Texas State U. Cuts Ties with Donor

April 22, 2008

Texas State U. Cuts Ties with Donor

After a series of scandals at the Roy F. and Joann Cole Mitte Foundation, Texas State University at San Marcos announced that it will cut ties with the donor, reports The Austin American-Statesman.

Texas State University has received more than $9-million since 1997 from the Mitte foundation.

The university’s decision comes as Michael Scott Mitte, the grant maker’s executive director and the son of its founders, faces charges of cocaine possession.

Mr. Mitte, who goes by his middle name, had previously settled four sexual-harassment cases brought by women who were either employees of the foundation or a subsidiary of the insurance company, Austin Insurer Financial Industries, which his father founded.

Additionally, Roy Mitte, now deceased, was fired by his company in 2002 after an audit revealed that he had channeled company money into the family foundation without permission.

“I think what we’ve witnessed is a steady degradation of the foundation’s integrity over the last several years,” said Mark Hendricks, a university spokesman.

The university will return an $800,000 endowment for an honors program to the foundation and plans to use its own money to finance scholarship students and faculty members currently supported through aid from the Mitte foundation.

Comments

Hopefully, the Board of Regents will have the same intestinal fortitude as the President of Texas State and will strip the Mitte name from anything associated with Texas State. The Mitte Foundation promised institutions of higher learning long term endowments. There are students and universities that are now searching for funding to offset the Mitte Foundation’s terminated and non accepted funds. It makes me nauseous to think about the Mitte name as “Mitte” now means graft, corruption and cocaine to hundreds of former Mitte funded students.

— San Marcos River Rat Apr 22, 05:36 PM #
“Be careful to leave your sons well instructed than rich, for the hopes of the instructed are better than the wealth of the ignorant.” Epictetus

— truth hurts Apr 22, 07:54 PM #
These days it takes great courage to stand up for what is right. I applaud the leadership at Texas State U. for their integrity!

— Margie C. Sweeney, Helping Hands Healing Ministries, Inc. Apr 23, 07:58 AM #
It will be very interesting to see if the Travis County District Attorney’s Office has the testicular fortitude to follow through with the two felony cocaine arrests or if big bucks and the Travis County “Good Ole Prosecutors and their friends, the Defense Attorneys” settle this case at the local bar or at the golf course. Justice needs to be served as the Mitte Kingdom has bailed him out of trouble for years. Criminals should be prosecuted under the same due process of law no matter how indigent or wealthy they may be.

— money talks May 14, 09:30 AM #

Commenting is closed for this article.

Previous: Small Donations From N.Y. Governor Draw Scrutiny
Next: Arts Groups Feel Economic Woes