AG to look into UNM payments for degrees
Health Sciences Center funds employees’ studies
The Office of the Attorney General is questioning the legality of a practice at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, in which it pays for designated staff and employees to get advanced degrees from outside institutions.
In a letter sent to the university’s legal department Thursday, the AG’s Office said it was concerned the practice may violate state and federal law.
Specifically, the AG’s
Office questioned if the university’s payment of these expenses was tied directly to the university’s mission; if obtaining these advanced degrees benefitted UNM students; and whether paying the tuition and related expenses for the select subgroup of employees was a violation of the state constitution’s anti-donation clause. The letter also noted that participation was not offered to the entire university staff.
“We’re very concerned that more than $600,000 may have been inappropriately distributed in a way that is unfair to New Mexico taxpayers, students and employees,” Attorney General Hector Balderas said in a separate statement to the Journal. “My office will conduct a thorough review, and we ask UNM to be accountable and cooperate with that review.”
The letter from the AG’s Office was apparently a response to a 2018 internal audit conducted by the university into that particular practice of the Health Science Center, and the university’s subsequent request for legal advice and guidance from the AG’s Office.
The university late Thursday acknowledged it had received the letter from Balderas’ office indicating “the OAG is still reviewing the request for legal advice and guidance we sent him in May of 2018,” said Alex Sanchez, spokeswoman for UNM’s Health Sciences Center.
“We look forward to working with his office in an effort to ensure the highest level of compliance and transparency,” she said.
The university says it is continuing to work on implementing recommendations outlined in the internal audit report.
“Our focus has always been on supporting our staff and faculty, and assisting them in succeeding in their careers to provide quality service to our students, constituents and patients,” Sanchez said. “We are always mindful to ensure that goal is in compliance with university policy and procedures.”
The internal audit was initiated following a complaint to the UNM Compliance Hotline and anonymous letters to UNM officials, noting that the HSC senior executive officer of finance and administration obtained an advanced degree from the University of Southern California and that UNM paid for it in violation of university policy. UNM spent $66,293 for tuition and travel for that employee.
Auditors later verified that HSC paid the tuition, and related travel and meal expenses for 12 employees in all, for a total of $625,811 between fiscal year 2014 and 2018.
In addition to the University of Southern California, individual Health Sciences Center employees were sent to Johns Hopkins’ Department of Pathology, costing $35,375; Harvard’s Department of Emergency Medicine, costing $97,524; University of Illinois’ Office of University Counsel, costing $27,868; Carnegie Mellon’s Health Science Center Office of Academic Affairs, costing $24,181; and seven staff nurses to Vanderbilt’s Department of Pediatrics, costing $374,570.
“None of the above advanced degrees were required as a part of the employee’s position or job duties,” the UNM audit report states.
Auditors also determined that “University Policy does not allow for use of University funds to pay tuition for employees to obtain degrees at other universities.”
Under the state’s anti-donation clause, state government entities like UNM are not allowed to give donations to private individuals or entities.
Sanchez, however, said the university benefited immensely from paying for the advanced degrees.
“The value of the outside educational opportunities for staff and faculty greatly outweighed the expense to the university in patient care and patient safety, and in how we handle our budget, and reduce our expenses, attrition and turnover,” she said.
“People who have gone through these programs are still with us and still affecting health care.” UNMHSC has the only Level 1 trauma center in New Mexico and is the only academic medical center in the state.