UT System Extends Investigators' Contract

The University of Texas System is extending its contract with Kroll Associates, the firm hired to investigate the integrity of the admissions process at the University of Texas at Austin.

Kroll was originally expected to finish its investigation in October, and the system agreed to pay up to $145,000 for the service.

The effort has taken longer than planned, and on Wednesday, the system released an extended contract that does not expire until Jan. 31, 2015, and increases the amount of money the system is willing to pay to $405,000.

"While the focus and scope of the investigation have not changed, the resources needed by Kroll to complete the investigation have gone beyond what was initially contemplated, and additional services are needed in order to fully address the scope of work," system spokeswoman Karen Adler said. "We believe the expanded investigation is essential to conducting a professional, independent and thorough investigation."

The UT System regents met behind closed doors to discuss the ongoing investigation on Monday, but did not take any action on the matter or discuss it in the public portion of their meeting.

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