UVM: No violations in case of ex-president's wife

BURLINGTON, Vt. — An investigation has found that the relationship between the wife of the former University of Vermont president and another senior school official broke no laws or university policies but damaged morale among other staff, UVM trustees said Wednesday.

The board launched the investigation in May after it was discovered that Rachel Kahn-Fogel, the wife of former President Dan Fogel, sent romantic letters and emails to Michael Schultz, vice president of development and alumni affairs.

After a closed-door meeting to discuss the results of the investigation, board chairman Robert Cioffi said Schultz had voluntarily resigned and that UVM had signed a severance agreement with him.

Among other things, the investigation found:

— a lack of clarity about the role of the president's spouse in events planning and development activities, causing confusing about Kahn-Fogel's authority;

— Presidential staffing and personnel decisions were at times based on personal preferences rather than objective performance assessment;

— an environment negatively affecting morale was created and allowed to continue, Cioffi said.

"In this matter, effective management and oversight were lacking, for which the president, and in turn the board of trustees must and do accept responsibility. The buck stops with us," Cioffi said reading from a prepared statement.

The law firm Dinse, Knapp & McAndrew was hired to investigate whether Fogel and/or his wife improperly influenced personnel matters and if they did, whether that conduct violated any laws or UVM policies, the board said. After interviewing 17 witnesses, including current and former UVM administrators and employees in the development and president's offices as well as UVM internal policies and documents received in public records requests, the firm found that Kahn-Fogel's conduct was "clearly inappropriate and imprudent" but there was no evidence that Schultz violated UVM policy or law, the board said.

But the lack of clarity about Kahn-Fogel's role caused confusion about her authority, the board said.

"Employees favored by the Kahn-Fogels were perceived by others to be protected and advanced by them," the board said.

The investigation also reviewed the travel and business expenses of the Kahn-Fogels; Schultz; and Leslie Logan, who had served as a university and presidential events planner; and found that meal charges exceeded UVM's daily meal limit of $55 on 10 occasions, totaling $151, which Fogel has reimbursed UVM.