According to an internal review, the former vice chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Diversity, Equity, and Educational Achievement (DDEEA) allegedly gave unauthorized raises to staff members, Channel3000 reports. After a three-year tenure, Dr. LaVar Charleston stepped down from the division in late January amid financial concerns.
Between Dec. 1, 2023 and Dec. 1, 2024, Charleston gave 12 employees raises exceeding 10%, the review found. The amounts reportedly ranged from 10-23% of the employees’ base salaries and amounted to between $6,800 and over $37,000.
The review found that DDEEA’s materials did not contain sufficient evidence to support the pay increases, while the division’s leadership argued that the raises were justified due to pay equity.
Additionally, DDEEA’s travel, professional development, and events totaled $1.7 million and $2.65 million in the 2023 and 2024 fiscal years, respectively, the review found. The division reportedly spent an average of $10,955 per full-time equivalent employee in 2024.
Expenses for supplies in fiscal years 2023 and 2024 totaled $580,518 and $594,311, respectively. Furniture and equipment spending over the last three years amounted to $369,163.
DDEEA’s authority for hiring decisions for all positions was revoked last October, and in early January, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration assumed authority for the division’s financial decisions.
