We’re learning more about the investigation into allegations that an upstate community college monitored emails, violated internal regulations, and created a toxic work environment. A new report says state officials have arrested a Spartanburg Community College administrator for several lies. In its new report, the South Carolina Inspector General’s Office debunks some of the allegations. But in the process, it revealed that Lisa Satterfield, the current dean, had lied to the press, the public, and even state officials under oath. They spend more time on campus. “This is not an eight-to-five job,” said Bruce Dillenbeck, who has taught at the college for 33 years. “You need flexibility. You deal with emails during the evening. You deal with emails over the weekend.” Dillenbeck was Senate leader at the time. Soon after, he says, several outside organizations, including the South Carolina State Inspector General’s Office, opened investigations. He continued: “I found that the administration lied on several occasions.” The inspector general found that Lisa Satterfield, then vice president for academic affairs and now provost, lied to the media and the public. The report says she told the media that the college did not monitor emails, nor did it ask campus police to investigate the Senate president when it did, which they did. The report also detailed that she lied to state officials under oath, saying they did not investigate Dillenbeck. The Inspector General summoned the college president for confirmation. “Once they got it, the president, Dr. Michael Mikota, acknowledged that there was an investigation,” Dillenbeck said. “The statement made by the Vice President was, in his words, inaccurate.” The officials did not violate any laws or internal regulations related to investigating faculty, monitoring emails, or dissolving the faculty senate, the report said. But she continued to address the lies. “They also recommended a human resources investigation and punishment of those who made false statements to the media,” Dillenbeck said. “If you have a vice president who is under oath, you have a president protecting her, and she should be called out. This lack of integrity would have gotten everyone else fired from the college.” We have reached out to the Spartanburg community. college. A spokesperson for the commission responded with a commission statement: “The Spartanburg County Commission on Technical and Community Education has reviewed the allegations made against Spartanburg Community College by a small group of faculty members over the past several months.” We also reviewed correspondence with college accreditation. The agency, SACSCOC, and the South Carolina Office of Inspector General, both of which – after comprehensive and detailed investigations – found the majority of the allegations to be unsubstantiated or without merit. Mikota and members of his administration. Thanks to the dedicated and intentional work of this team, Spartanburg Community College has not only reached new heights, but has also gained regional and national recognition as a leader in driving innovation and enhancing higher education and workforce opportunities. “The top priority of Spartanburg Community College’s leadership is the thousands of students who call themselves pursuers today, and thousands more in the future. The Commission remains confident in the dedicated administration that will continue to strive to provide students with exceptional educational experiences, accelerate economic development, and provide financial prosperity and lifelong learning opportunities for the communities we serve. He wished to remain anonymous. One said: “Members of the Commission feel Teaching concerned about the integrity of the Supreme Court’s administration after a report from the Supreme Court’s Office of Inspector General informed them that the Vice President of Academic Affairs (the position had just been changed to Dean) lacked candor with the Supreme Court’s Office of Inspector General during his swearing-in. “Among other issues, the recently updated faculty workload policy, approved by the SCC, fails to address the weekend and after-hours support our students (particularly online students) need.” Workload policies at technical colleges lead Others at SC have done a much better role in recognizing the faculty’s need for flexibility in their schedules to serve students after hours and on weekends. This administration clearly cares more about appearance than the faculty. Morale is low, restrictions are high, and staff are encouraged to unionize As a positive force for our students is nonexistent. There is a clear lack of trust between faculty and administration. We miss the days when our work environment was nurturing, positive and helpful to both faculty and students. We never know what to expect from this administration due to lack of transparency. We do not We trust them, and our shared government is over. “We feel micromanaged and distrustful in doing our job. “They want the perception of a perfect campus, when in reality faculty and staff morale is very low.”
We’re learning more about the investigation into allegations that an upstate community college monitored emails, violated internal regulations, and created a toxic work environment. A new report says state officials caught a Spartanburg community college administrator with several lies.
In its new report, the South Carolina Office of Inspector General debunks some of the allegations. But in the process, she revealed that Lisa Satterfield, the current dean, had lied to the press, the public, and even state officials under oath.
