SUNY Construction Fund adopts reforms in wake of report

In the wake of a report issued March 28 by the state's inspector general that found favoritism was involved in the awarding of a State University of New York (SUNY) Construction Fund contract at SUNY Old Westbury, SUNY officials announced that they will initiate reforms in the awarding of contracts on campuses.

At Cornell, the new procedures will affect construction contracts for the four contract colleges, including the replacement of the north wing of the College of Human Ecology's Martha van Rensselaer Hall, estimated to cost approximately $30 million.

In her report, Inspector General Roslynn Mauskopf charged favoritism was the reason the SUNY Construction Fund awarded a $102,000 contract to an architect related by marriage to New York first lady Libby Pataki. The architect, James Copeland, who heads the firm Hudson Design, is a neighbor of Gov. George Pataki and his wife; Copeland's brother is married to Mrs. Pataki's sister. The Associated Press reported that contracts to Hudson Design began to be awarded in 1998 after two of Copeland's friends became officials at SUNY Old Westbury.

Mauskopf's report said the contracts were awarded without competition and with unclear selection criteria. It did not accuse the governor or campus officials of wrongdoing.

After the report was released, action was taken by SUNY Chancellor Robert King; Thomas Egan, chair of the SUNY Board of Trustees; Edward F. Cox, chair of the SUNY Construction Fund; and Calvin O. Butts, president at SUNY Old Westbury. They fired Michael Clemente, general manager of the construction fund, and Ellen Biggane, assistant general manager for capital program management and finance. They appointed R. Wayne Diesel, a former SUNY vice chancellor and state budget director, to serve as the fund's chief executive officer and acting general manager.

The fund will also establish a new procurement unit; reformulate procurement guidelines for managers and participants in the selection process; enhance the role of a central selection committee; develop and disseminate ethical standards for committee members, staff and managers involved in the procurement process; and strengthen computer systems to provide a permanent audit trail of contract awards.