Letter from the Editor
February 12, 2020
Hello ACUA,
I know I am not alone in saying, “I cannot believe it is 2020!” I presume you are all back refreshed and starting, or continuing on with, some exciting new projects! 2019 was a fulfilling year for me and I hope that it brought everyone else an opportunity to learn and grow. With that said, I would like to highlight the College and University Auditor’s top five articles of 2019:
- Connect Further: Advice for Auditors New to Higher Education
- Internal Audit and Higher Education: Survey of ACUA Members Reveals Interesting Relationships
- Climbing the Ranks: Preventing Fraud and Misreporting in Institutional Data
- College Admission Scandals: A Good Time for Internal Audit to Review Recruiting and Remissions Practices
- Auditing Makerspaces on Campus
A brief synopsis of each of these articles, as well as what readers enjoyed most, is included in the "Best of 2019" article within this issue.
This winter issue also provides different perspectives and practices for internal auditors to consider when planning for and conducting their audit work. Robert Hershen provides insight on challenges that institutes of higher education are facing and ways to assess sustainability. Given such challenges, David Clark presents best practices for building a university risk-based audit plan. As we are all aware, each institution faces their own risks and have different levels of risk tolerance and acceptance. Baker Tilly’s Frank Bossle and John Kiss surveyed seven major research universities and demonstrated how they are using Enterprise Risk Management to manage their risks. Unlike many other colleges/universities, major research universities have unique risks to consider, such as cybersecurity issues in research, which Meghan Senseney and Mike Cullen discuss in their article.
The Fall 2019 issue contained many articles centered on fraud and this issue will provide one more. Sal Rodriguez presents a case study about an asset misappropriation scheme and shares how important it is for us, as auditors, to continue to educate our staff and clients about these scenarios and risks.
The content shared in College and University Auditor is only possible due to the contributions of knowledgeable professionals, like yourself. Please consider submitting an article in the future! I encourage you to send your questions, suggestions, article submissions and commentary to me at editor@ACUA.org, or contact me by phone at (848) 932-3391.
Enjoy this issue of College and University Auditor!
Best,
Marilyn
About the Author
Marilyn Carnevale
Marilyn Carnevale is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM), and Public School Accountant (PSA). She is the editor of College and University Auditor and works...
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