N.J. college broke law with $250,000 table, state says

Kean University
The table is located in an executive event space on the top floor of a building with a view of New York City's skyline.

New Jersey's third-largest public university broke public bidding laws when it purchased a custom conference table shipped from China that ultimately cost nearly a quarter-million dollars, the state comptroller said in a report Wednesday.

Officials at Kean University in Union County authorized a Chinese manufacturer to build and ship the 22-person, state-of-the-art table before obtaining approval from the school's board of trustees, according to the comptroller's 19-month investigation.

Comptroller Philip James Degnan did not refer the matter to the Attorney General's Office. Instead, he recommended that Kean "provide the appropriate training to university staff, and create, update or modify its policies and procedures" to follow the law.

In a statement, the 15,000-student university said it had complied with the law and that the report had "significant omissions."

Read more at www.philly.com/philly/education/20160602_N_J__college_broke_law_with__250_000_table__state_says.html