Abbott, Patrick name for investigation on Texas Southern University

Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have ordered the Texas Rangers to analyze Texas Southern University on Monday after a brand new state audit discovered proof of poor bookkeeping and monetary mismanagement.

Patrick stated he’ll focus on with Abbott and House Speaker Dustin Burrows a freeze on TSU’s state funding. It’s unclear if and when the freeze would go into impact and what affect it could have on TSU, one of many largest traditionally Black universities within the nation.

In a letter to Patrick’s workplace and different members of the state Legislature’s Audit Committee, State Auditor Lisa Collier stated college employees vacancies for “critical” monetary duties have contributed to delays in monetary reporting, in addition to poor asset oversight and weak contracting processes.

According to a preliminary report from Collier, greater than 700 invoices totaling greater than $280 million had been tied to distributors whose contracts expired within the contract database. And greater than 800 invoices price practically $160 million had been dated earlier than the acquisition had been formally requested or accredited.

Collier additionally stated the college submitted its monetary experiences to the comptroller’s workplace 10 months late for the 2023 fiscal 12 months and 4 months late for the 2024 fiscal years.

In an announcement to The Texas Tribune, Texas Southern University stated it was cooperating with the state auditor and that it had “enacted corrective measures” previous to the discharge of the report, together with a brand new buying system. The college declined to reply questions in regards to the vacant positions of their monetary workplace, and the potential freeze on state funding.

The Houston college, which has an enrollment of about 8,000 college students, has confronted scrutiny for the way its funds have been dealt with earlier than. In 2020, allegations of bribery and kickbacks within the regulation college admissions course of led to the ousting of the sitting president on the time, Austin Lane.

Students with low educational credentials had been admitted and given greater than $430,000 in scholarship cash, and cashier’s verify and cash orders had been discovered stashed underneath one admission official’s desk calendar, an inner investigation discovered.

“The legislature has continued year-after-year to try to help the school,” Patrick stated in an announcement on X. “It appears the legislature has been misled over this time period on promised improvements in accounting practices and contracting.”

Within hours of Patrick’s order, Abbott issued a separate assertion saying he had additionally requested DPS to analyze the college. He slammed the “potential misappropriation of hundreds of millions of dollars” and stated “waste, fraud, and abuse will not be tolerated.”

The Texas Tribune companions with Open Campus on increased training protection.