A fired employee has accused a Kansas University graduate program of lax admissions standards and grade inflation, a claim that KU disputes.

Charles “Chick” Keller, who had been serving as an assistant professor in KU’s master of engineering management program until his August 2008 firing, made the accusations in a letter to higher education leaders and state legislators, and in other documents obtained by the Journal-World.

Keller acknowledged creating the documents, but said he preferred not to discuss them further.

“I have faith and trust in university officials to handle this issue,” he said.

Gary Sherrer, vice chairman of the Kansas Board of Regents, said he had met with Keller, and had referred the matter to regents staff, who would create a report including KU’s responses to Keller’s claims.

He said he would review the report, and determine what action, if any, was needed at that time.

Lynn Bretz, a university spokeswoman, said the university had done several reviews of the program and found Keller’s accusations to be false, saying Keller used selective information to bolster his claims.

Bretz said a comparison with grades issued in the engineering management program differed with other graduate programs at the Edwards Campus by only a small amount. She said surveys of graduates also indicate that students feel the program is offering a good education and is useful for their careers.