Shelton State president placed on paid leave amid fraud probe

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Interim two-year college Chancellor Thomas Corts has placed

Shelton State Community College President Rick Rogers on paid administrative leave amid a fraud investigation.
Corts said Rogers will continue to receive his $135,000 salary, but Corts said Friday he decided to place him on leave during the ongoing investigation of allegations that Rogers received money from a fraud scheme.
Corts notified the state school board of his decision.
The allegations against Rogers surfaced after Robert Nix, former Alabama Fire College board member, agreed to plead guilty to federal charges of money laundering, wire fraud and theft from a government agency.
A former deputy director of the Fire College, which is based at Shelton State in Tuscaloosa, Nix resigned Monday from his part-time job at Shelton.
In his plea agreement, Nix, 67, said the president of Shelton State received $11,000 worth of furniture for his home and $14,000 to pay a personal cell phone bill from money Nix doled out from the Alabama Fire College Foundation.
Rogers said in a statement Thursday that he did not know about the furniture purchases, but the Fire College’s foundation did provide a cell phone package.
“We’re just trying to find, from our perspective, what involvement the system has and what has actually gone on to be fair to Dr. Rogers and to the system,” Corts said. “We have to try to figure out what all’s happening here, and this seems like the fairest way for him and for the system office.”
Corts named Joanne Jordan, vice chancellor and former president of Southern Union Community College as acting president.
Jordan also has been the subject of controversy in recent months, acknowledging that she accepted free design services for her Lake Martin home from an architect she hired at Southern Union.
Jordan also has said she allowed former Chancellor Roy Johnson to send painters who worked on his Opelika home to Southern Union while she was president, giving them nearly $50,000 in painting work without seeking competitive bids. Jordan said she used the painters at her Lake Martin home, but paid them for their work.
Corts said he chose Jordan because she has experience running a college. “I have to have somebody who has familiarity with the process and procedures. And she’s available,” he said.
Rogers was also mentioned in a plea agreement signed by former Rep. Bryant Melton, who agreed to plead guilty in June to felony charges for his role in obtaining state funds through the Fire College to pay gambling debts and his daughter’s medical school education.
Melton said Rogers knew of the scheme, but Rogers has denied discussing it with Melton.
Melton resigned from office and his post as director of the C.A. Fredd Campus at Shelton State.
Information from The Tuscaloosa News http://www.tuscaloosanews.com and The Birmingham News http://www.al.com/birminghamnews