Karen Pletz, disgraced university president, describes a life in exile

Karen Pletz is accused of looting the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. Pletz presided over the osteopathic school for 14 years before being sacked last December. In a subsequent lawsuit, the university accuses Pletz of mishandling $2.3 million, including a $4,000 cash advance for a trip to a plastic surgeon.

Pletz denies wrongdoing. The gist of her argument is that the university never had a better, potentially cosmetically altered face.

Pletz moved in elite circles before the allegations against her became public. A writer at the Kansas City Business Journal recently asked Pletz about how she was getting along, and she responded with a portrait of a civic leader in exile.