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CSCU leaders respond to comptroller findings, name compliance officer and outline reforms
Summary
Board members discussed the December state comptroller review of CSCU financial practices, the system's steps to implement stronger controls, and a budget request to the legislature. System leaders said a chief compliance officer has been hired and that a policy committee will begin with a P-Card policy overhaul.
Board and system leaders addressed financial oversight and reforms at the January Connecticut State Colleges and Universities meeting following a December review by the Office of the State Comptroller.
Chair Guay and Chancellor Cheng told the board they had met with the comptroller's office to review findings and to discuss recommended reforms. Chancellor Cheng said the system is committed to implementing stronger internal controls, clearer policies and comprehensive training. He told regents that the system office had already hired a chief compliance officer, Cameron Liston, who "is gonna lead our efforts" on strengthening compliance and training.
Chancellor Cheng reviewed system-level efforts to reduce expenditures and align staffing. He said the system has reduced expenditures and staffing compared with FY19 levels and described a legislative budget request to help close a deficit: "For the biennium, we are requesting $23,000,000 in FY26 and $21.6 million in FY27 from the General Assembly to balance the budget," he told the board. He also said the request assumes a tuition freeze for the following academic year and that the request does not cover potential wage increases.
The chancellor said the system had identified $60 million in expenditure reductions already and that the overall projected spending is about $100 million less than FY19. He emphasized the importance of accountability and transparency and said a policy committee will review policy ownership and enforcement across the system, beginning with P-Card policy.
Audit committee chair Lisa Wright said the audit committee postponed a meeting previously scheduled for January because of accounting work associated with a new fringe-benefits policy and a pending controller hire; the system office reported a new controller started January 24. Finance committee chair Richard Balducci said the committee reviewed student-worker pay impacts from a recent minimum-wage increase and asked for a public reconciliation of the system's capital-bond authorizations that remain unreleased by the bond commission.
Board action at the meeting was limited to routine governance votes. The meeting record includes a motion to adopt the agenda and two motions to approve minutes (Dec. 5 special board meeting and Dec. 19 meeting); each motion was recorded as carried, though the transcript does not include a full roll call with tallies for these specific votes.
Ending: Regents said they will continue oversight of policy and compliance changes, the policy committee will draft P-Card policy language for future board consideration, and the system will coordinate closely with the Office of the State Comptroller as reforms proceed.
