Bowie, Md.

A financially troubled fund-raising organization for Bowie State University (BSU) is being temporarily handed over to the University of Maryland system amidst criticism that the organization sapped its administrative funds and then dipped into other money earmarked for scholarships and campus activities to cover further operating costs.

A January 1998 audit found that the foundation overspent its 1997 fiscal year operating budget by $63,869. The foundation, which operates as a distinct not-for-profit organization, has since gone further into debt, according to University of Maryland System officials.

A Bowie State official confirmed that among the financial commitments the organization could not afford were the purchase of more than $40,000 worth of furniture for the offices of fund-raising employees and a $12,650 contract to buy Washington Redskins season tickets.

While most of the foundation's debts occurred before interim director Russell A. Davis took office in February of this year, he was removed from the foundation post on May 12, 1998 by state university officials. The next day, amidst accusations that he lied about his academic credentials, Davis resigned from his position as a vice president of student affairs at BSU, according to news reports.

Davis's firing and resignation both occurred after The Baltimore Sun reported on May 12 that a court found he had improperly taken $3,873 from another non-profit organization he once headed that meets on campus. The newspaper also reported that Davis had a history of troubled personal finances.

However, BSU spokeswoman Carolyn Mills-Matthews said that Davis resigned when he failed to verify his Ph.D. credentials to university officials.

Mills-Matthews said that oversight of the fund-raising foundation was handed over to the University of Maryland Foundation -- which currently manages Bowie State's endowment -- in order to fill the void that came up when Davis resigned.