ACUA Committee Updates – Fall 2024

Publication Date: November 15, 2024

By C&U Journal Staff

Here is the latest news from our ACUA Committees:

Communications Committee

Social Media

• Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X, and now Instagram.

Connect ACUA

• As a valued member of ACUA, you are encouraged to fully leverage our online community platform to enhance your professional experience.
• Here are some friendly reminders for using the ACUA Connect platform:
  • Reply All: When responding to posts, please use the “Reply All” feature. This ensures all members benefit from the shared information and helps maintain accurate records of member engagement.
  • Email Notifications: Are you overwhelmed by Connect ACUA emails or missing them entirely? Adjust your preferences in the Connect ACUA email notification settings to better suit your needs.
  • Engagement is Key: Our goal is to foster a vibrant and supportive community. Your active participation is crucial in making the platform both engaging and beneficial for all members.

Tools & Resources Committee

         Kick Starters

• Student Mental Health Access and Awareness, June 2024
• Exploratory and Descriptive Analytics, July 2024
• Internal Quality Assessments under the IIA Global Internal Auditing Standards, August 2024
• Assessing Voluntary University Climate Commitments, October 2024

         Resource Library

• The ACUA AAP – IIA Global Standards 2025 – Self Assessment Tool was added.
• Members are encouraged to share any resources that would benefit other members and help grow the resource library. Contact Amy Smite, Resource Library Program Director at amysmith@pdx.edu with your resource library suggestions.

         Audit Tools

• The ACUA NCAA Audit Guides have been updated and posted to the Audit Tools page.

Recognition Committee

         Volunteer

• Thank you for your volunteer spotlight nominations. Watch for volunteer spotlights published semi-monthly in the ACUA newsletter.

Professional Education Committee

         Audit Interactive

• The March 9-12, 2025 Audit Interactive will be in person in Oklahoma City at the Sheraton Oklahoma City.
• Oklahoma City – the Modern Frontier:  Named one of the Best Places to Visit by Frommer’s Travel and Travel + Leisure, Oklahoma City offers all the culture, cuisine, attractions and amenities you’d expect in a modern metropolis. And with its rugged Western past, working stockyards and title as “Horse Show Capital of the World,” it is rich in cowboy culture, as well. From family fun to romantic retreats to outdoor adventures you won’t find anywhere else, Oklahoma City has plenty of hustle without all the hassle.

         Virtual Learning

• Next webinar: Compliance Hot Topics with Baker Tilly on 12/5/24 at 1:00pm EST
• Keep up and Catch up with upcoming and past webinars here:  ACUA – Webinars

         AuditCon

• We had a great conference in Atlanta. 508 people attended. A new ACUA record! 
• Next year’s AuditCon will be Louisville, KY September 14 – 18, 2025 at the Galt House.
• Louisville is a different type of Southern. With a booming bourbon renaissance, iconic attractions, world-class hotels & venues and a renowned culinary scene, Louisville is an experience like no other city. Travel and Leisure voted Louisville one of the best places to travel in 2024.

Best Practices Committee

The Best Practices Committee strives to provide innovative, best-in-class audit methodology insights and resources to ACUA members. This is accomplished through educational presentations, journal articles, and other materials, such as publishing standalone kick starters or collaboration with the Tools & Resources Committee. Beginning September 2024, the Best Practices Committee is chaired by Agnessa Vartanova, University of Colorado.

The Best Practices Committee is currently comprised of four sub-committees:

• Audit & Accounting Principles (AAP),
• Athletics (The Sideline),
• Data Analytics, and
• Artificial Intelligence.

The sub-committees are led by Erin Egan, Rutgers University; Rachel Fleener, University of Minnesota; Tiffany Yordan, Rutgers University; and Barry MacDougall, University of Michigan, and Muriel Foster, University of Alabama, respectively. Alongside a committed team of higher education audit professionals, the sub-committee leaders identify topics of interest to ACUA members, perform research, and develop valuable tools and resources which are shared via Connect ACUA posts, webinars, presentations, roundtables, social media, the ACUA Journal, and ACUA website.

         Audit & Accounting Principles (AAP)

• The new IIA Global Internal Audit Standards go into effect on January 9, 2024.
  • AAP provided a Kick Starter and a self-assessment tool.
  • AAP will host a virtual roundtable in early 2025 to facilitate member discussion on lessons learned.
• In 2025, AAP will refocus its efforts on providing updates and resources on other areas relevant to higher education and of interest to the ACUA membership.

         Athletics (The Sideline)

• The Sideline Committee continues to meet monthly. During this meeting there is robust sharing of hot topics in the world of athletics and how institutions are tackling auditing of various athletic risks. Two members from the committee recently presented a webinar to the ACUA community in August and a newsletter will be published in the ACUA journal in November that was written by two other committee members.   

         Data Analytics

• The Data Analytics Committee collaborates with the Kick Starter Committee to review the data analytics sections of kick starters.
• A kick starter on Exploratory and Descriptive Analytics was published in July 2024.
• A session on Cleaning and Transforming Data with Microsoft Power Query was presented at the Virtual Summit in April 2024, which was based on a previously published kick starter.

         Artificial Intelligence (AI)

• The first official meeting was held in August 2024.
• Developed and surveyed committee members on AI use. Results are being analyzed, with interest in an ACUA-wide survey and the possibility of a conference presentation to share results.
• The AI Committee is preparing a list of projects and activities in which to engage its members.

Higher education continues to evolve and present new challenges and opportunities to auditors. We welcome and encourage ACUA members to join the sub-committees and contribute to the previously published stellar body of work!