Central Arizona College president Dennis Jenkins resigns amid internal investigation
The Arizona Republic
November 3, 2011
The president of Central Arizona College announced his retirement this week amid an internal investigation into widespread employee complaints about his performance and qualifications.
Dennis Jenkins packed up his office Tuesday night, ending five years as president and nearly 40 years with the Coolidge-based college.
In recent months, the school's three employee organizations submitted letters to the school's Board of Governors that detailed their memberships' votes of no confidence in Jenkins and outlined a series of allegations involving breaches of policy and unprofessional conduct.
The employee groups claimed Jenkins wasn't doing enough to fulfill accreditation requirements or fill key positions in a timely manner. Their letters also described Jenkins as having an "autocratic style" of leadership in which employee input was "met with ridicule, defensiveness, intimidation, or anger."
Gladys Christensen, the board's president, said Wednesday that she and other members have received and ignored anonymous complaints about Jenkins over the years. But Christensen, a board member since 1983, said this time was different because the complaints came from verifiable sources.
