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UVI says delayed federal audits are being chased down; senators warn funding risk
Summary
University officials told senators they are close to finishing the 2021 audit and are working on subsequent single audits; legislators warned delays could jeopardize federal funding and urged prompt completion.
University of the Virgin Islands officials acknowledged before the budget committee that federal audits are delayed and said they are actively addressing the backlog.
President George told senators the university is close to finishing its 2021 audit and had submitted the 2021 single audit to external auditors; UVI said it is working on 2022', 2023 and 2024 audit work and has opened regular lines of communication with the U.S. Department of Education about its plan to come into compliance.
Senators pressed for timelines. Senator Giddens said the backlog "will jeopardize the university's ability to get any more federal funding," and asked what specific steps the university is taking. UVI officials said the accounting team is meeting daily on audits, working twice weekly with external auditors and has recruited an internal auditor position that had been vacant for eight years.
Why it matters: federal grant and student-aid flows can be conditioned on timely audits; senators called the backlog a top priority and warned of potential consequences if the university does not close the gaps.
On the record: at one point President George said, "As soon as I started on August 1, honestly, that was an issue that faced me on day one," and later the university noted its accounting team "has been working after hours, weekends" to prioritize the audit work.
What the committee asked for: senators asked for more precise timelines for submission of outstanding audits and urged UVI to avoid federal sanctions or restrictions.
Next steps: UVI said it will submit the 2021 audit in the stated three-week window and continue to update the Department of Education and the committee about progress.
