Last week, reports surfaced that officials at Texas Southern University here in town are investigating the use of funds by the institution’s president on her private residence (some people might call that use of funds “stealing”).
The Chronicle‘s Matthew Tresaugue follows up on the story today:
Texas Southern University President Priscilla Slade has reimbursed the university more than $138,000 for the cost of landscaping her new home, according to records released Wednesday.
Slade, who wrote the check Monday, is hoping to get back into the good graces of the university’s board of regents before they meet Friday to discuss her future. She is also under scrutiny for charging roughly $87,000 to TSU for household furnishings, according to a source familiar with the inquiry.
So, it’s possible that she used over $200,000 of university (really, taxpayers’) funds for personal expenditures (again, people more judgmental than this humble scribe might be inclined to call that use of funds “stealing”). The story indicates that an investigation is ongoing. The matter is complicated by the fact that TSU does not provide an official residence for its president, and thus Dr. Slade’s private residence is frequently used for university business.
Tom Kirkendall noted the following irony in the story:
Slade, 54, who earned a doctorate in accounting from UT-Austin, has received high marks during her tenure as president of the university.
A doctorate in accounting? You would think Dr. Slade of all people would be diligent about not using public funds for private purposes (again, some people might call that “stealing”).
BLOGVERSATION: TBIFOC.
