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By Steve Wilson
Web Produced by Jennifer DiDomenico
March 1, 2004

It’s the big buzz on campus as students and faculty returned from Spring Break to Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti Monday. Our Chief Investigative Reporter Steve Wilson exposed the costly castle on campus, the $5.2 million House built to house the school’s president and hold mostly private soirees at a time there’s no money for classroom renovations and other worthy projects. Now we have more on the place where the big man on campus hangs his hat.

It’s the height of luxury living for the well-paid president of a one of Michigan’s public universities. Four years ago when they planned the palatial palace, apparently nobody considered—or cared—that by the time it was built, EMU and other such schools would be in a tight financial bind, raising tuition and facing shortfalls.

EMU officials actually built the huge house in violation of state law by failing to report to the legislature that they planned to use university funds to pay for the 10,200-square-foot home. Without taking competitive bids and in what has been reported to be an unusual arrangement for a university, Menard Builders of Plymouth was hired to do the job. Originally budgeted for under $2 million, the project and the cost ballooned to what may be nearly three times as much, somewhere over $5 million when all is said and done.

As State Rep. Ruth Ann Jamnick (D - Ypsilanti Twp) told Action News, "?when you’re spending the public’s money, I believe you have a responsibility to spend that money wisely and appropriately. I am not comfortable that the president of Eastern Michigan University, or perhaps I should say for just about any university in our state, deserves to have a home that sets on one full city block."

From the air, you can see that the home actually occupies 25% more than a full city block—on a campus where students complain they can never find a parking place. It is also where, as we showed you earlier, repairs and improvements to classrooms and a new parking garage are being deferred for lack of money.

President Kirkpatrick’s assistant Gail Getz is as polite as she can be but is every bit as loyal to the boss, the leader who’s always ducked every effort to get him to discuss this issue publicly. For days, his office in Welch Hall was dark and the blinds were closed. What schedule has he been keeping?

Since our visit, the secret’s out. President Kirkpatrick and his wife Pam have been spending a lot of time in Milwaukee at the University of Wisconsin, pitching for a new job.

We caught him in Milwaukee doing his best to persuade regents, professors, students and taxpayers there that he’s the best choice among four finalists for the job of Chancellor, and a leader who values accountability.

"Well of course the institution needs to be accountable as an institution as well as your leaders need to be accountable," president Kirkpatrick said.

But moments later:

Kirkpatrick: No, no, no. I’m not interested in the house right now.

Wilson: I know you’re not interested in the house, that’s why you don’t return our phone calls. Why is it so lavish?

Kirkpatrick: It’s not lavish.

Oh yes it is. Want to see what millions of Eastern Michigan university dollars have bought beyond the school insignia artistically carved into the stately, imported mahogany front doors?

The fine craftsmanship continues inside with quality woodworking in the grand entry and beyond throughout the house. Attending a rare public event, a charity auction, was the only way Action News could get into the house.

In the family room and kitchen, Mrs. Kirkpatrick enjoys state of the art appliances should she choose to whip up a meal. The countertops are expansive (and expensive) granite. The cabinets are all custom and built-in. The furniture here and throughout the house is also furnished by the university.

Ward Mullens was one of two university PR staff who welcomed us like fire ants at a family picnic.

No one disputes that the Kirkpatricks and their personal guests always have the run of the entire house and based on our review of the blueprints, 2/3 of the whole place is a better estimate of their living space.

All eight bathrooms and half baths are well appointed with upgraded fixtures and first-class accessories.

There is no shortage of space to work in the house. The university sends technicians to keep everything working. There are costly countertops and deluxe monitors throughout these areas, too. Built-in cabinets custom made of costly wood and expensive moldings, too, are present for storage throughout the house.

Mullens: But I think it’s kind of rude to open cabinets, you know, that don’t belong?

Wilson: That’s what happens when the house is paid with public money. It doesn’t belong to you. It’s like going to the White House—and Barbara Walters always opens the cabinets.

Though it was not occupied, we never opened the doors to the Master Bedroom suite, which the blueprints show to feature a huge and luxurious bath and walk closets bigger than rooms in many homes.

To keep the first family’s feet toasty warm and cozy when it’s cold, heating coils are built in to radiate up through much of the fine flooring.

The formal dining area houses a built-in cabinet containing at least $4,600 worth of pricey Pikard china.

The house also boasts a $76,000 commercial kitchen where university employees can cook up gourmet fare for important guests. And for those who show up thirsty? There’s plenty of places to chill everything from soft drinks to hard drinks and costly coolers for the many bottles of fine wines in the house.

And for those who might come from afar? They are welcomed by the spacious guest suite. It’s not exactly the Lincoln Bedroom, but wouldn’t you be pleased to be pampered with room to roam and all the comforts of the finest, most expensive hotel suite anywhere around?

Wilson: And you, I understand, personally, and your wife here, made a number of changes that increased the cost.

Kirkpatrick: No.

Action News discovered the memo which says Kirkpatrick and his wife issued nearly two dozen directives for more than $130,000 worth of changes and upgrades.

Wilson: $64,388 in a deluxe media system. These are change orders with your name or your wife’s name on them.

Kirkpatrick: No, they are not.

Wilson: Yes, Sir. Here’s the memo that says they are.

And the price tag of the house? He says we’ve got that all wrong, too.

Kirkpatrick: The house didn’t cost $5.2 million. The house cost $3.58 million.

But as we reported last night, he says that because he’s not counting the cost of the eight-acre lot the house sits on, or numerous other expenses like more than $860,000 in landscaping costs that were charged off to other university accounts.

Kirkpatrick: That’s the same way that the library was built before I got there.

Wilson: You won’t sit down and talk to me about why you think you needed that kind of lavishness inside that house?

Kirkpatrick: I didn’t need anything. That was not my project.

But we’ve obtained an e-mail from President Kirkpatrick to officials overseeing the construction of the house including great details of Kirkpatrick’s specific concerns about electrical, landscaping and cabinetry going into the house.

Wilson to Kirkpatrick: So don’t tell me, Sir, with all due respect, don’t tell me that you didn’t have anything to do with it. You were livid because you were going to be embarrassed that you didn’t have your custom-made cabinets for your china.

In a later Action News report, you’ll see more of the interview with the EMU president and you’ll learn details of all the reaction that’s rolling in in wake of our reports.