A UConn faculty member is charged with larceny after she allegedly used university and grant funds for personal travel and related personal expenses in violation of UConn’s travel policy, and more, according to the university.
The travel in question, including allegedly to Ireland and Disney World, reportedly “involved costs related to transportation, lodging, meals, and other expenses. The travel was presented by the faculty member in advance for approval and after the fact as being undertaken entirely in support of research and teaching, which was later determined through the investigation to be inaccurate,” according to UConn.
Sherry Lynn Zane is charged with first-degree larceny, according to arrest documents released by the university. Zane is listed on the UConn Department of Social and Critical Inquiry Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies site as interim director who teaches courses in gender and sexuality in everyday life, women and film, and a senior seminar.
The university said in a statement that she was placed on administrative leave on Nov. 15, 2024 and that “per its standard protocol, the Office of University Compliance referred the matter to UConn Police.”
The State’s Attorney’s Office determined “there was enough evidence to apply for a felony arrest warrant, which was authorized by a Connecticut Superior Court judge. The faculty member agreed to come to the UConn Police Department on the Storrs campus on Feb. 13, 2025, and was charged,” the university said in an emailed statement.
UConn President Radenka Maric said, also in a statement, “UConn takes its ethics and compliance responsibilities very seriously, and it is critical that we always hold ourselves and our workforce to the highest standards of accountability.
“The university has multiple mechanisms to identify potential issues, including through our Audit and Management Advisory Services unit and the university’s Office of Compliance,” Maric said. “The university conducts thorough investigations into potential policy violations and takes appropriate action as needed. That is what happened in this case, and it is also how we continually support a culture of compliance on our campuses.”
In a report by UConn Director of University Compliance Kimberly Hill, and released by the university, she writes, “of the 19 trips subject to review, UConn paid for a portion, or the entirety, of the expenses charged by Dr. Zane. Over the 19 trips, Dr. Zane traveled a total of 187 days. The related travel expenses charged to UConn totaled $58,084.”
“Dr. Zane expensed trips where there were no actual planned business activities and then provided information or created documentation after the fact to justify the expenses incurred by the University,” Hill wrote. “University Compliance found several instances of Dr. Zane providing misleading or false information to the University when asked to justify unallowable expenses. Dr. Zane also provided misleading or false information to the University on the travel request forms she submitted for the majority of these trips. In these circumstances, Dr. Zane’s actual activities while traveling were distinctly different and off-topic from the agreed-upon purpose.”
The university also noted that its “travel policy states that university funds cannot be used to reimburse employees for personal expenses. Travel expenses paid by the university must meet the definitions of what is allowable under university policy and IRS rules, in which all reimbursable expenditures must have a business purpose and must be supported by documentation.”
Zane will remain on administrative leave from UConn pending the outcome of the university’s disciplinary process, according to UConn..
The university also noted that, “prior to and unrelated to the UConn Compliance investigation, an internal audit review of university-sponsored travel identified several control vulnerabilities. As a result, the university is enhancing relevant system controls surrounding travel, including requiring extra levels of approval above a certain amount.”
Originally Published:
