DURHAM — ABC11 learned Thursday that two women at the center of a missing money scandal at North Carolina Central University intend to fight the allegations. Former provost Beverly Jones Washington and former director of the Historically Minority Colleges and Universities Consortium, Nan Coleman, have hired lawyers.
The North Carolina Office of The State Auditor released a report Tuesday that accuses Colman of diverting $1 million in funds for the Universities Consortium project to a checking account for payments to herself and others. The Historically Minority Colleges and Universities Consortium was created in 1999 as a partnership between the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and 12 North Carolina historically minority institutions of higher education. It was intended to work on strategies to close the minority achievement gap in North Carolina with an emphasis on students from kindergarten through twelfth grade.
The audit alleges Coleman and Jones Washington set up the program as a separate entity outside of North Carolina Central and that led to a lack of oversight from the university that allowed them to pocket some of the money meant to fund it. “The former Executive Director received over $287,000 and the former Provost received nearly $62,000 from the diverted funds,” says the audit.
Click here to read the audit (.pdf)
Attorneys for both women say they have yet to be contacted by the District Attorney’s Office regarding any potential criminal charges. Attorney Butch Williams represents Beverly Jones Washington. “We’re going through the process of fully reviewing the report as written. We’ve noticed some items that are questionable, as related to Dr. Washington. We’re preparing to respond to those items,” he said. “She has a 40-year career with NCCU and has always served in a proud fashion. We look forward, if necessary, to show her total character over this 40-year period,” he continued.
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