Statement from Michael Gill,Chair, Audit Committee University System of Maryland Board of Regents

In light of recent allegations of possible ethics violations regarding Marvin Mandel, a member of the University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents, I have asked a three-member panel of regents to review the concerns. The regents are: Orlan Johnson, Clifford Kendall, and Robert Mitchell.

Upon completion of the review, the regents will submit their findings to the board's audit committee. Based on the findings, the audit committee will recommend appropriate action to the full Board of Regents.

As announced earlier, this same three-member panel is currently reviewing allegations of possible ethics violations regarding David Nevins, chair of the USM board, following the same procedures described above.

The focus of each of these reviews is to determine if the "Policy on Public Ethics of Members of the Board of Regents" has been violated. The policy states that: "A member of the Board of Regents shall not, for compensation, assist or represent any party in any matter before the General Assembly. Nothing in this policy prohibits the Secretary of Agriculture from carrying out any responsibility of that position. Questions or concerns about compliance with this policy may be brought to the Board of Regents Committee on Audit."

We take all allegations regarding possible violations of the board's ethics policy very seriously. We are determined to operate fully within the expectations of the board's ethics policy and the state's ethics law (the State Ethics Commission oversees compliance with the state law).

As part of our responsibility to oversee compliance with the board policy, the Audit Committee will develop recommendations for all members of the USM Board of Regents to participate in an annual briefing on board policy related to ethics.

Contact: Anne Moultrie
Phone: 301.445.2722
Email: amoultrie@usmd.edu