Greg Abbott Orders Investigation into Texas Southern University Over Alleged Financial Mismanagement

Texas Gov. 👤Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. 👤Dan Patrick have ordered the Texas Rangers to investigate 🎓Texas Southern University (TSU) following a scathing state audit that uncovered widespread financial mismanagement and years of delayed reporting.

According to The Associated Press, Patrick said Monday he would meet with Abbott and House Speaker Dustin Burrows to discuss freezing TSU’s state funding — a move that could have major consequences for the Houston-based university, one of the nation’s largest historically Black colleges.

In a letter to legislative leaders, State Auditor Lisa Collier outlined a series of alarming findings, including millions of dollars in unapproved and improperly tracked expenses. The audit revealed that more than 700 invoices totaling over $280 million were tied to vendors whose contracts had already expired. Another 800 invoices worth nearly $160 million were dated before any purchase requests were officially submitted or approved.

Collier said the university’s financial reports were also severely delayed — submitted 10 months late for the 2023 fiscal year and four months late for 2024. She blamed the failures in part on unfilled staff positions for “critical” financial roles, leading to weak internal controls and poor asset oversight.