The Chronicle, 10/6/2005: American University Faces Legal Scrutiny Over President's Spending

The Chronicle, 10/6/2005: American University Faces Legal Scrutiny Over President's Spending: "American University Faces Scrutiny Over President's Pay, Spending

By Grant Williams
Washington

A controversy over compensation and spending by Benjamin Ladner, president of American University,
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Excerpts of an interview with Benjamin Ladner

has raised questions about board scrutiny of executive pay and drawn the concern of a key member of Congress.

A recent audit of Mr. Ladner, sparked by an anonymous letter to the board that made allegations of excessive spending, quickly became a major investigation into $614,117 in expenses over the past three years. Splashed in the local news media were embarrassing allegations gleaned from the audit, including that Mr. Ladner had billed the university $43,892 for expenses such as private parties featuring 13-course meals, and $22,345 for a first-class plane ticket to Nigeria."