The interim president of Lansing Community College, Judith Cardenas, has been cleared of alleged spending misdeeds by audits commissioned by the Michigan college’s Board of Trustees. However, Ms. Cardenas now faces an investigation by the state’s auditor general, the Lansing State Journal reported today.

Ms. Cardenas, who took the interim job seven months ago, after the previous president quit following a dispute with the board, was accused last month by the college’s lawyer, Tim Zeller, of misspending thousands of dollars in college funds (The Chronicle, September 30). But the audits, which were released on Monday and were conducted by both internal and external auditors, found no basis to the accusations. Mr. Zeller was fired 10 days after he made the charges.

“I think the actions by the former college attorney have been negligent,” said Chris Laverty, the board’s chairman, in a written statement. “False accusations about the president’s office were made to the state without any evidence or proof.”

The state, however, took the charges seriously, and is now investigating allegations made by Mr. Zeller and by other unnamed sources, the newspaper reported.