In the report, it was noted that KSU and foundation representatives described very limited communication and synergy between the two entities. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two agencies clearly defines the president of the school as as responsible for communicating KSUs priorities and long-term plans, as approved by KSUs Board, to the foundation., While no written internal policies or procedures documenting KSUs processes for engaging the foundation exist, KSU implemented the use of a standardized expenditure request form to document requests and associated approvals. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. The audit reviewed the university's finances over a three-year period from 2018 to 2021. The Office of the Auditor of Public Accounts began reviewing activity at the university last April at the direction of 2022 legislation. The board also selected an interim president in record time, Patton said. However, these funds were also used by Browns administration to pay for goods and services outside of the standard purview of unrestricted funds, including: More than $4,800 for 50 aluminum KSU-seal embossed luncheon trays from a Pennsylvania gift shop. Beshear called the school an important part of our commonwealth, and Harmon said it was imperative that the school not only survive but also that they thrive. KSU again paid for the utilities for Brown out of the facilities fund. We welcome questions about, and criticism of, our news stories and commentary but not of the writers who work tirelessly to keep their community informed. If youve had a bad experience with a private business or organization, contact the Better Business Bureau or the government agency that regulates that business. FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKYT/WAVE) - The findings have been released from State Auditor Mike Harmon's report of Kentucky State University's finances. under Auditor Ed Hatchett and reported 16 findings regarding university financial controls. Auditor's office finds KSU had 'significant - The State Journal The amount approved Thursday was $43,200. The audit showed a positive financial position for Kentucky State, with a budget surplus of $2.3 million in 2019-20. KSU has been without a permanent president since July 2021. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Because Kentucky State University | Bid Opportunities PDF Auditor of Public Accounts Mike Harmon - Legislative Research Commission KSU Board of Regents accepted his resignation at a special called board meeting. Absolutely no attacks on other commenters, on guest columnists or on authors of letters to the editor. Johnson said the Board of Regents will further discuss ways to correct the universitys course on Thursday. Lack of staff understanding or skill in utilizing accounting programming. Audit Slams Lack of Oversight at Kentucky State University It is the story of a grifting criminal who became a two bit TV personality and then became our mob boss, Putin lapdog President Donald Trump, the twice impeached and soon to be indicted for multiple crimes against the people and our country. KY State regularly admits students with SAT scores . The auditors referrals to prosecutors are certainly appropriate. Among these, Brown received a retroactive housing allowance of more than $84,000 and KSU spent nearly $4,000 covering the utilities at this personal residence. Kentucky State University Is In Financial Peril - Forbes Signup today! activities designed to add value and improve Kentucky State Universitys operations. Irregularities uncovered in Kentucky State University audit will be Copyright 2023 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. I have been in contact with the audit firm conducting the audit for the foundation, Allen told the board, and theyre just not able to get the assistance needed to complete the audit.. The examination revealed missing or unsupported documentation on KSUs expenditure of federal grant funds, putting the school at risk of having more than $3.3 million in questioned costs. The auditors office said it would refer the findings to the U.S. Treasury and Education departments. The Associated Press contributed to this report. of Kentucky States financial viability, officials said it is situated to deliver Kentucky State University | About Internal Audit Office Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, asked Patton how many days he has been on campus during the course of the year and noted he lived in California. Copyright 2023 TheAssociated Press. The average SAT score at Kentucky is 1210 out of 1600 and the range for the middle 50% of accepted students is 1083-1330. FRANKFORT, Ky. (WYMT) - The findings from State Auditor Mike Harmons report on Kentucky State University have been released. There was a problem saving your notification. Updated May 19, 2022 9:39 PM Aaron Thompson, Council on Postsecondary Education president, speaks on HB 250 passing which would infuse $23 million to Kentucky State University. By 