Cuesta puts ex-accreditation official on leave 

Dr. Cathleen Greiner is no longer the vice president for academic affairs at Cuesta College. She was ousted from the position June 26, when the Board of Trustees, acting on President Gil Stork’s direction, declared that she had “underperformed” in her duties.

The board placed Greiner on paid administrative leave through Sept. 24. Under the conditions of her contract, Stork can reassign her to another position on campus, a move that would save the college the costs of a severance package. As of press time, no decision had been made.

Greiner oversaw the school’s accreditation steering committee from 2008 through 2011, during which time the college tumbled toward insolvency. The commission that decides whether units from a community college should count at other schools put Cuesta on “warning” status, then “probation,” and finally “show cause.” Units earned at Cuesta continue to be transferable, but that could change if the community college doesn’t prove its worth by Oct. 15.

Deborah Wulff replaced Greiner on the accreditation steering committee in February and assumed all of Greiner’s duties on an interim basis effective July 1.

The college will also need to find a replacement for Linda Fontanilla, vice president of student services. She’s set to resign from her post July 19 to pursue a job in Southern California. Stork said in an e-mail to staff that he will bring a restructuring/reorganization plan before the board on July 11 to create interim and long-term solutions for administrative structure at Cuesta College. The school’s lack of stable leadership has been a major concern among the accrediting commission.