Another controversy has rocked the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, with Fairfax reporting the former Dean of the prestigious music school is under investigation by Sydney University over concerns about the misuse of thousands of dollars on his corporate credit card.
As the Sydney Morning Herald reports, Conservatorium Dean Professor Karl Kramer had announced his resignation from the elite Sydney institution back in April, citing personal reasons. However, it’s now been revealed Prof Kramer was asked to resign because of an ongoing investigation into his expense account.
Fairfax claim that up to $5,000 in charges on Prof Kramer’s card are under investigation, including an extravagant dinner bill, which first raised suspicions last year. Conservatorium staff were reportedly listed as accompanying the Dean to dinner in a European restaurant – a bill that ran nearly $1,000.
Prof Kramer was reportedly told by university administrators to voluntarily offer his resignation or face immediate dismissal shortly before his abrupt announcement back in April. “Concerns about the use of Professor Kramer’s credit card were discovered through the regular oversight processes,” a Sydney University spokesman said.
The university claim they immediately withdrew Prof Kramer’s credit card access before referring the matter to the Independent Commission Against Corruption. However, Fairfax report that the ICAC is not believed to be taking further action.
A university source said vice-chancellor Michael Spence was outraged at the distraction the scandal has caused. The school experienced similar controversy back in 2011 when Prof Kramer’s predecessor, Kim Walker, left the school amid allegations of plagairsm and internal inquiries.
Walker remained with the university as a professor before departing in 2013 and later sued the university for millions of dollars in damages for the loss of reputation and future earnings. As Fairfax reported back in 2013, in her suit, Walker claimed her tenure at the Conservatorium destroyed her reputation both in Australia and overseas.
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Meanwhile, Prof Kramer previously made headlines after Fairfax published emails he’d exchanged with an HR manager about language teacher Nicole Dorigo, who was made redundant. “Duct tape can’t fix stupid, but can muzzle it,” one email from Professor Kramer read. “[W]ho died and left her queen?”
Prof Kramer finishes at the Conservatorium on 17th July. In a missive to staff written on the eve of the Conservatorium’s centenary, he said, “I am leaving the faculty in excellent shape artistically, and the morale of the school has improved markedly since my arrival. It is time for me to take a respite and consider my future plans.”
Back in May, Tone Deaf reported on an embarrassing incident involving Canberra’s Australian National University, which published a job advertisement for a new head of their School of Music, unbeknownst to their current and still-standing leader, Peter Tregear.
