LARAMIE, Wyoming (AP) - University of Wyoming officials are acknowledging for the first time that they opened an investigation of a school president before she was let go last year.
The university’s Board of Trustee said Friday in a statement that two reports were made to human resources by college staff about former university president Laurie Nichols. An outside employment firm hired by the university discovered multiple “accounts or perspectives of a similar and consistent nature.” The university didn’t provide details about the complaints.
Nichols, who is currently the president of Black Hills State University in South Dakota, said in a statement that she never knew about the reports and was disappointed to find out the board had been secretly investigating her.
The university also said in a statement it would not appeal a court ruling requiring it to release documents about the decision to let Nichols go. The documents are expected to be released Monday.
The Laramie Boomerang, Casper Star-Tribune, the Wyoming Tribune Eagle and WyoFile asked last year challenged in court the university’s decision to withhold the documents.
The Board of Trustees said they hadn’t previously explained the decision to protect Nichols’ privacy.
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