Iowa

Northeast Iowa Community College president sues trustees in alleged DEI disagreement

Published

2 years ago

January 31, 2024

Northeast Iowa Community College president sues trustees in alleged DEI disagreement

Brooklyn Draisey
| Iowa Capital Dispatch

The president of Northeast Iowa Community College, currently on administrative leave while the college proceeds with termination, has filed suit against the college’s Board of Trustees, alleging violations of open meeting laws.

Herbert Riedel says in the suit that the board violated the state’s open meeting laws when it implemented proceedings that, while discussed in closed session, were never voted on in an open setting. He filed the suit in December in Winneshiek County and it was served Jan. 22.

Northeast Iowa Community College put Riedel on administrative leave in early October and has initiated termination proceedings, NICC spokesperson Tara Cooley said in an email. During that process, Riedel has the right to a private hearing where a judge will determine whether the cause for his termination was justified.

More: Iowa Board of Regents tells UI, ISU, UNI to eliminate DEI positions not required by law

Riedel said in a statement posted on social media that he will contest the college’s action against him.

“The Board is wasting a lot of taxpayer money by its politically motivated and ego-driven refusal to allow me to return to my job and provide solid leadership to advance NICC’s mission for the benefit of our students,” Riedel said in his statement.

The institution declined to comment and remains committed to its mission and students, Cooley said in the email. There is no timeline for the search for a new president, and David Dahms, NICC vice president for finance and administration, is serving as acting president.

“NICC intends to vigorously defend itself against the Petition recently filed by Dr. Herbert Riedel, and will not comment further on pending litigation,” Cooley said in her email.

President claims plan for him included ‘re-education’ on diversity, equity and inclusion

The closed meeting in question occurred in June 2023 and pertained to Riedel’s performance as college president. Riedel believes, according to the suit, that the board also discussed his contract, salary and a “performance action plan.”

Once the board convened in open session, it voted to take action on Riedel’s contract and pay but not the plan, which was still implemented, according to the suit.

According to the suit, Riedel is asking the court to void the action plan. He is seeking damages from the board members involved in the violation.

Riedel said in his statement that the action plan was politically motivated, as evidenced by an early draft which would have had him undergo a “re-education” on diversity, equity and inclusion, which he called a “highly ideological and controversial movement favored by some at the College.”

The college did not respond to questions about the details of the performance action plan or activities relating to diversity, equity and inclusion.

“When I arrived at the College, the DEI Committee had plans to institute training on gender pronouns and to survey students on private sexuality, gender, and race issues,” Riedel said in the statement. “I directed the Committee to follow Iowa’s laws, refrain from controversy, include an openness to viewpoint diversity, and foster a workplace and learning environment that is respectful of employees and students, while promoting diversity and inclusiveness.”

Find this story at Iowa Capital Dispatch, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions:kobradovich@iowacapitaldispatch.com.

Source link

Click to comment

Iowa

Iowa City West sweeps City High in a pair of close contests

Published

4 hours ago

December 20, 2025

Press Room

Iowa City West sweeps City High in a pair of close contests

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Grace Fincham led the West High girls to a second-half comeback in a 60-51 win over City High, giving the Trojans a win on their rival’s home floor.

The Trojans improve to 6-2 with the win. The Little Hawks drop to 6-2.

In the boys’ nightcap, the Little Hawks’ comeback attempt fell short, as the Trojans held on for a 53-51 win.

Source link

Iowa

Iowa football dissects LeVar Woods succession plan

Published

16 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

Iowa football dissects LeVar Woods succession plan

The loss of LeVar Woods, the Iowa Hawkeyes’ long-time, elite special teams coordinator, cannot be dismissed. The Hawkeyes have consistently been among the nation’s best special teams units, from punting to kicking to owning the return and field position battle.

With LeVar Woods departing Iowa for Big Ten foe, the Michigan State Spartans, the Hawkeyes have a big hole to fill, and head coach Kirk Ferentz spoke to the media this week on what that succession plan may look like.

“Yeah, it’s not a light decision. The trick will be to find the next LeVar Woods. He’s done a fantastic job. He didn’t have the profile necessarily maybe at that point to predict what he was going to do, but he’s done all the work. It’s like a good player; players do the work. LeVar has done a great job immersing himself and learning every aspect and then growing with each and every turn. So I guess I’m describing what we’re looking for, a guy who’s a good coach, who’s eager to take a challenge on, and immerse themselves in that world.

“Special teams is a unique niche, if you will. I’m sure we’ll have good candidates. It’s not pressing right now in my mind. What is pressing is the next two weeks getting ready for the game, and then after that we’ll have eight plus weeks or eight plus months actually to get it right. I don’t plan on waiting until August to fill it, but we’ll figure that out when we get in the new year,” Ferentz said about LeVar Woods.

The past few seasons, Iowa has been elite on special teams with kicker Drew Stevens being incredibly consistent, the punting game flipping fields, and the run of returners consisting of Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Charlie Jones, Cooper DeJean, and Kaden Wetjen.

The Hawkeyes have won more than their fair share of games relying on this unit, and to continue that success, Ferentz needs to hit on this hire.

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald7

Source link

Iowa

Iowa State Cyclones’ Jimmy Rogers Must Retain Impact Wide Receiver

Published

1 day ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

Iowa State Cyclones’ Jimmy Rogers Must Retain Impact Wide Receiver

With the Jimmy Rogers era starting up for the Iowa State Cyclones, he will be hoping to retain some of the talent for the program after the departure of Matt Campbell.

Since Campbell took the job with the Penn State Nittany Lions, there has been a barrage of recruits leaving the program. That was always to be expected with the coaching change, but the Cyclones’ class went from being one of the best in the history of the program to a bit of a problem.

Fortunately, Rogers is expected to bring some of his recruits over from Washington State as well, and that recently started with Malcolm Watkins committing to Iowa State. With the transfer portal set to open in a couple of weeks, there is undoubtedly going to be a lot of player movement.

For Rogers, there will be a couple of key players that he should be focused on trying to retain. Furthermore, keeping some of the younger talent who might be around for multiple years could also help them sustain success.

Alec Busse of 247Sports recently wrote about some essential players for Jimmy Rogers to try and retain that could help the program long-term. Unsurprisingly, sophomore wide receiver Brett Eskildsen was named.

Eskildsen Could Be an Impact Player for Multiple Years

Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In 2025, the wide receiver position for Iowa State saw a lot of changeover following the departure of some talented players to the NFL. The position group wouldn’t be considered a strength of the program last year, but there was some young talent that showed promise.

One of the top players for the passing offense was the talented sophomore receiver who ended up finishing with a strong campaign. Overall, Eskildsen totaled 30 receptions, 526 receiving yards, and five receiving touchdowns.

The sophomore led the team in both receiving yards and yards per catch, while finishing third in receptions and second in receiving touchdowns. With it really being his first year playing, it was an outstanding start to his career.

For Rogers, keeping the talented receiver for the next couple of years would be a big boost for the program. Fortunately, there are a couple of factors that could help with that. Recently, his brother signed as a preferred walk-on, and his family also has some connections to the program. Those factors could be key for Rogers to retain him, and it would be a significant boost for the offense if he were able to do so.