Editor’s note: This story was updated Sunday, March 30, at 8:41 p.m. to include a comment The Collegiate did not have at the time of publication, as well as a recent email from the board of trustees. This story was updated again Monday, March 31, at 1:02 p.m. to condense a quote.
Grand Rapids Community College President Charles Lepper made his case for why he is best fit to be the president of Madison Area Technical College in front of staff and faculty on Thursday, March 27.
At the beginning of the panel that was live-streamed to the public, Lepper, who appeared to be wearing a boot on his right leg, was given five minutes to introduce himself. During this time, he provided background on himself and his previous employment experience.
“You may be aware that I am currently on administrative leave from (GRCC),” he said. “What I can share with you is that in May of 2024, I received a highly effective evaluation (rating) from the board of trustees. I’m not aware of any allegations, investigation of misconduct, inappropriate behavior, anything illegal, or anything of that nature.”
Lepper then mentioned that he was placed on paid administrative leave six days after it became public information that he was a finalist for the MATC presidential position.
“I have high regard for the students, faculty and staff in the community in Grand Rapids, and I’m very proud to have had the opportunity that I had there at that institution, but I’m focused on the future,” Lepper said.
Throughout his panel, Lepper answered multiple pre-written questions about the culture of MATC and the advancement of the college.
Lepper was asked to speak on his experience building community relations, and said it was “absolutely critical” for the president of a college to do so, despite the fact that no GRCC students surveyed by The Collegiate earlier in the month knew the president by name.
In response to the same question about community relations, Lepper mentioned that in between the time he was hired at GRCC and when he began his role as acting president, the “Chief Diversity Officer left,” which “damaged some relationships in the community and also on campus.”
Lepper was announced as the 11th president of GRCC on Nov. 21, 2022, taking over for Juan Oliverez, who served as interim president from 2022 to 2023. Shortly before Lepper’s appointment was announced, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer and Executive Director of the Woodrick Center for Equity and Inclusion B. Afeni McNeely Cobham was placed on administrative leave on Oct. 25, 2022, before eventually being terminated on Dec. 30, 2022, by Oliverez. The Collegiate previously reported that she was not provided with reasoning as to what placed her on administrative leave and was terminated under the “without cause” provision of her contract.
Like Lepper, Cobham also received a highly effective rating from her supervisor, former GRCC President Bill Pink, who served from 2017 to 2023 before her administrative leave.
Cobham stated in an email to The Collegiate that unlike Lepper, she “was not provided the dignity of an impartial investigation or the opportunity to present a counter narrative to whatever Olivarez was feeding the Board of Trustees.”
In his interview, Lepper said that he believed part of his role was to help repair relationships and develop partnerships following the separation. According to Lepper, GRCC did so by repairing its relationship with the Urban League and the Hispanic Center of West Michigan.
“The ’damage’ consistently done to (select) members of the GRCC community is rooted in inconsistency, subjectivity, complicity with gendered-racism, and cowardice,” she wrote. “Nearly three years after an unjust termination and nefarious tactics to discredit my contributions to the institution, …GRCC is facing the ‘day of reckoning’ it deserves.”
When Lepper first interviewed for the position at GRCC, he closed out his interview with an optimistic look at his future with the college.
“Thank you for the opportunity to share my own story and to be considered for this position is a great honor. If selected, it would be my greatest honor to serve as your next president, it would be something I would do to the best of my abilities,” Lepper said in his October 2022 finalist panel.
Less than three years later, Lepper was asked what excites him most about the potential of being president at MATC. He took a six-second pause before answering and talking about how community colleges are “inclusive” and the good reputation of MATC.
“There are so many great things that are going on at this institution, it’s hard to say this is the one thing that excites me,” Lepper said. “But it feels very comfortable to me, in a way it’s kind of like a home.”
No new information about Lepper’s status was provided in an email the board of trustees sent out to the campus community Friday night.
“While we are limited in what we can share at this time, we are committed to open communication and will keep you informed as we move forward,” the email stated. “In the meantime, we want to express our full confidence in our acting president, Lisa Freiburger, and the executive leadership team. Their dedication and steady guidance continue to serve the college well.”
