10:25 AM CDT on Wednesday, April 5, 2006

By Matthew Tresaugue / Houston Chronicle

Priscilla Slade, Texas Southern University's embattled president, charged the school thousands of dollars last year for exercise classes and golf lessons, presents for employees and regents and a move across town to her new house near Memorial Park, records show.

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TSU President Priscilla Slade

The receipts and invoices, released to the Houston Chronicle under the Texas Public Information Act, provide a fuller picture of her spending, an issue that spurred the university's governing board to place Slade on paid leave last month.

TSU's internal auditor, meanwhile, is nearing completion of a probe into questionable expenses totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars by Slade.

The nine-member board, which is made up of lawyers, corporate executives and religious and financial leaders, plans to meet May 5 to decide whether Slade should keep her job she's had for seven years. The Harris County District Attorney's Office is also looking into Slade's spending.

Expenses defended

Slade's supporters have said many of her expenses are justified because of her responsibilities as TSU's chief ambassador. They also point out that she has helped the university raise $37 million from donors over the past five years and boosted the school's profile.

Her expenses in 2005 include new furniture for her home and office, season tickets for the Houston Rockets and Houston Texans and at least seven trips to the Houstonian Club's spa.

TSU also spent more than $20,000 for Slade's airfare to destinations as far away as Beijing and as near as College Station and renewed her membership in Continental Airlines' Presidents Club, which costs $250 a year.

The perks were in addition to her cash compensation, including housing and car allowances, of roughly $310,000 last year.

Slade has declined to comment. Her attorneys, Mike DeGeurin and Ron Franklin, said they were not prepared to discuss the expenses Tuesday, but would provide answers today.

J. Paul Johnson, the board's chairman, was out of town and could not be reached for comment.

Home furnishings

Slade's spending came under scrutiny in January after regents learned she charged TSU $86,467 to furnish a spacious, Spanish-style house on the corner of Memorial and Terrace drives. She reimbursed the university $138,159 for the cost of landscaping her private home after regents questioned the expense. Slade has said she never expected TSU to pay that bill.

Slade purchased a $9,169 sleigh bed for the master bedroom, a $2,891 bed for a guest room, $9,118 worth of artwork for the living room and a $17,807 four-piece sofa for the family room, records show.

She did not seek approval for the furniture from the board, which is generally asked to approve contracts of more than $100,000. TSU purchased furniture for her two immediate predecessors after selling the university-owned president's house in the mid-1990s because the job requires entertaining donors at home.

The university also paid her moving costs from an apartment to another in November and then to the newly constructed house in December. The two bills totaled $9,483.

Slade's contract allows up to $50,000 annually for travel, entertainment and other expenses related to university business. The expenses "shall be reasonable" and are subject to the approval of the university's board chairman, according to the terms of the contract.

Slade spent more than twice the limit in 2005, according to records.

Golf lessons, Pilates classes

Her contract allows Slade to join "a health and/or dining club" of her choice, and TSU spent more than $20,000 on her membership dues and incidentals at the Houstonian Club and Spa and the Houston Club, a private dining club downtown.

In addition to the Houstonian's annual dues of $5,738, Slade charged $1,280 for golf lessons and 47 Pilates exercise sessions at a cost between $55 and $65 each to the university. She also spent $2,316 at the club's Trellis Spa.

On purchase orders, university officials justified the expenses as necessary "for building university relationships" and "for stress release/relaxation" related to Slade's role as president.

Slade also used her expense account to buy nearly $800 worth of gift baskets for regents, in most cases as birthday presents. And she spent $4,884 at Neiman Marcus on candles, perfume and neckties as Christmas gifts for employees.

Last year she traveled to Beijing in June and November to establish exchange programs for students and faculty members with Chinese universities.

As the chief advocate for TSU, a historically black institution with 11,000 students, Slade made 21 trips to Austin and eight trips to Washington, D.C.