Rattler Nation has learned that Larry Henderson , CIO & VP, Information Technology, has quitely been leading one of the largest wholesale outsourcing operations at FAMU in recent years. Henderson head the FAMU Enterprise Information Technology Office, formerly University Planning and Analysis.Even without valid contracts in place, we are told, Mr. Henderson has continued to engage his many consultant buddies at MGT, CedarCrestone, MIS, Boarders and others. These contractors are being engaged without so much as valid a statement of work or clearly defined deleiverables, and the university is obiligated to pay for these services.
Under this arrangement consultants/contractors have been put in positions of authority over FAMU employees. Just yesterday, a consultant was named Assoc. VP (even though the consultant is operating with no contract). There are consultants in Director positions even after the BOT said that no one could be hired in a Director's position or higher. We understand, the practice at EIT is so rampant that even the consultants are bringing in and employing other consultants!!
Castell puts on a show for employees
Yesterday afternoon, Castell and her "kitchen cabinet" ---Liz, Rufus, Tony Stallworth, Larry Tromly, Grace Ali, and the Director of Title III--- rolled up unannouced out at Innovation Park, where FAMU's ERP office is based. In Mr. Henderson's absence, they met with the staff behind closed doors.
When Mr. Henderson did show up he was "livid"!
Castell told the staff that the University would honor the work done under the contract that expired Dec. 31, 2007, and the work done from Jan. 1 until today (May 8) but she couldn't attach a dollar amount to the work because there is no contract. Castell told the ERP staff that she's going to each one the firms to find out what services were agreed to, for what time period, and at what dollar amount.
Rattler Nation finds this portion of the conversation hard to believe, because Castell signs off on everything. Further, state auditors cited FAMU (finding #35) for this rampant type of spending and specifically named ERP in its most recent operational audit.
We note, that Mr. Henderson was hired by Castell after she dismissed former CIO Kenneth Perry.
Finding 35
ReplyDeleteAccording to university records, the University's consulting services costs have increased from $874,362 for the 2002-03 fiscal year to $10,222,823 for the 2005-06 fiscal year. Although some of the increased consultant services costs were due to the University's implementation of its new enterprise resources
planning system, the increased use of consultants to perform University business functions may have been necessitated by staff shortages. For example, as discussed in finding No. 26, during the 2005-06 fiscal year, the University paid $670,341 for consulting services related to its financial aid office, and $1,908,608 for various accounting and administrative services.
This MF is crazy.
ReplyDeleteTHE ENTIRE FAMU BOARD OF TRUSTEES NEED TO BE FIRED FOR THIS MESS!!
ReplyDeleteThe Titanic sank because folks did not listen to warnings? "Special" hiring of unqualified individuals over qualified individuals is not just happening in EIT.
ReplyDeleteWhy do we even have a board? I'm being sarcastic, of course, but what good are they really--and that's a small "really"--if such things continue to happen. They are suppose to be the watchdogs of the university--and, again, I use "supose" very lightly here--but who's zooming whom? I mean, is there simply no end to the madness of the kitchen people?
ReplyDeleteThe board of Trustees, or Castells camp wants to absolve responsibility to the tremendous amount of damage that has happen to the university by using phrases such as "Let's move forward", or "we can focus on the past or look towards the future". But that type of attitude fail one to look at changes that must be made in order for actions not to repeat.
ReplyDeleteI think every board member who has served since Gainous needs to be removed. Two different presidents, same results....go figure!
Add Henderson to the list of those that MUST GO!
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with the writer above this is all over campus wide the hiring of unqualified individuals and their friends along with. Castell said in all hands staff meeting held by Henderson that she ran down Henderson to take this job so why the act now as if she knew nothing about what was going on with him---does the woman know anything about telling the truth---dang!
ReplyDeleteThere is one contractor at EIT being paid as much as $275 an hour, he bills upwards of $675,000 a year.
ReplyDeleteHALLEJUHAH! AND LET THE CHURCH SAY AMEN---CAN YOU JUST STOP THE MADNESS---WE NEED TO PRAY, PRAY AND PRAY----------THE UNIVERSITY IS IN TROUBLE FOLKS TROUBLE REAL TROUBLE!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteREALLY, REALLY, REALLY....VERY BAD TROUBLE. WE WILL LOSE QUICKLY IF WE LOSE FOCUS. IF WE ARE PAYING ATTENTION, FAMU IS AT THE BOTTOM OF EVERY AGENDA. THERE IS NOT ENOUGH MONEY TO GO AROUND AS IS. FLORIDA IS TRYING TO STRETCH DOLLARS FOR WATER SHORTAGES, HURRICAN PREPARATION, FIRES, INCREASING CRIME RATE, ETC., ETC. FAMU ADMINISTRATION AND BOARD WILL HAVE TO SHOW THAT OUR SCHOOL IS PART OF A SOLUTION AND NOT A PROBLEM. AT THIS POINT, THEY HAVE FAILED TO DO SO. THEY HAVE INTENTIONALLY LEFT US OPEN TO ATTACK.
ReplyDeleteWould you please stop writing in all capital letters!!!!
ReplyDeleteHenderson, you gotta go so get to steppin!
ReplyDeleteHow much longer before this nightmare ends???????
What is done in the dark will come to light. For too long, FAMU employees get no say-so in his organization. Their professional opinions are not valued or considered. He's already outsourced the ERP system to IBM, and he's trying to outsource everything else. Since FAMU employees aren't going for this, he's surronded himself with consultants who will rubber stamp anything he does because they're going to paid either way.
ReplyDeleteBTW - isn't there an IT auditor in the IG's Office who is supposed to make the Mr. Henderson and the leadership aware of risks BEFORE they happen?! Either he was asleep at the wheel, or he's been converted to the dark side. How come the State audit didn't address this lack of internal control?
Now that the crap has hit the fan, Henderson has been trying to throw FAMU employees under the train to take the fall for him. This is absolutely disgusting!!
Take a look at the ERP PeopleSoft audit on AG website.
ReplyDeleteNow aint this some bull crap! If I pay a futher Mucker 675,000 a year, I wanna see that bit walk on water. I havent seen anything good out of EIT to show for it.
ReplyDelete11:40---now, you know you coulda kept that comment. That person's shift key probably got stuck. Why are the capital letter annoying?
ReplyDeleteI agree the comment about the caps is not relevant to the problems being discussed, that just goes to show you so many people want to look so deep into things that are not important and instead of doing that lets address the issue at hand and its worth screaming it because the person made some valid points. We are all on here to discuss the issues at hand with the university not to care who use caps and who use lower case.
ReplyDeleteWe need a comment in reference to the issues going on at famu, something to help ...We are losing our school, this university is headed for a tragic end of the fiscal year. I am so glad Ammons is coming on board but I feel bad as well because he has a lot of cleaning up to do.