UConn to Hire Outside Law Firm to Aid in Sexual Misconduct Investigation

UConn will hire an outside law firm to investigate whether university officials handled child molestation allegations and accusations of sexual misconduct against one of its music professors properly.

The investigation into Professor Robert Miller is ongoing, and UConn's Board of Trustees has called on Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen to retain a law firm to "oversee and direct a review into how allegations may have been handled by university personnel prior to 2013," according to the university.

In documents released Monday, Jepsen's office revealed that some UConn officials may have known since late 2011 about alleged misconduct by Miller, the Hartford Courant reports.

Miller has been on paid administrative leave and barred from the UConn campus since June 21, according to the university. He has not been charged with a crime in relation to the allegations.

In a statement released Monday by the university, Lawrence McHugh, chairman of UConn's Board of Trustees, said he found the allegations "deeply disturbing."

"The board of trustees and the university must treat these matters with the utmost care and seriousness," McHugh said. "It is clear to the board that when these allegations were brought to the attention of current university personnel in 2013, the university took swift, decisive and careful action as this matter evolved. The president and her senior team are to be commended for taking this action, informing the board at the appropriate time and operating with the highest possible degree of transparency, given the circumstances," he said.

Proposals are due July 29 from law firms looking to conduct the probe, according to the Courant. A university spokesperson told the paper that UConn has budgeted $250,000 to pay for the investigation, but the figure could increase as the investigation moves forward. Following its completion, the board will review and release its findings.

For more on the story, visit UConn Today online.