N-M WORKERS TO GET
ANOTHER DEGREE.
BUT A NEWS 13 SPECIAL
ASSIGNMENT REVEALS U-N-M
USED TAXPAYER MONEY TO
SEND THOSE EMPLOYEES TO
(OTHER
UNIVERSITIES -- OUT OF
STATE.
AND AS LYSEE MITRI SHOWS
YOU, U-N-M MAY BE
BREAKING THE LAW.
...NATS unm fountain...
THEY MAY (WORK FOR THE
UNIVERSITY OF NEW
MEXICO... BUT WHEN IT
CAME
TO GETTING AN EDUCATION
...NATS books...
-- THEY WENT SOMEWHERE
ELSE, ON (YOUR DIME.
...NATS usc fight
song...
LIKE THE UNVERSITY OF
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA...
JOHNS HOPKINS
UNIVERSITY... CARNEGIE
MELLON...
EVEN HARVARD.
U-N-M )S HEALTH SCIENCES
CENTER SAYS IT SPENT
HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF (NEW MEXICO
TAXPAYER DOLLARS ON
COLLEGE DEGREES FROM
OUT-OF-STATE
UNIVERSITIES. WE
SPOKE TO STATE SENATORS
AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
MEMBERS CRAIG BRANDT AND
MIMI STEWART WHEN NEWS
13 FIRST
UNCOVERED THIS ISSUE IN
20-17.
...Sen. Mimi Stewart
"That just seems way out
of line and not fair"...
...Lysee: Do you think
it )s a misuse of public
money? Brandt: I do."...
AT THE TIME... HEALTH
SCIENCES CHANCELLOR
DOCTOR PAUL ROTH
TOLD US OTHERWISE,
AND CLAIMED UNIVERSITY
POLICY (ALLOWS THESE
TUITION PAYMENTS. ...Dr.
Paul Roth, chancellor
for health sciences
center "It was my
understanding that our
practice in uh...
providing advanced
training and uh...
offering these kinds of
opportunities to our
faculty and staff were
consistent with
university policy"...
BUT AS WE POINTED OUT
THEN... AND
AS A (NEW U-N-M AUDIT
CONFIRMS NOW -- U-N-M
POLICY DOES (NOT
ALLOW FOR UNIVERSITY
MONEY TO PAY FOR TUITION
FOR EMPLOYEES GETTING
DEGREES AT (OTHER
UNIVERSITIES.
THAT IS STATED AND
RESTATED THROUGHOUT THE
AUDIT AT LEAST NINE
TIMES.
...Lysee Mitr "The audit
also reveals this isn )t
something any
departments on the main
campus were doing. It
shows the Health
Sciences Center was the
(only place at UNM that
seemed to have made a
habit of this."...
decision was in line
with
UNM policy?
( ( (QUICK SUPER/PAUL ( ( (
:15 Well... um... we
have been uh doing these
kinds of things...
for as long as I
remember. 1:17:26 for
decades"...
THE AUDIT FOUND THE
HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER
PAID TUITION AND TRAVEL
FOR 12 EMPLOYEES -- TO
THE TUNE OF
ROUGHLY 626-THOUSAND
DOLLARS -- OVER A
FOUR-YEAR PERIOD ENDING
LAST JUNE..
HEARING THESE (NEW
DETAILS... SENATOR
BRANDT SAYS HE WAS
SHOCKED.
...Sen. Brandt "This
isn )t acceptable to use
taxpayers ), or your
students ) money, in this
way 13:33"...
THERE WAS THE HIGH-PAID
EXECUTIVE WHO GOT THE
CHANCELLOR TO SIGN OFF
ON PAYING FOR HER TO GET
A
MASTER )S DEGREE IN
HEALTHCARE
ADMINISTRATION FROM
U-S-C...
SOMEONE FROM THE
EMERGENCY MEDICINE
DEPARTMENT
GETTING 97-THOUSAND FOR
A DEGREE FROM HARVARD...
ANOTHER FACULTY MEMBER
GOT TUITION, TRAVEL AND
MEALS FOR HIS
EDUCATION AT CARNEGIE
MELLON UNIVERSITY...
