EMU apologizes after audit

News Staff Reporter

In a marked about-face, Eastern Michigan University apologized for errors it made in the University House project and promised to do better in the future.

In its official response to the state audit of the president's house, EMU said a number of changes are already in place to make sure errors are not repeated. "We're ready to move on," said John Beaghan, vice president for business and finance who prepared the response. "We're saying 'this is what happened, these are the changes that have been made, let's move on."'

The Auditor General's Office investigated University House, which also serves as space for fund-raising, and released a report in July. The audit concluded the house cost $5.3 million, the university spent another $700,000 related to the project and that the Board of Regents was not kept adequately informed. EMU had 60 days to respond to the audit. That response was filed Friday, a day before the deadline.

The tone of the response, and even the press release addressing it, contrasts to past reactions from the university.

The change in tone comes after the departure of President Samuel Kirkpatrick and the arrival of Interim President Craig Willis. Kirkpatrick had been criticized for the house project, and left EMU in late July with a resignation package worth more than $500,000.

"We've tried to be as honest and as fair as we could be," Willis said. "The university belongs to the people and they deserve for there not to be mistakes. But mistakes happen in the course of human events, and we regret that. We will do better."

Back in July, in contrast, Philip Incarnati, chairman of the Board of Regents, said he "agreed in principle" with the audit recommendations but continued to defend the project. For example, he insisted the project cost $3.58 million "within the defined perimeter."

Attempts to contact Incarnati were unsuccessful.

Rep. Ruth Ann Jamnick, D-Ypsilanti Township, said Friday she had not seen the response. After being read portions of a press release from EMU that said the university "apologized for its mistakes" and that the university acknowledged the cost and financing of the president's house was $5.3 million, Jamnick said it sounded as if EMU intended to put the auditor general's recommendations into effect.

"I think it acknowledges that the university could have done some things in a different manner," she said. "I think it's a big step towards creating a new relationship with the community."

Jamnick remains a co-sponsor of a resolution in the state House calling on the EMU regents to resign.

"I think they each need to search their own hearts and minds and see if the decisions they made were in the best interest of the university," Jamnick said.

Liz Boyd, spokeswoman for Gov. Jennifer Granholm, said the governor's office also had received the EMU response but no one in the office had yet reviewed it.

"Obviously, this is something that we will be reviewing," Boyd said. She said the governor's office had earlier asked EMU for more documents to "put the response into context."

Janet Miller can be reached at jmiller@annarbornews.com or

(734) 994-6827.

News staff reporter John Mulcahy contributed to this report.

© 2004 Ann Arbor News. Used with permission