Northern Michigan University is responding to statements made by state representative Sara Cambensy (D-Marquette) questioning the arrangement between the NMU Foundation and Veridea Group in the redevelopment of the old Marquette General Hospital site.
Cambensy has asked Attorney General Dana Nessel to investigate possible conflicts of interest, and possible illegalities in financial arrangements surrounding that project.
Cambensy has further questioned the use of state tax dollars in the recently-passed budget for a private development, and the representative has questioned whether former NMU President Fritz Erickson was fired because of opposition to the arrangement…in violation of conflict of interest by-laws.
NMU Board of Trustees Chairman Steve Young issued the following statement Friday afternoon, following statements from Veridea Group and a rebuttal from Rep. Cambensy.
The NMU statement is posted below, unedited.
“Several individuals and organizations have already voiced concerns over the many inaccuracies contained in Representative Sara Cambensy’s July 28, 2022, letter to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. While the Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees and the university itself are not involved in the development project that Rep. Cambensy has targeted in her letter, we are compelled to correct two very important factual errors that directly relate to the board.”
“This board cannot and will not stand silently by in the face of false accusations leveled against individual board members or the board as a whole.”
“In her letter, Rep. Cambensy incorrectly alleges that, at a December 2021 meeting, shortly after terminating then-University President Fritz Erickson, the Board of Trustees changed the conflict of interest policy in the board bylaws. This is false. There have been no changes in the conflict of interest policy since July 2015. The changes made in 2015 are changes that then-President Erickson, himself, reviewed and submitted to the board for approval.”
“The conflict of interest policy as amended in 2015 can be found in section 2.13 of the NMU Board of Trustees Bylaws posted on the university’s website. We request that Rep. Cambensy correct this false allegation immediately, as she has done with another inaccuracy in the letter.”
“Rep. Cambensy further incorrectly asserts that Dr. Erickson’s termination was tied to his concerns about a conflict of interest in the pending development project.”
“This is a false assertion that Dr. Erickson, himself, has stated for months. Dr. Erickson is fully aware of the reasons he was fired. The termination followed his failure to comply with clear direction from the board, provided to him on multiple occasions in the months leading up to his termination, calling for him to correct many serious performance issues. Because he didn’t correct these issues, as an at-will employee, he was fired.”
“Several of these performance issues were laid out publicly in the motion for termination made at the September 24, 2021, special session of the board. Dr. Erickson was terminated in a unanimous vote at that meeting. A transcript and recording of the meeting can be found on the NMU Board of Trustees page on the university website.”
“We do not take pleasure in publicly rehashing issues leading up to Dr. Erickson’s termination, nor do we want to divert our time and attention from advancing the mission of the university. However, in her reckless failure to investigate the facts, Rep. Cambensy has forced us to do so.”
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