West Chester University's former chief budgeting officer contends that the school falsely reported deficits or near break-even budgets for three years to get more state funding, then "squirreled away" millions of dollars in unreported funds to use if it succeeded in withdrawing from the State System of Higher Education. In a federal lawsuit filed Thursday, Colleen Bradley said she was fired for speaking out about the university's "misuse and waste of public funds by high-level state government officers." Her 62-page complaint contends the university violated Pennsylvania's whistle-blower law and seeks damages. Though the university claimed break-even or deficit budgets, it actually increased its assets by $56.6 million over three years, the lawsuit alleges. Concealing the surpluses allegedly allowed the university to reap more than $146 million in state funding. The university hid the funds in an account for facility maintenance, the lawsuit said.

May 15, 2015 ・ From Philadelphia Inquirer