The Lower Columbia College Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to place President Matt Seimears on administrative leave.
Vice President of Instruction Kristen Finnel was appointed interim president.
The board did not provide a reason for the decision, which was made following an executive session. It also did not say how long Seimears is expected to be on leave.
Kendra Sprague, vice president of foundation, human resources and legal affairs, was also placed on administrative leave pending an investigation. It is unclear when her leave started.
Public Information Officer Wendy Hall wrote in an email that LCC was legally unable to provide further details on either situation because they are considered personnel matters.
LCC sent out a statement Wednesday saying the two suspensions were unrelated.
Seimears took over as president in January 2024 after former President Chris Bailey retired.
Despite his short local tenure, he was apparently looking for another job. In the fall, he was named as one of four finalists for president of Northern State University in South Dakota. Instead, a different candidate was named the next president in November.
The agenda for Tuesday's special meeting states that the executive session was held to evaluate complaints against a public officer or employee, evaluate the performance of a public employee, and discuss litigation or potential litigation with the school's legal counsel. Hall wrote that this is standard for meeting agendas that include an executive session, so any or all of the items could have been discussed.
Seimears faced criticism in July after LCC cut several staff members as part of a larger budget reduction caused by state funding cuts.
The state Legislature passed a two-year budget in May that included a 1.5% reduction in general funding for both community colleges and four-year universities. As a result, LCC had to reduce its budget by around $1.8 million, or 5%.
The cuts were announced shortly before the school sent out a routine evaluation survey about Seimears. At a July 30 board meeting, staff members raised concerns that the timing might have had an unfair effect on the survey responses.
The survey was meant to be limited to a certain portion of the LCC community, but may have been shared with people who were not supposed to receive it, staff members said at the meeting.
Most speakers at the meeting gave positive reviews about Seimears' leadership, but some said they felt he had not been transparent enough about the budget process.
