G. Jason Conway, who was also a longtime professor at Burlington College before he died in 2010, included the school in his will. According to a complaint filed in Chittenden Superior Court by the executrix of his estate, Marjorie Lemay, Conway’s $70,000 endowed funds were to “remain intact,” with the interest or income on the principal used each year for student scholarships.
The news site VTDigger.org reported in August 2014 that college officials, who received the money in two installments in 2011 and 2012, used $50,000 for other purposes. Lemay’s lawsuit, first reported by the Burlington Free Press, makes the same claim.
The complaint states that on October 2, 2012, Lemay met with then-president Christine Plunkett, who acknowledged that the funds had been spent. It also alleges that in an email sent 10 days later, Plunkett wrote, “The decision to borrow funds from the endowment was not taken lightly and was agreed to only with the understanding that the loan was temporary due to extreme financial circumstances and would be repaid in as timely a manner as possible.”
That still hasn’t happened, according to the complaint.
During an interview Tuesday, interim president Carol Moore contested the allegations. She said that scholarship money was given out during the time frame under question and suggested that officials may have simply failed to label it as having come from Conway’s endowment. “It’s not clear from the records that I have whether or not the scholarships that were given out were given in the name of [Conway’s scholarship],” she said. Moore also said the state attorney general’s office had declined to pursue a complaint about the matter.
Lemay’s attorney, Norm Blais, said he contacted Moore three or four weeks before filing suit and never heard back. After he filed suit on February 1, the college offered a mortgage on its property as a form of assurance while the two parties try to reach a settlement agreement. On behalf of Conway’s estate, Lemay is seeking damages beyond the scholarship funds, though Blais said they have not discussed how much.
“Ms. Lemay’s goal is not to put Burlington College in a precarious position,” he noted.
Blais said he doesn’t yet know exactly when the money was spent. After Jane Sanders, the wife of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), was pressured to step down as the college’s president in September 2011, Plunkett, chief financial officer at the time, took her place. Plunkett was forced out in September 2014, under pressure from students and staff, and eventually was replaced in December 2014 by Moore.
The lawsuit could carry risks for the college beyond any immediate financial penalties.The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, which put the college on probation nearly two years ago for financial problems, will decide this April whether to continue accrediting it. The case could also give pause to potential donors who will be necessary for any long-term effort to stabilize the college’s finances.
Moore, however, said she’s not worried about the potential impacts. “We do not really feel it has any significant bearing on the college,” she said. “This matter seems like it’s a little blown out of proportion.”
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I don’t think suing the beneficiary for this small amount accomplishes much for either side, no matter the result. This showcases why it’s important to do research before making any type of bequest, or be willing to accept the consequences of a poor choice. It’s time-consuming and often difficult to effectively investigate worthy beneficiaries. But worth the effort if you want your money to go where it will do the most good, institutions with a sustainable and long-term management philosophy and proven benchmarks. Others are certainly welcome to leave their money to troubled or unstable entities like Burlington College, but should not be disappointed or surprised when the funds mysteriously evaporate, leaving behind a vapor trail of mismanagement and administrative chicanery.
Before we throw Christine Plunkett under the bus here…um, Jane? Could you have maybe fund-raised a bit more endowment money in all the years you were in charge? And maybe not committed Burlington College to a project that clearly was beyond Burlington College’s means? Jane Sanders’ golden parachute makes this $70,000 dollar endowment donation look pitiful. Socialist accounting? Or just no accountability ever for the Liberal elites of Vermont?
Big question, how much did Jane Sanders have to do with this..I mean after all she lied about donations amount big time and “stole” $250.000 from the college and got away with it..All because she is married to Vermont Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders..Anyone else would had charges brought against them..Bet if this was really investigated they would see her hand prints all over this..Like it or not Jane Sanders lied and stole while at Burlington College..True Fact!!!
And just, where was the board? They are ultimately responsible, and accountable. There was no oversight over this crook. Well, at least Bernie has a sports car to take his mind off this horrible woman. The Estate deserves their money back. Jane needs to make restitution, or be arrested, and made to prove her case.