When she was hired as president of Utah State University, Elizabeth “Betsy” Cantwell signed a contract to receive an annual salary of $581,585.
During her brief tenure, she spent at least another $661,800 in university funds — on new cars, an apartment in Salt Lake City, extensive national travel and lavish furnishings, including a $750 bidet for her office.
Receipts obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune through public records requests show a pattern of big spending by Cantwell and little oversight. The Tribune looked at more than 500 pages of records documenting hundreds of approved buys by the president throughout her roughly 18-month tenure — one of the shortest in recent state history. None of them appear to have been flagged or questioned.
The purchases continued through Cantwell’s final days in the position, including several items for a major office remodel dated Jan. 31. She announced Feb. 6 that she intended to leave and stepped down to serve as president of Washington State University at the end of March.
CLICK HERE to read the full report from The Salt Lake Tribune.
USU sent FOX 13 News a response to the Tribune's article, seen in full below:
We provided the Salt Lake Tribune a great deal of context they chose not to include in their story. Most of the total costs were one-time expenses and some were already in the works before Cantwell began her tenure. Below are points that we disputed with the Tribune.
Travel: The article criticizes the extensive travel conducted by President Cantwell during her tenure. I want to reiterate that, in accordance with the policies and expectations of the Utah Board of Higher Education, university presidents are required to travel to cultivate and sustain critical external relationships.
- USHE policy (R212) reaffirms that presidents are expected to travel for their positions by saying “travel is an integral and expected part of a President’s and Commissioner’s roles.”
- Travel to Salt Lake City and Washington, D.C. to engage with state and federal delegations is particularly essential for an R1 land-grant institution.
- USU’s president is expected to frequently visit and work closely with the university’s 30 statewide locations, including two residential campuses in Price and Blanding.
- It is imperative for the president to maintain active engagement with donors and key university stakeholders to secure vital funding for scholarships and special projects.
- These responsibilities necessitate regular travel by the president and were aligned with the university’s core mission of student success, innovative research, and community outreach.
- As a new president who was also new to the university, travel was instrumental in President Cantwell forging essential relationships with elected officials, key donors, alumni, and statewide campus communities.
- The tribune highlights one night in New York City, which was higher than the rest of her stay as surge pricing was in effect.
Presidential Residence: The article states that USU spent $104,800 on “generic upgrades” to the president’s campus house. Far from “generic upgrades,” this includes critical repairs from a water leak, as well as regular maintenance and upkeep including paint, replacing broken appliances, and HVAC repairs.
- These were not upgrades nor were they requested by or attributable to President Cantwell. These tasks were started and performed by USU Facilities before President Cantwell started her tenure and were not requested by her.
- The president’s residence serves as an event center for the university. All university buildings have operation and maintenance as part of their upkeep.
Purchasing Card: The article state that there are no restrictions on the president’s purchasing card other than a maximum amount for a single purchase.
- As USU employees know and are trained on annually, there are many policies and procedures that apply to expenditures. While P-cards are a tool for payment for business-related expenses, they do not fall outside the bounds of USU policy.
Mace: The article states that the mace was “upgraded” for the president’s investiture. The mace was actually broken and need of repairs at a cost of $3,500.
- This mace is an important symbol of USU’s commitment to its mission and is used at all major academic functions, such as commencement and the annual luminary that marks the beginning of the academic journey for first-year students.
Vehicles: The Tribune article compares the costs of former President Noelle Cockett and President Cantwell. This is just not a fair comparison.
- For example, Tanner wrote that Cantwell chose a vehicle (Toyota Highlander) that is more expensive ($42,969) than the vehicle chosen by Cockett (Ford Fusion with a lowest base price tag of $25,000 when it was last sold in 2020). She neglected to account for inflation and the lower buying power in 2023 when the Highlander was purchased. In 2023, to get the same buying power for $25,000 in 2020, one would need to spend far more
Security Upgrades: The article states that Cantwell requested security upgrades amounting to $33,603.
- These upgrades for the president and provost office suites were recommended by USU’s Department of Public Safety before Cantwell began her tenure. They are also common security measures at universities nationwide.
USU Board of Trustees
- Utah Code 53B-2-106(5) provides that the university’s president is responsible to “control and manage the budget and finances of the institution.” As a companion responsibility, USU’s Board of Trustees approves all budgetary policies. See Utah Code 53B-2-106(6). Board members do review institutional operating budgets before such budgets are submitted to the Utah Board of Education for review and approval. These budgets do not include line-item spending at the level of detail the article suggests.
- In sum, the Board of Trustees does not approve day-to-day operational expenditures. Instead, it ensures that proper policies are in place for expenditures in all departments within the university. USU Trustees are already undertaking a comprehensive review of policies and procedures in these and related areas, as Chair Skinner mentioned.
Financial oversight: The article summarizes various expenditures that the Tribune connects with President Elizabeth Cantwell and states that “None of them appears to have been flagged or questioned.” However, the article also goes on to acknowledge that some of the expenditures were negotiated terms of Cantwell’s agreement (e.g., a university-provided car) with the Utah System of Higher Education, and another category of expenditures—out-of-state travel—is routinely audited. Accordingly, it is not accurate to suggest that expenditures that have been audited and reviewed by the USU Board of Trustees and the Utah Board of Higher Education were not scrutinized.
- The article states that the USU Board of Trustees “rubber-stamped” Cantwell’s spending. The board does not review all of the president’s expenditures, but does review two important audits annually, as does the Utah Board of Higher Education: out-of-state travel and use of the president’s discretionary fund.
- Internal Audit Services reviews all receipts and supporting documentation for each out-of-state travel authorization. These audits are governed by USHE Policy R212, Chief Executive Travel Oversight.
- For the discretionary fund, the USHE board review expenditures to verify funds were used as reported to be compliant with USHE policy, and there is no minimum threshold for the discretionary fund report. The use of discretionary funds is governed by USHE Policy R548, Institutional Funds Administration and Accountability. USHE Policy R548.4.2 limits spending from discretionary funds to specified “Authorized Uses” and specified internal transfers. Accordingly, the statement that USU gave Cantwell “access to a discretionary fund — filled through the school’s investment earnings — that she could use without many restrictions” is misleading and inaccurate.
Presidential Budget Comparison: The article states: “For Cantwell’s first year in the position, which largely lines up with fiscal 2024, the office’s operating budget was $547,330; that doesn’t count salaries. For the fiscal year before that, under Cockett, the total was $287,330 — about half the spending.” In looking at the actual budget detail, the budget for the Institute of Land, Water, and Air was placed under President Cantwell starting in this year. This comes to $300,000, but the president is not spending those funds. They are assigned to the Institute. Without that line, the total actually is less than for Cockett, at $247,330.
- During the first year of Cantwell’s tenure, the administrative structure was also going through a reorganization and general lines in the university budget changed as items were moved around as reporting structures changed.
