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| Former BOG Inspector General Derry Harper |
Derry Harper, the public university inspector general who slammed FAMU for failing to consistently verify the eligibility of its band members, abruptly resigned after state auditors demanded proof that he was legally eligible to hold his own job.
David W. Martin, the Florida auditor general, scolded the
Board of Governors (BOG) for “noncompliance with statutory requirements” in a
quality assessment review of its inspector general’s office. As part of that
finding, he said the BOG failed to provide verification that Harper had the educational
qualifications required by Florida law.
“Our review disclosed that, while the Inspector General had
substantial experience working in the role of an Inspector General, Board
records did not contain evidence to demonstrate that the educational background
of the incumbent Inspector General met the requirements of Section 20.055(4),
Florida Statutes,” Martin wrote.
Martin explained: “Pursuant to Section 20.055(4), Florida Statutes, to ensure compliance with applicable auditing standards, the Inspector General, or a Director of Auditing within the Inspector General’s Office, shall possess a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a major in accounting, or with a major in business that includes five accounting courses. Alternatively, the Inspector General or Director of Auditing shall possess a master’s degree in accounting, business administration, or public administration from an accredited college or university.”
Harper holds an undergraduate degree from Davidson College
and a law degree. A public LinkedIn profile in his name says he earned a
bachelor of arts in “political science and government” from Davidson. Neither his old BOG profile nor the LinkedIn profile list any other degrees.
State University System of Florida Chancellor Frank Brogan responded to
Martin’s preliminary report on June 3 with a letter that did not offer any evidence
that Harper had one of the degrees listed in Section 20.055(4). He told Martin
that “the model adopted by the Board of Governors of retaining the services of
competent auditing professionals to supervise and approve the work performed by
its Inspector General complies with the requirements of the statute.”
That excuse did not satisfy Martin, who kept the “noncompliance
with statutory requirements” finding regarding Harper’s educational credentials in the final audit report.
On June 10, seven days after the date of Brogan’s response
to the preliminary audit, the Tallahassee Democrat reported that Harper had
resigned.
Back in December of 2012, a report by Harper criticized FAMU
with the statement that “band member eligibility was seldom if ever verified
with the Registrar.”
Read the full state review of the BOG inspector general’s office
here.