The campus newspaper, The Chart, broke the story today that newly hired accounting instructor Norman L. Katz pleaded guilty to embezzling $129,000. Naturally, the official contacted for the story would not offer any comment and probably was caught off guard.
The story does not mention if other applicants for the position also had criminal records or if Southern just managed to hire the only embezzler in the bunch.
Officials at Southern remained mum on the issue Thursday. Dr. AJ Anglin, vice president for academic affairs, said he had been made aware of a possible issue with a faculty member and declined further comment.
Dr. Beverly Block, interim dean of the school of business administration, said Thursday afternoon it was a personnel issue and that she was not at liberty to give any information.
When asked if she was aware of Katz's embezzlement conviction at the time he was hired, Block responded: "I can't give you that information."
She gave the same response when asked if he would still be teaching in the spring semester.
"I'm not sure when I can give you information or if I can give you information," she said.
This guy should fit right in with the other members of the faculty who believe that they, not the Board of Regents or MSSU Administrators, should be running the university.
ReplyDeleteThis one's on Dr. A.J. Anglin, Dr. Speck's hand-picked VP of Academic Affairs, who approved the hire without checking the applicant's background. You'd think Anglin, with his 45 years of university experience, wouldn't have let this happen.
ReplyDeletewhere was Human Resources? I thought nobody was approved without DD Kelly's approval
ReplyDeleteNo, 5:10. He belongs on the Board of Governors, right along with the #1 crook.
ReplyDeleteTo be fired:
ReplyDelete1. The embezzler
2. Dr. Speck
3. Dr. Anglin
4. D.D. Kelly
Considering recent administrative hires, it seems curious that Joann Kroll left her job as the Director of Extended Education at the Bush School of Government and Public Service to take a much less prestigious job at a state university as a dean. It doesn't really add up.
ReplyDeleteUpdate:
ReplyDeleteTo be fired:
1. The embezzler
2. Dr. Speck
3. Dr. Anglin
4. D.D. Kelly
5. Joann Kroll
The word on campus is that Debbie-Dutch Kelly screwed up more on this than Anglin did. MSSU doesn't have those forms that all applicants sign elsewhere: I certify that I have never been charged or found guilty of committing a felony.
ReplyDeleteI just went to MSSU's HR website, and if you go to the HR Handbook link, then find Recruitment and Hiring and click it, they have they're policies, which DON'T INCLUDE BACKGROUND CHECKS!!! They only do "reference checks."
ReplyDeleteSorry, correction to previous comment... needs to be "their," but also, the online application only has a question that asks if you have ever been convicted of a felony. He had to have lied.
ReplyDelete