Westfield State President Files Suit Over Spending Inquiry
October 25, 2013 | Read Time: 1 minute
Westfield State University President Evan Dobelle filed a federal lawsuit Thursday claiming that an investigation of his spending habits was part of a “guerrilla war” for control for the Massachusetts campus, The Boston Globe reports.
The suit accuses Westfield State trustees, who last week placed Mr. Dobelle on paid leave, and state higher education officials of conspiring to destroy his reputation and drive him from the institution, using accusations of profligate spending.
An audit and an inquiry by the state inspector general’s office allege Mr. Dobelle improperly mixed personal and business expenses while running up hundreds of thousands of dollars in charges to the university and its affiliate foundation.
According to the Globe, Mr. Dobelle offered to step down last week if trustees agreed to let him take a paid sabbatical and return next fall as a tenured professor, but talks broke down during a marathon board meeting that ended with the president’s suspension.
