GA Tech President Scolded Over Ethics Problems

ATLANTA, GA — Georgia Tech President G.P. "Bud" Peterson has been scolded in a letter by his boss for what was called unethical behavior by former top officials at the school.

In an exclusive interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Monday, Peterson expressed disappointment, anger and embarrassment over the situation and vowed to fix it.

"I need to play a stronger role in ensuring that Georgia Tech is fully compliant with the policies and procedures of the institute, its University System and the state of Georgia," Peterson said to the paper.

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University System of Georgia Chancellor Steve Wrigley wrote a strongly worded letter to Peterson on Monday, saying that lax management and unethical behavior at Georgia Tech have resulted in misuse of university resources and that, as president, Peterson is ultimately responsible, the AJC reported.

Reports released last month by the university system said that four high-ranking administrators at Tech committed a host of ethical abuses. They included:

• Urging a school vendor to pay for a football suite that was mostly used by the administrators and their friends and families.
• Receiving pay from a German company to serve on its board at the same time the company was doing business with Georgia Tech.
• Playing golf with vendors during work hours and expensing after-hours meals and drinks.

One vice president was fired by Peterson and three others resigned after the issues came to light.

The AJC reports that the abuses were discovered through tips to Georgia Tech's internal auditor and to the university system's ethics hotline.

Peterson said he met twice with Wrigley on Friday and has put together a seven-page outline of plans to fix the ethical problems.

"I have spent a lot of time celebrating the good and not spending as much time focusing on the things we need to do right at Georgia Tech," he told the AJC.

To read the AJC's full report, click here.

Photo courtesy Georgia Institute of Technology