Creative Commons License

CSCU Chancellor Terrence Cheng testified at an Appropriations Committee meeting in February 2024. Credit: CT-N / CT-N

Gov. Ned Lamont on Friday called for an independent audit of the entire Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system, just one day after a news report raised questions about Chancellor Terrence Cheng’s expenses.

The CT Insider story pointed to expensive meals including $60 steaks, $490 chauffeured rides and other questionable spending.

The story also raises questions about Cheng’s use of a state vehicle and whether he properly reported personal use for tax purposes.

In a letter to Comptroller Sean Scanlon, Lamont asked his office to provide “a comprehensive report” on CSCU’s finances, including a review of purchases made on P-Cards, all expenditures for meals and entertainment, use of state-owned vehicles, information on tax reporting by CSCU leadership and an audit of the entire system’s financial practices.

“Recent reports of controversial spending decisions have raised serious concerns about the transparency and accountability of CSCU’s financial management,” Lamont said.

As CT Mirror's Managing Editor Stephen helps manage and support a staff of 16 reporters.  His career in daily journalism includes 20 years at The Hartford Courant, where he served as a member of the editorial board, data editor, breaking news editor and bureau chief.  Prior to that Stephen was city editor at the Casper Star-Tribune in Casper, Wyo., and the editor of the Daily Press in Craig, Colo.  He has won many awards for editorial writing, data journalism and breaking news. While he was breaking news editor, The Courant was a named finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news for its coverage of the Sandy Hook shootings.  Busemeyer is a Koeppel Journalism Fellow at Wesleyan University, where he teaches data journalism, and he has also taught at the University of Hartford, the University of Connecticut and the University of Colorado.