College board to discuss interim operations in absence of suspended president

By Rob Alway. Editor-in-Chief. 

VICTORY TWP. —The West Shore Community College Board of Trustees will be deciding this afternoon the interim operational structure of the college in the wake of the suspension of President Charles Dillon. Dillon was suspended with pay following a special meeting of the trustees last week. The week prior to that, the Manistee resident was pulled over, in a college-owned vehicle, and arrested by Manistee Police Department for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. He did not take a breathalyzer test and therefore his blood was drawn to test his alcohol level. Those results have been sent to the Michigan State Police crime lab, which normally takes about two weeks for results.

Dillon has not yet been arraigned in Manistee County’s district court.

Following a two hour closed session, the board of trustees took action to place Dillon administrative leave, with pay, pending investigation by the board. He was also ordered to a residential rehabilitation center; the college-owned vehicle was to be parked at the college until further notice.

The board has not specified the terms the rehabilitation or the location. However, as part of the action taken by the board, Dillon has waived physician/patient confidentiality, allowing the board to have access to his records.

Board Chairman Jim Jensen has met with all personnel at the college over the past two weeks. However, the adjunct faculty, which makes up about 70% of the instructional staff at the college, was not involved with or invited to any of those meetings.

The board of trustees meets at 4 p.m. today in the board room of the college’s Administrative and Conference Building.