Alfred University’s Study Abroad Program is among those being scrutinized by the New York State Attorney General’s office.

“ Late on Thursday, Alfred University received a subpoena from the Office of the Attorney General of the State of New York,” President Charles M. Edmondson said in a statement being released to campus Monday morning. “ The subpoena requires that Alfred University submit the bulk of our records of international educational programs for 2005 and 2006.”

The subpoena was dated January 15, 2008. “We had received no prior communication from the Attorney General's office about these matters,” Edmondson said. “ The subpoena gave no reason for the investigation and cited no specific acts or policies that may have precipitated an investigation. The University's attorney will attempt to contact the Attorney General's Office, but because today is a legal holiday we do not expect any communication before Tuesday.”

There is no reason to believe Alfred University is being singled out by the Attorney General’s office, Edmondson said. Although AU has not yet received confirmation that other institutions received similar subpoenas, news reports listed as many as 15 other schools, including Harvard, Columbia, and Brown.

“The genesis of this matter seems to have no specific connection to Alfred University,” Edmondson said in his memo to campus. “ As some of you may be aware, in August of 2007, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced his intention to investigate the financial relationships between college and university officials and individuals and companies that provide services in support of Study Abroad programs. Evidently, he believed that some of these relationships involved undisclosed and possibly illegal payments from providers to employees of colleges and universities. In a recent issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education (January 14, 2008), questions were raised about the progress of the investigation.”

Edmondson stressed that “No one has even alleged any illegal actions involving international programs by Alfred employees. It is also important to emphasize that the subpoena identified no individuals, no practices or acts, and no specific programs that might be under scrutiny.”