MSU's leaders are expected to be upstanding citizens with honor, honesty and integrity that students and faculty members can trust. Since they have the power and influence to set and guide university policy, it should be made known if any of those leaders has a background that could jeopardize their reliability or dependability before they are appointed.
And if a leader falters in his or her integrity, other leaders should investigate that individual to determine whether he or she is still able to fulfill the duties it takes to head a university.
MSU Trustee Randall Pittman's integrity is in question after accusations of fraudulent business practices. In 2000, Pittman, his associate Robert Lane and their company, Forest Group Inc., were found liable on multiple counts of fraud in an Illinois civil case, according to court documents obtained by The State News.
The case involves a business venture Pittman, Lane and Forest Group made in 1991 with the American Institute of Toxicology, a drug-testing lab. Plans were said to have been developed to create partnerships with a network of other labs. But, according to a court documents, Pittman and Lane violated the agreement after they requested "interim management fees" and purchased a lab for $500,000.
Pittman, a Republican, was appointed to the MSU Board of Trustees by Gov. John Engler in February after the departure of Democrat Robert Weiss. The court decision was made before Pittman's appointment.
It is important to disclose what might be seen as a questionable business practices of any leader before handing over a seat on a nationally renowned university's governing board. Perhaps it is even more important in this Enron era of the U.S. corporate world.
Pittman was found liable on multiple counts of fraud in another state, and that information should have been uncovered before he was appointed. And while the discovery of accusations and rulings may or may not be reflective of Pittman's whole business career, practices or even his general character, the information still needed to be brought to light and investigated for the board's and the university's interest.
A position as important as a university trustee requires financial reliability and integrity. The board does not always operate in the open, holding "closed" meetings in which issues crucial to the university's future are discussed, which makes it even more imperative for its members to be honest and trustworthy. Pittman's business practices also have been questioned by other companies, such as MedCell Biologics Inc., which created a joint venture with one of Pittman's businesses.
Perhaps the board and voters should take these undisclosed accusations into consideration when planning Pittman's future. There might be other issues pertaining to his capabilities that might have gone unknown or unmonitored. That is not acceptable for a governing board of a major research university.
All past discrepancies or incidences ought to be investigated to determine a leader's ability and honesty before he or she is appointed.