AND THE HEALTH
SCIENCES CENTER PAID FOR
A PARALEGAL AT U-N-M )S
UNIVERSITY
COUNSEL OFFICE TO GET
A MASTER )S DEGREE FROM
THE UNIVERSITY OF
ILLINOIS - CHICAGO
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE.
IN ALL OF (THOSE
CASES... NONE OF THE
ADVANCED DEGREES WERE
REQUIRED AS PART OF
THEIR JOBS... AND THE
EMPLOYEES DIDN )T EVEN
HAVE
TO SIGN A CONTRACT TO
GET THEIR EDUCATION PAID
FOR,
ACCORDING TO THE AUDIT.
...Sen. Brandt "How do
you hold the employee
accountable if they go
and get this degree and
then a
year later, because now
they )ve got this higher
degree, they move to a
higher paying job with
another university or
another hospital or
something else 5:00 and
then the taxpayer spent
all
this money and getting
no benefit for it"...
ASIDE FROM SEVEN NURSE
PRACTIONERS WHO (DID
HAVE
CONTRACTS REQUIRING
THEM TO CONTINUE WORKING
AFTER GETTING DEGREES IN
NEONATAL
NURSING BECAUSE NEW
MEXICO HAS A SHORTAGE OF
THOSE NURSES...
THE AUDIT SAYS THE
(REST,
VIOLATED THE
ANTI-DONATION CLAUSE OF
THE STATE CONSITUTION.
THE LAW SAYS GOVERNMENT
ENTITIES -- LIKE U-N-M
-- CAN )T JUST
GIVE DONATIONS TO
PRIVATE CITIZENS.
...Sen. Brandt "I think
that Chancellor Roth
needs to answer more
questions 10;17
WHILE DR. ROTH TALKED TO
US IN 20- 17... ...Dr.
Paul Roth, chancellor
for health sciences
center "I )m happy to be
able to respond
appropriately"...
HE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE
HAPPY TO RESPOND ON
CAMERA SINCE THE AUDIT )S
RELEASE.
HE REFUSED AN INTERVIEW.
AND SO DID UNIVERSITY
PRESIDENT GARNETT
STOKES.
INSTEAD, WE WERE
REFERRED TO A U- N-M
SPOKESPERSON. ...Lysee:
Should the health
sciences Chancellor be
disciplined? 3:41
( ( (SUPER/DAN ( ( (
well again the audit
report spells out some
recommendations where
policies should be
changed"...
THAT DID NOT ANSWER OUR
QUESTION.
BUT.. THE PRESIDENT )S
OFFICE SAYS IT WILL
UPDATE POLICIES TO
ADDRESS THESE TUITION
PAYMENTS...
SPECIFICALLY OUTLINING
REQUIREMENTS, LIKE
SHOWING HOW U- N-M WOULD
BENEFIT FROM AN
EMPLOYEE )S OUT-OF-STATE
EDUCATION, IF U-N-M
DOESN )T OFFER THE SAME
CLASSES.
...Lysee: Is it a good
use of taxpayer money
though? 2:18 Well again
that )s not something for
me to express at this
time 2:22 This is still
an ongoing issue"...
...Lysee: Do you think
the University owes
taxpayers an apology?
shakes head again, we )re
gonna move forward with
the audit findings 9:02
we are gonna move
forward with the process
9:04"...
U-N-M WANTS TO MOVE
FORWARD... WHILE SOME
LAWMAKERS STILL HAVE
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
UNIVERSITY )S PAST
DECISIONS.
Sen. Craig Brandt "This
is not the university )s
money that was spent.
it )s the taxpayer )s
money 11:42
ON SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT,
LYSEE MITRI, KRQE NEWS
13.
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
CAN )T SAY WHEN HE WILL
RELEASE A FORMAL
OPINION ON WHETHER
U-N-M )S TUITION PAYMENTS
VIOLATE STATE LAW.
U-N-M COULD UPDATE ITS
POLICIES BY NEXT MONTH.
YOU CAN READ THE U-N-M
AUDIT -- AND A STATEMENT
FROM THE UNIVERSITY --
AT
"ALWAYS ON" KRQE-DOT
COM.
ADLIB TOSS TO WEATHER