AU's Board of Trustees to Consider President's Fate

WASHINGTON - American University's board of trustees is set to meet to consider whether president Bejamin Ladner should remain at the private school in Northwest D.C.

The board placed Ladner on administrative leave in August while they examine more than half a million dollars he and his wife have spent over the past three years.

In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Ladner acknowledged some mistakes, but argued that much of the spending questioned by auditors was consistent with his contract.

Ladner has maintained that he wants to return to AU despite a student protest and a no-confidence vote by the Faculty Senate. But he also has his supporters, who note that Ladner has grown the school's endowment and improved its academic image.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)