SPRINGFIELD – Massachusetts Education Secretary Matthew Malone, who was in Springfield on Wednesday to promote public higher education, said he awaits action by a local board of trustees to “hold folks accountable” in how it deals with a spending controversy surrounding Westfield State University President Evan S. Dobelle. Malone was a moderator and guest speaker at Central High School...
SPRINGFIELD – Massachusetts Education Secretary Matthew Malone, who was in Springfield on Wednesday to promote public higher education, said he awaits action by a local board of trustees to “hold folks accountable” in how it deals with a spending controversy surrounding Westfield State University President Evan S. Dobelle.
Malone was a moderator and guest speaker at Central High School for a “Go Public” rally, urging students from Central, Putnam Vocational Academy and the High School of Science and Technology to consider public colleges and to focus on science, technology, engineering and math — the STEM field — in their educational pursuits.
In a separate interview with The Republican and MassLive.com, Malone said he is “standing by” for action by Westfield State’s board of trustees, following a critical audit report regarding alleged travel and spending violations by Dobelle and other top university officials.
The findings by the O’Connor and Drew auditing firm “showed there were clear violation of policies that the president committed,” Malone said.
“We are very public about we are very unhappy with the state of affairs that happened in the president’s office in spending,” Malone said. “And this board – the expectation is that they hold folks accountable for spending public funds.”
The board of trustees’ next meeting is Oct. 24, when it will take up the Dobelle spending issue.
“We have asked the board to take a hard look at President Dobelle’s spending,” Malone said. “They have done that. Now they need to make a decision about what they are going to do here.”
Among the findings of the audit was that Dobelle reimbursed the school $68,000 for personal use of a university credit card from June 2008 to February 2013. School policy forbids the use of WSU credit cards for personal use, the report said.
Dobelle said last week that he never intentionally billed personal trips to Miami Beach, London, Vienna and other cities. In addition, he said the spending paid off in increased donations, a distinguished speaker series, new undergraduate majors, expansion of the international exchange program and construction on campus.
Dobelle, during his comments at Central High School’s auditorium, said public colleges and universities in Massachusetts are not only “the best bang for the buck,” but also offer the best programs and provide the most motivational and enjoyable experiences.
Some of the students exiting the rally, said they were impressed by the message, and by comments and advice from a panel of public college students.
The high school students, who were in honors and Advanced Placement programs were either Central students, or bused to Central for the rally.
The college student speakers urged the high school attendees to take their studies seriously, and to take the challenge of taking many harder courses in science and mathematics.