A former dean of admissions will serve nearly ten years in prison.
According to the FBI Houston Field Division, Edward Wayne Rene, the former dean of admissions at Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall Law School, has been sentenced to eight years in jail.
Rene served as the law school’s chief enrollment officer and assistant dean of admissions since 1999, according to the school’s website.
However, court records show that in 2020, the FBI and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office conducted a joint investigation into Rene because he “may have abused his power as assistant dean of admissions and financial aid to privately enrich himself.”
In November 2020, KPRC reported that the institution had fired an employee due to admissions process irregularities but did not clarify who the individual was or what the irregularities were. At the time, the school stated that the results of their internal audit were given over to local authorities.
Dr. Austin Lane, president of TSU, was removed in February after a 6-1 vote by the university’s board of regents.
According to records, a student received a phone call from Rene in 2017 regarding admittance to law school and a scholarship but was required to donate any surplus scholarship money to an unknown foundation. The total amount of excess scholarship money was $46,715.43, according to court filings.
A similar incident occurred with another student, who had to reimburse Rene for a total of $26,942.88.
Rene’s prison sentence includes a $177,000 restitution payment to TSU.
