration and finance, to run the college in Clark's absence.

Belloli said Tuesday that everything was going smoothly on campus and that classes were meeting as usual.

Belloli, an administrator at the college for the past eight years, said he should have no problem stepping in since he's been doing that for years when Clark was away.

He said he expects that his appointment will be limited and that the investigation will be completed in a short time.

Just a month ago, the board of regents offered Clark a two-year extension on his contract but said he would have to sign a memorandum of understanding as well.

Last week, college officials said Clark was waiting to learn what the memorandum said before agreeing to the extension.

While Clark has come under attack recently from former employees who said he forced them to leave their jobs because he didn't like them or because they questioned his decisions, he has supporters among some students.

On Jan. 19 the Associated Students of Diné College passed a resolution opposing Clark's removal as president.

Association members said problems facing the college are more the fault of "one-sided leadership" by the board of regents, and they wanted the regents to be more accountable.

ASDC President Georgeett Cook has been one of Clark's most outspoken supporters, saying she found him to be open-minded and willing to meet at any time with students if they had any problems with their college life.

The association listed 22 major accomplishments of Clark as head of the college, most of which center on his fundraising ability, which they said has helped make the college more self-sufficient.

The group also praised Clark for his efforts to expand the curriculum so it could offer a four-year degree in some areas of study.

Clark also has support within the faculty.

Margaret Mayer, an instructor, said, "It is due to President Clark that we as a college are where we are today: financially secure with accreditation and on the way to becoming a four-year institution and having our unique vision of promoting Navajo and Western knowledge."

She said Clark has student support because he is open to hearing their problems.

"What is the college about? It's about and for the students," Mayer said, adding that the regents should listen to the students and not those who went to the Navajo Times to complain about how they were treated as employees.

"When one of the faculty was in the hospital, possibly at death's door, (Clark) and a medicine man traveled all of the way to the hospital to be with him," Mayer said.

Lorene Legah, another faculty member at the college, also praised Clark for accomplishing much in a relatively short time.

If the regents really understood the college's mission and philosophy, Legah said, "what is going on should not be happening."

She said college officials are doing a self-study to improve working conditions on the campus and this - administrative stability - should be the board's top priority.

Meanwhile, student supporters of Clark are considering a one-day walkout and are trying for a meeting with the Navajo Nation Council's Education Committee to ask that the delegates support Clark.

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