In an email sent to students, UK president Eli Capilouto announced findings of a review conducted by UK Internal Audit that revealed the misappropriation of more than $250,000 by former employees within the College of Education.

“Those employees are no longer with UK and the matter has been referred to law enforcement authorities for their review,” Capilouto said in the email. 

According to the news release included in Capilouto’s email, UK Internal Audit (UKIA) was contacted in March after a desktop computer and files of an administrative support official, Stephanie Carpenter, were reported missing. The report came one day after college administration officials had inquired about inappropriate activity on Carpenter’s university credit card. 

Carpenter was suspended following the start of the review and resigned from the college days later. 

The review uncovered that Carpenter “misappropriated more than $256,000 toward the purchase of Apple devices, including more than 80 iPhones; other high-tech equipment; travel expenses and other personal items over the course of her three-year tenure in the college,” according to the news release. 

The audit additionally found that another employee of the college, Derita Graves, accumulated almost $1,000 in personal expenses. Graves was terminated from her position in July after previous suspension due to questionable expenditures uncovered by the audit. 

Capilouto said that Provost David W. Blackwell has been directed to oversee all financial and business operations within the College of Education for the foreseeable future.

Blackwell will be working directly with Dean Julian Vasquez Heilig on the transition of the college’s financial operations. “It is important to note that the majority of inappropriate behavior occurred prior to Dean Vasquez Heilig’s arrival at UK last year,” Capilouto wrote. 

In his announcement of the findings of the audit, Blackwell said, “We must demonstrate to each other and all those we serve that we will be responsible stewards of the resources we generate and those with which we are entrusted. In those rare circumstances when that trust is violated, we must move swiftly — and communicate transparently — about where problems occurred and how we are moving to correct them.” 

Reform measures to be enacted in the College of Education include the hiring of a new assistant dean for finance and administration, required training for college leadership with any financial responsibilities and an immediate inventory of all IT equipment monitored by the Office of the Provost. 

Eric N. Monday, executive vice president for finance and administration (EVPFA), announced a number of measures UK is taking across the institution “to ensure that all of our financial operations are being administered in accordance with policy and best practices.” 

“When someone does not perform to the standards we expect and demand, there will be consequences. Further, we will move in a transparent and comprehensive fashion to ensure that the behavior is not repeated,” Monday said. “The vast majority of people in our community are committed to practices consistent with our policies and procedures. We cannot allow the actions of a few people to tarnish the work and commitment of an entire community.”