Stanford University (Photo: Jason Doiy/ALM)

Confronted with the task of investigating its own employees' involvement in the college admissions scandal, Stanford University turned to Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.

According to the law firm's external review, there was no evidence that any employee of Stanford athletics other than the former head sailing coach participated in the admissions fraud scheme orchestrated by college consultant William "Rick" Singer.

Singer, who pleaded guilty in March to racketeering conspiracy and other charges, allegedly led an operation that involved bribing coaches and paying off SAT exam proctors so wealthy teenagers could secure admission to top-tier universities.

In a letter to the university community Tuesday, Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne said Simpson Thacher found no evidence of additional fraud beyond the scheme involving former head sailing coach John Vandemoer.

Vandemoer, who was fired in March, was sentenced in June to two years of supervised release, including six months' home confinement, and a $10,000 fine. He was one of 50 people indicted in the scandal, which involved alleged bribes totaling $25 million, according to the indictment.

Simpson Thacher interviewed more than 55 people and reviewed more than 35,000 records, the letter said. The firm found that Singer had directly or indirectly approached seven Stanford coaches about potential recruits between 2009 and 2019, though there was no evidence that any other coach engaged in the scam.

"However, there was no systematic way for concerns about Singer to be elevated and addressed, to ensure increased attention by others he attempted to contact," Tessier-Lavigne wrote.

He also said the school's admissions system, in which athletic recruits are reviewed by the admissions office and not just the athletic department, "appears to have made it harder for Singer to manipulate the process."

After the scheme was discovered and the review began, Tessier-Lavigne said Stanford took a number of steps to verify that the university had received no other contributions from Singer's sham charity foundation. The university also implemented a second-level review process to "confirm the athletic credentials of all recruited student-athletes" and developed "enhanced controls in the university's gift acceptance process," he said.

The university also plans to adopt the recommendations made by Simpson Thacher to "ward off future misconduct," the letter said.

These recommendations include adopting written policies codifying its approach to donations and athletic recruits, emphasizing its stance that admission "cannot be bought, and no donor should ever be under the impression that it can." It will also require development officers to verify the sources and purposes of "significant" donations to the athletic department, and clarify that fundraising results aren't considered a part of a coach's performance evaluation.

"It is imperative that Stanford has the necessary safeguards in place to engender trust and confidence in the integrity of our programs," Tessier-Lavigne said. "Our resolve in this regard has never been stronger."

The state attorney general's office has also recommended that the university redistribute the $770,000 in funds that went to Stanford via Singer's foundation "to an entity or entities supporting financially challenged high school students who are seeking financial support and enhanced preparation toward their college admission." The university said it agrees with that suggestion and will release more details about its plans to that effect in the near future.