A former chief of information technology for California State University, David J. Ernst, received more than $150,000 of improper expense reimbursements, according to an audit released yesterday.
According to the audit, the expenses included unnecessary trips to Shanghai and Amsterdam, travel expenses between his headquarters in Long Beach and his home in Northern California, and meals that exceeded allowed amounts.
The audit encompassed expense reports from July 2005 through July 2008. Auditors uncovered $43,288 in improper commuting expenses, $39,135 for travel expenses, $26,455 for prohibited business meals, $24,676 in monthly living allowances overages and $17,053 for personal expenses, such as home Internet service. Auditors also found $1,834 in reimbursements that resulted from duplicate payments and over payments.
The audit also scolds the university for a lack of expense oversight, saying they were "unnecessary and not in the best interest of the university or the state."
This latest development comes at a difficult time for the university system, which has recently taken a series of controversial budget measures, including enrollment reductions, student fee increases, and a program of steep cost-cutting measures across all 23 campuses to help reduce a half-billion-dollar budget gap.
Ernst left the university in July 2008, Cal State officials said. He is now associate vice president for information resources and communications at the University of California.
The complete audit report is available here.
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