U. of Louisville Administrator Is on Leave After Alleged Improper Reimbursement

The director of alumni relations at the University of Louisville has been placed on administrative leave while the institution investigates allegations that she used institutional money to fund personal trips when she worked at the University of Georgia.

The Courier-Journal reports that an audit at Georgia found Deborah Dietzler signed up for marathons, then arranged meetings or events with alumni near the marathons so the university would reimburse her travel costs.

In a statement, Louisville said that it only recently learned of the audit’s findings, and that it was conducting a “thorough review.” Louisville hired her in 2014 after Georgia did not renew her contract.

Andrew Coffman, Ms. Dietzler’s lawyer, told the newspaper that she “strongly denies any suggestion or claim that she intentionally violated any rule or policy” at the University of Georgia.

The action occurred amid broader leadership controversy at Louisville. Last month the university’s president, James R. Ramsey, apologized after he and his staff were photographed in stereotypical Mexican costumes. And the men’s basketball coach, Rick Pitino, has been under fire since a new book alleged an athletic official had paid strippers and prostitutes to provide sexual services to high-school recruits.