BOSTON — An investigation has found that there were no issues regarding how the finances at Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research were handled after the center underwent a wave of layoffs.
An internal audit found that the center’s expenditures were “appropriately charged to their respective grant and gift accounts” after the school received complaints after the center’s head, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, laid off more than half the center’s staff.
“Our auditors concluded that CAR’s financial management of its grants and gifts was appropriate,” said BU’s chief financial officer and treasurer, Gary Nicksa, in a statement.
BU says the layoffs are part of a pivot in structure. The Center will now allow fellows in residence at BU to conduct their own projects while contributing to The Emancipator instead of executing CAR projects and programs.
Among the goals of the audit was determining why a center that had raised $50 million in funding had not completed more research. Since the conclusion of the audit, BU has hired an outside firm to begin meeting with center staff members “to learn about its workplace culture and climate under Kendi.”
Several employees complained of the center’s “culture and its grant management practices,” Boston University officials told Boston 25 News.
Kendi says the restructuring was spurred out of necessity.
“As I have said from the beginning, the restructuring did not come from financial distress brought on by financial mismanagement, and the team of auditors validated this truth,” Kendi said. “We sought to put in place a new financially sustainable structure that will support CAR’s mission for the long term. We are glad to have this financial inquiry behind us and a financially sustainable model ahead of us.”
BU says they are now focusing on ensuring the center is following the required reporting process for its grants. Independent firm Korn Ferry will analyze how the management structure was set up and work with the center’s organizational culture and provide assistance, so that “it can then recommend a path forward.”
In 2020, BU’s Provost and Chief Academic Officer Jean Morrison told Boston 25 that the academic center will study social and racial justice and Kendi will collaborate with faculty and students to gather data on racial inequality.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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