Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Audit And Compliance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Regents' audit committee reviews compliance gaps; public speaker urges accountability at Health Science Center
Summary
At its Feb. 13 meeting, the audit committee reported progress on IT change controls and vendor‑spend dashboards but noted open critical items (deferred maintenance, crisis management, international compliance). A public commenter accused prior HSC leadership of governance failures and urged the board to hold the chancellor accountable.
The UNT System audit committee reviewed quarterly audit results and campus compliance assessments on Feb. 13 and flagged several open governance and operational issues while also receiving a public comment that urged stronger accountability at the Health Science Center (HSC).
Nanette Caruso, executive for internal audit, summarized work this quarter, citing completed reviews of IT change enablement and tuition/fees scripts as well as vendor‑spend dashboards for UNT Dallas. Caruso said the IT unification created a single change standard but auditors found inconsistent adherence and recommended additional training and rollout to custodians.
Caruso also noted a backlog of management actions: 39% on target, 33% revised, and 28% pending audit validation. She said timing and sample‑size constraints slow validation for some items and pledged to adjust dates to provide sufficient validation windows.
Keith Maddox, chief compliance officer at UNT Dallas, presented the campus self‑assessment of its compliance program and described progress to a "repeatable" maturity level. "Overall, the compliance program is rated as reputable," Maddox said, and outlined steps including new interactive training, a draft code of conduct and plans for a campus‑wide risk assessment.
The committee also heard from interim HSC President Kirk Calhoun, who said his early priorities are patient care, supporting learners and stabilizing operations. "Patients are a priority," Calhoun said, and he emphasized prompt attention to pressing issues while soliciting regent input.
During the meeting’s public comment period, Nima Rosavi criticized governance at HSC and said recent leadership resignations and program failures reflected a broader culture of "unaccountability and a lack of integrity." Rosavi urged the board to hold Chancellor Williams accountable and to address reputational and governance risks.
The committee adjourned and the full board later approved routine consent items and accepted the externally audited FY 2024 annual comprehensive financial report before recessing to executive session.