In April, the Spartanburg Community College administration dissolved its faculty senate before members voted against a new policy requiring more time on campus.
“This is not an eight-to-five job,” said Bruce Dillenbeck, who has taught at the college for 33 years. “You need flexibility. You deal with emails during the evening. You deal with emails during the weekend.”
Dillenbeck was Senate leader at the time. Soon after, he says, several outside organizations, including the South Carolina State Inspector General’s Office, opened investigations.
He continued: “I found that the administration lied on several occasions.”
The inspector general found that Lisa Satterfield, then vice president for academic affairs, now provost, lied to the media and the public. The report says she told the media that the college did not monitor emails, nor did it ask campus police to investigate the Senate president when it did, which they did.
The report also detailed that she lied to state officials under oath, saying they did not investigate Dillenbeck. The Inspector General summoned the college president for confirmation.
“Once they got it, the president, Dr. Michael Mikota, acknowledged that there was an investigation,” Dillenbeck said. “The statement made by the Vice President was, in his words, inaccurate.”
The administrators did not violate any laws or internal regulations related to investigating faculty, monitoring emails, or dissolving the faculty council, the report said. But she continued to address the lies.
“They also recommended a human resources investigation and punishment of those who made false statements to the media,” Dillenbeck said. “If you have a vice president who is under oath, you have a president protecting her, and she should be called out. This lack of integrity would have gotten everyone else at the college fired.”
We reached out to Spartanburg Community College. The official spokesman responded to the committee’s statement:
“The Spartanburg County Commission on Technical and Community Education has reviewed allegations made against Spartanburg Community College by a small group of faculty members over the past several months.
“We also reviewed correspondence with the college accrediting body, SACSCOC, and the South Carolina Office of Inspector General, both of which — after comprehensive and detailed investigations — found the majority of the allegations to be unsubstantiated, or without merit.
“The Committee fully and unequivocally supports the leadership of Dr. Michael Mikota and his members of administration. Thanks to the dedicated and intentional work of this team, Spartanburg Community College has not only reached new heights, but has also gained regional and national recognition as a leader in driving innovation, enhancing higher education opportunities, and power development.” The worker.
“The highest priority of Spartanburg Community College leadership is the thousands of students who call themselves Chasers today, and thousands more in the future. The committee remains confident in the dedicated administration that will continue to strive to give students exceptional educational experiences, accelerate economic development, and provide financial prosperity and long-term learning opportunities.” Life for the communities we serve.
We reached out to several faculty members, who wished to remain anonymous. One:
“Faculty members are concerned about the integrity of the administration of the Supreme Court after a report from the Office of the Supreme Court Inspector General informed them that the Vice President of Academic Affairs (the position has just been changed to Dean) lacked candor with the Office of the Inspector General of the Supreme Court during his swearing-in.
“Among other issues, the recently updated faculty workload policy, approved by the SCC, fails to address the weekend and after-hours support our students (particularly online students) need.” Workload policies at technical colleges lead Others at SC do a much better job recognizing the need for faculty to have flexibility in their schedules to serve students after hours and on weekends.”
Another anonymous faculty member wrote:
“As we prepare for the holidays, it is clear that this administration cares more about appearances than about the faculty. Morale is low, restrictions are high, and there is no encouragement for staff to unite as a positive force for our students. There is a clear lack of trust between” faculty and administration. We miss the days when our work environment was nurturing, positive, and helpful to both faculty and students.”
Another faculty member also sent:
“This administration has taken away the joy of coming to work. We never know what to expect from this administration due to a lack of transparency. We don’t trust them, and our shared governance is gone.”
“We feel micromanaged and unconfident in doing our job. They want the perception of a perfect campus, when in reality faculty and staff morale is very low.”
The recent investigation into upstate community college officials has shocked the community as they have been caught in a web of lies. The officials, who were once seen as pillars of the community, are now under scrutiny for their misleading statements and actions. This revelation has left the community on edge and has sparked a public outcry for transparency and accountability from the college administration. As the investigation unfolds, questions regarding the integrity of the college officials and the impact of their deceit on the community continue to loom large.