Four financial aid employees at Albany State University were fired after an audit of the department revealed a history of misconduct involving student aid payments dating back three decades.
The internal audit of financial aid histories of five students, who were also employees, included one person who had been awarded more than $270,000 in federal student financial aid since 1985.
The student had a history of receiving large financial aid awards, withdrawing from classes and filing appeals to continue receiving aid when the money was suspended. The former financial aid director knew about the student’s patterns, and other financial aid workers assumed the director and senior staff were following the appropriate protocols, the audit noted. The former director, assistant director and systems analyst “did nothing to address or prevent this practice.”
The audit also notes that the former director was aware that another student and financial aid office employee enrolled in classes this year as a way to avoid repaying outstanding student loans. That student has more than $155,000 in student loans and has not made any repayments to date.
In addition to the terminations, another employee in the department was suspended, a school spokeswoman told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday.
The issues came to light in August when the school’s newly appointed financial aid director contacted Albany State’s internal audit department about irregularities she found in financial aid awards to an employee in the financial aid office.
University System of Georgia auditors recommended the report be referred to top administrators for corrective personnel action and referred to federal and state officials for possible criminal prosecution. The new financial aid director was advised to evaluate staff performance and include an ethics refresher in employee training. Also, top administrators were urged to increase oversight of the financial aid office.
Albany State is one of three historically black institutions in Georgia’s public college system and enrolls about 4,000 students.
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