Does anything about this story strike you as odd?

(from News of the Weird)
Karen Madden, 38, goes on trial in December in Harrisburg, Pa., after allegedly confessing to stealing $550,000 worth of jewelry and handbags from the residence of her former boss, who is the chancellor of the state's college system. The chancellor, testifying at a July hearing on the charges, said Madden had called her recently and apologized but then went on to say, "I hope you and I can still be friends, and I would like to use you, can I use you as a reference, just for the work part?" [Philadelphia Daily News-AP, 11-8-06]

What is the chancellor of the state college system doing with over half a million dollars worth of jewelry?

I wonder what the college tuition rates are in PA and if they've been raised recently? Are there cries to lower the tuition or to throw more money into the system because the poor students and families in PA are being burdened with the costs? In the meantime, the administrator of the over-all public, post-secondary educational system has a half-mil to spend on jewelry and handbags. Hmmm. Interesting indeed.