Advocate: UL prof double-dipping?

Dr. Ali Ghalambor, who stepped down as head of UL Lafayette’s petroleum engineering department on Feb. 22 but remains a faculty member, for years may have been double billing the university and institutions he visited across the globe, according to a story in this weekend’s Advocate. The investigation of Ghalambor’s expenses, conducted by the UL System and state legislative auditor, only covers four years, despite that Ghalambor headed the department for more than 15 years. Its findings reveal that the prof, whose annual salary is in excess of $140,000, may have improperly received more than $126,000 from UL. (The newspaper first reported the probe March 6.)

UL President Joe Savoie told the newspaper the university’s policy only requires that travel records and expense forms be saved for four years.

The story, however, reveals that UL administrators questioned Ghalambor’s expenses, in particular his regular travels back to his native Iran, at least since 2004.

The internal investigation began in December and was finalized last week, according to The Advocate, which noted that Savoie sent a letter to District Attorney Mike Harson on Thursday. Harson did not return the paper’s phone calls.

Savoie also said discussions about restitution and Ghalambor’s employment at the university were under way.

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written by Morrow , March 15, 2010 - 12:53 pm

Thank God for the disgruntled employee or this may not ever have come to light. I wonder where this man earned HIS degree in Petr Engineering..... Since he's quick to point out all the uncompensated hours he's given the university & he never addresses the money issue, I'm pretty sure he knew exactly what he was doing. He just felt he was a university professor, WAY ABOVE the rest of us mere mortals and so, NOT HELD TO THE STANDARD OF HONESTY as the rest of us. Again, thank you God, for the honesty of the disgruntled employee. Now, why the heck wasn't it ULL who discovered this. Are there any audits there????? If so, who the heck is doing them????

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written by northsidian , March 15, 2010 - 03:39 pm

This has been on the Advocate for over a week.

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written by an honest man , March 15, 2010 - 03:41 pm

It was a smart scheme, actually. International invited speakers sometimes (but not always) get reimbursed by the inviting institution. The not always part makes it possible to also get reimbursed by the University. This works to varying degrees depending on where the invitation is from, many European institutions require original proofs like hotel bills before they reimburse, so double-dipping becomes much harder. As long as all communication goes through him there is not an easy way for anybody to notice, unless there is an initial suspicion and somebody actively asks the inviting institution (which is a pretty serious embarrassment and not done lightly). His biggest mistake was not doing everything himself but having this employee do some of the work, thereby apparently giving concrete suspicion. Ah well, hubris has been the downfall of many a crook.

Many professors have the opportunity to do something like this, but very few do it. Heck, if they wanted to make a lot of money they would be in industry, where pretty much all of them could make a lot more. In any organization there are always a few bad apples that think they deserve more than they're getting, and it doesn't matter how much they're getting for that to apply.

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written by northsidian , March 15, 2010 - 03:51 pm

This would be considered a reason for termination for a janitor at ULL. But, the boy is connected to the power-elite in town. That is why we have to get information from the ind. or the advocate. I just saw on the klfy web site they have the news on there also. My question is why did it take the locals longer to report this than a Baton Rouge, La. newspaper. GO FIGURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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written by Cat Fat , March 16, 2010 - 07:25 am

Once I take a bite, I never double dip my chip.

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written by observer , December 06, 2011 - 01:26 pm

This is probably happening in other private and public institutes (and at much higher levels) too but they don't get investigated and scrutinized.

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