The Milwaukee Area Technical College board voted 6-3 to terminate President Darnell Cole immediately Thursday night, coming just ten days after he was cited for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.
Provost Vicki Martin will be named interim president and Cole will be paid until the end of the month.
"We believe that operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol is not acceptable for the President of MATC," the board said in a statement.
A deputy found Cole, 61, stopped on southbound on I-94 at about 1:40 a.m. on Feb. 9, according to the Milwaukee County Sheriff Department. Cole was taken to a sheriff's substation after failing a sobriety test where his blood-alcohol concentration registered 0.20, more than twice the legal limit.
The board held a special closed meeting, which lasted four hours, before making the decision. More than 100 students, faculty and supporters filled MATC's hallways to rally for Cole.
Cole spoke shortly after the vote, saying he was disappointed in the outcome of the vote, and was sorry for his "poor judgment."
"I'm not mad, I'm just confused," said Keith Smith, President of MATC's Black Student Union. "It's like our voices aren't heard here."
"We had 400 signatures within a 24-hour period, and they didn't take note. Do six people speak for the whole school?" Smith added.
Kathleen Hohl, director of public relations at MATC, said the board's decision was based solely on the events of Feb. 9.
"You have to look deeper than just one mistake," said MATC sophomore Jermaine House. "Look at what he's done for the university. Look at it before he got here, and look at it now."
Not all students were against the firing. The Feb. 19 issue of the MATC school newspaper, the Times, issued an editorial urging Cole to step down.
"I'm not saying he shouldn't be held accountable, but this is out of line," Smith said.
Hohl said that a national search will be conducted for Cole's replacement.
"This is certainly a difficult time for MATC, but the education and training we provide has not been affected," Hohl said. "We still are dedicated to the students."
Board members Robert Davis, Fred Royal and Bobbie Webber voted against Cole's termination. Board chair Lauren Baker, Peter Earle, Melanie Holmes, Thomas Michalski, Richard Monroe and Ann Wilson voted in favor.
Cole held the position since 2001. His current contract was slated to end in 2011. Last year he was among four finalists to be president of Lansing Community College in Michigan.
Cole's case comes within a year of three other similar cases. In two of the cases, that of Rick Amidon, the former president of Baker College in Flint, Michigan and that of Randolph Flechshig, the former president of Davenport University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the presidents resigned.
But in July of 2008, Stephen G. Jennings, the president of the University of Evansville in Evansville, Indiana, was arrested for driving while intoxicated. After issuing an apology and enrolling in a first-time offender program for drunk driving, Jennings was allowed to keep his job.