Howard University fired six employees last year after an internal investigation found that several university employees misappropriated university-based funds between 2007 and 2016.
Dr. Wayne A.I. Frederick, president of Howard, issued a statement Wednesday disclosing the scandal. He said an outside auditor found that some employees received university grants and tuition remission exceeding the total cost of attendance. These individuals received “inappropriate refunds,” Frederick said.
In the statement – which did not disclose names of those terminated or how much money was involved – Frederick said he initiated a “proactive review” of the Office of Financial Aid in February 2015. He said he was not alerted until December 2016 that “there may have been some misappropriation of university-provided financial aid funds,” according to his statement.
University officials launched an internal investigation and brought in an outside auditor, RSM, who reported the results of their investigation to Frederick in May 2017. The president said he “self-reported” the issue to the U.S. Department of Education in July.
As a result of the investigation into individual employee actions, Howard officials fired six employees for “gross misconduct and neglect of duties” last September, the statement said.
“We will refer this matter for criminal prosecution, as appropriate.”
The statement also said that another outside consultant, Third Coast Higher Education, determined there was no misappropriation of federal funds and that the misappropriated university grants were institutional funds allotted to supporting students with financial need.
