Bowie, Md.
A financially troubled fund-raising organization for
Bowie State University (BSU) is being temporarily handed over to the
University of Maryland system amidst criticism that the organization
sapped its administrative funds and then dipped into other money
earmarked for scholarships and campus activities to cover further
operating costs.
A January 1998 audit found that the foundation overspent its 1997
fiscal year operating budget by $63,869. The foundation, which operates
as a distinct not-for-profit organization, has since gone further into
debt, according to University of Maryland System officials.
A Bowie State official confirmed that among the financial
commitments the organization could not afford were the purchase of more
than $40,000 worth of furniture for the offices of fund-raising
employees and a $12,650 contract to buy Washington Redskins season
tickets.
While most of the foundation’s debts occurred before interim
director Russell A. Davis took office in February of this year, he was
removed from the foundation post on May 12, 1998 by state university
officials. The next day, amidst accusations that he lied about his
academic credentials, Davis resigned from his position as a vice
president of student affairs at BSU, according to news reports.
Davis’s firing and resignation both occurred after The Baltimore
Sun reported on May 12 that a court found he had improperly taken
$3,873 from another non-profit organization he once headed that meets
on campus. The newspaper also reported that Davis had a history of
troubled personal finances.
However, BSU spokeswoman Carolyn Mills-Matthews said that Davis
resigned when he failed to verify his Ph.D. credentials to university
officials.
