Former University of Maryland Law Dean Asked to Refund $60,000

Officials at the University of Maryland have asked former law dean Karen Rothenberg to return $60,000 in unauthorized compensation and have referred an additional $350,000 to the attorney general’s office for review. Chancellor William E. Kirwan apologized for the audit’s findings on Thursday at a hearing before the Maryland House subcommittee on education and economic development. He said that Rothenberg and David J. Ramsay, departing president of the University of Maryland, were responsible for the $350,000 payment.

The chancellor felt it was appropriate for the university system to request repayment of $60,000 because Rothenberg instructed a subordinate to file for summer research payments without following the correct procedure. The paperwork lists Rothenberg as a 10 month employee when she was a 12 month employee, and the dean did not submit reports on her research. The $350,000 was clearly authorized by Ramsay and Chancellor Kirwan stated, “We felt there were unresolved questions that needed further analysis”, thus that payment has been referred to the attorney general. Some law school employees believe Rothenberg deserved the additional payment for the vital fundraising that she did for the school.