The findings of the draft audit were sent to the MATC Board of Directors and the UCAT Board of Trustees for a response. The draft audit specifically mentions Brems, so the Board of Regents will conduct its own study into the audit's findings, Regents Chairman Jed Pitcher said in a statement issued late Wednesday.

Brems has been put on leave "to ensure the complete objectivity and fairness of such inquiries," Pitcher's statement said.

The audit is still only in draft form and has not yet been made public, according to David Doty, assistant commissioner of higher education.

He declined to comment further, describing the situation as a "personnel matter."

Pitcher appointed Jared Haines, currently vice president of UCAT, to serve as the acting president until the matter is resolved.

Brems has been UCAT president for just more than a year. He was campus president and chief executive at Mountainland when he was tapped to replace interim UCAT President Darrell White effective July 1, 2006.

smcfarland@sltrib.com