FARGO, N.D. (AP) -- The longtime director of the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute at North Dakota State University has been fired after an internal audit showed that he cheated on expenses.
NDSU President Dean Bresciani says an investigation revealed that Gene Griffin overcharged the university more than $6,000 in the last three years. Bresciani says a resignation agreement calls for Griffin to pay back the money.
Griffin has been director of the independent think tank since 1980. The agency's website says the budget increased from $175,000 to more than $10 million in Griffin's tenure.
Bresciani says the school has been criticized for questionable business practices in the past and he has instituted a zero tolerance policy. He calls Griffin's behavior "unacceptable."
Griffin did not return a message left by The Associated Press.
