A vice president at Saint Augustine’s University has accused the interim president of the university and members of the board of trustees with conspiring to alter meeting minutes to mislead its accrediting agency and to protect a controversial construction contract.
Debra Clark Jones, SAU Vice President of Institutional Advancement and External Affairs, filed an official complaint to the SAU Board of Trustees requesting an investigation into actions by Board Chairman James Perry, Trustee Brian Boulware, and Interim President Maria Lumpkin.
According to documents obtained by the HBCU Digest, Jones alerted the board on Apr. 4 about concerns of doctored minutes and threats made by Boulware in a telephone call held between herself, Boulware, Perry, and Lumpkin, along with executive staff and an executive consultant on Mar. 22 — just two days removed from the anniversary former President Everett Ward’s removal as president.
On the evening of March 22, 2020, I was on a call with Dr. Maria Lumpkin (interim president), Judge Jim Perry (chair of the Board of Trustees), Trustee Boulware, Ed Patrick (Vice President of Business and Administration), and Dr. Silver. Trustees Perry and Boulware stated that a vote took place by the board approving the work performed by Hughes Construction. Dr. Silver emphasized the importance of providing the approved minutes showing board approval in the response report. I received a call as soon as we ended our call with Dr. Silver. The parties on this second call were Dr. Lumpkin, Judge Perry, Trustee Boulware, and Mr. Patrick.
During the conversation, Judge Perry stated, “We should just amend the minutes of the April 18th Meeting.” I asked if they intend to have a special called meeting to amend the minutes and the response was “No.” I stated on the call my objections to the modification of approved board minutes without a proper vote of the board. Trustee Boulware stated “Debra, you can be ‘right’ or you can be ‘dead right.’” I am not certain what he meant by this statement (nor did I ask), but it felt like a veiled threat which further angered me. It also bothered me that no one on the call admonished him for the remark.
Jones continued:
Judge Perry asked if I had a copy of the April 18, 2019 minutes that I could send him in Word. He also asked if I had shared the current version of the April 18th minutes with Dr. Silver and I said “No.” I emailed a copy of the April 18th minutes to Judge Perry as he requested and copied everyone on the call. I was asked later to “close my ears” on the call when they were discussing additional changes (i.e. the signature dates on the contract) “to make the dates work” and I said, “No. I’m not going to just ‘cover my ears,’ I’m actually getting off the call.” And I did.
Later that night, Dr. Lumpkin emailed me a modified version of the April 18, 2019 minutes (See Lumpkin email). Her version included the following language that was not in the actual approved minutes: “The Board went into Executive Session to discuss a personnel and contractual matter. After coming out of Executive Session, the board approved entering into a contract with Hughes Brothers Construction for the renovation of the residence halls in the amount of $500, 000 or less of their estimate.”
Dr. Lumpkin indicated that I should submit the modified version of the board minutes for the response report to SACSCOC. (See modified minutes for April 18, 2019 board meeting and approved minutes for the April 18th meeting). In a status update call with Dr. Silver, Dr. Lumpkin stated that the University has minutes that show board approval. Members of the response report team stated that there are no minutes that show approval. Dr. Silver questioned the validity of the minutes cited by Dr. Lumpkin, Judge Perry, and Trustee Boulware and expressed deep concern. His questions and comments and the concerns expressed by the response report team prompted the removal of the modified minutes from the report.
It is the latest in a series of allegations made against the board and executive leadership members in the last three months. In February, the Digest received a letter written by former SAU general counsel alleging that the board had violated several Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on College principles with Ward’s dismissal.
A second letter from a former vice president detailed concerns about overreach in daily operations of the university and in management of the contract with Hughes Construction, which in 2019 was listed among more than $1 million in unpaid contracts to vendors.
In August 2018, documents showed growing concern among consultants that declining enrollment and poor fiscal management would doom the university to loss of accreditation. Months later, the school’s accreditation was fully reaffirmed.