2021, assets had shrunk to $6 million and liabilities ballooned to an estimated $19 million. FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) Mike Harmon, Kentucky's Auditor of Public Accounts, held a press conference to review the findings of a special examination of Kentucky State University. At the studentaid.org website, it states heightened cash monitoring is a step that FSA (Financial Student Aid) can take with institutions to provide additional oversight for a number of financial or federal compliance issues, some of which may be serious and others that may be less troublesome.. State auditor reveals findings pertaining to Kentucky State Universitys finances, Weekday broadcast of WYMT Mountain News at 5:30, Weekday broadcast of WYMT Mountain News First at Four, Kentucky native wins big on the Price is Right, East Tennessee woman missing out of Central Kentucky found safe, Ky. Alpaca Fleece and Fiber Month - Jordan 6, Alpaca Fleece & Fiber Month - Jordan 4:30. In the report, 20 individual findings were detailed by the office, with the most serious issues being: A lack of internal controls and poor communication across the university," including regarding federal funding. of $2.3 million in 2019-20. liquidity, ample reserves and a manageable debt burden, enabling Kentucky State to Kentucky State continues to be in sound financial position Federal judges in Kentucky and Tennessee on Wednesday blocked portions of bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth, handing down the rulings shortly before the statutes were set to go into effect. The examination was referred to federal and state prosecutors after identifying 20 significant issues, Auditor Mike Harmons office said. The audit took a look at finances over three years from. The report states that KSU email correspondence from the former executive vice president for finances senior executive assistant to the former controller and former accounts payable director, dated Dec. 11, 2019, stated, The president gave this to executive vice president Allen as it has not been added to the general KSU account and has not been paid As per Allen, payment must be made today.. Shopping Education Kentucky State University failed to accurately record millions of dollars, audit finds By Monica Kast Updated March 22, 2023 3:41 PM A newly released special examination. Harmon said. Between June and August of that year, Browns account with the Frankfort Plant Board, which included electric, water, sewer, classic and preferred cable, data equipment and services, as well as home security protection, ran a total of $3,242. This will enable KSU to take quick action in response to recommendations provided by the audit report. Fireworks display in memory of the man who started it all, FPD officer locates stolen vehicle while investigating separate incident, How to Stay Focused and Improve Concentration with a Game of Solitaire, Letter: Frankfort's roads are in horrible condition, Amye Bensenhaver: 'News should hold Murray State University's bureaucratic feet to the fire', UPDATED: Golden Alert issued in Frankfort, missing Tennessee woman found, Traditional Bank Unsung Hero: FCS' Pollard stays upbeat through life's ups and downs, $3 million in federal HEERF funds were misappropriated or not correctly reported, with over $1.8 million flagged by the APA as "potential questioned costs". Low 69F. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. You check the right boxes these days and you can rob and steal all you want without fear of apprehension. "Many of the issues and recommendations cited in the audit mirror those identified by the 2022 Kentucky General Assembly's HB 250. Harmon praised the school's leadership for "working diligently to try to right the ship.. The special examination of Kentucky State University finds the height of bureaucratic corruption and abuse of taxpayer and donor trust. Report shows systemic problems at KSU | whas11.com M. Christopher Brown II resigned as President of Kentucky State University on Tuesday. FILE - An empty walkway on the Kentucky State University campus is shown in Frankfort, Ky., May 19, 2021. While Brown and other current and former KSU officials agreed to interviews with Harmon's staff, Allen and the university's former controller did not. Report shows systemic problems at Kentucky State University State auditor finds systemic problems with Kentucky State University's All rights reserved. The audit resulted in only one finding, which resulted in $0 in questioned cost. Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. The platform is designed to engage citizens and government leaders in a discussion about what needs improvement across the country. Cancel anytime. The average SAT score of enrolled students is 1,207 and the average ACT score is 26. A northern Nevada man who is awaiting trial in connection with an arson fire that destroyed three historic buildings in Dayton last year is now accused of starting a pair of brush fires that threatened several homes in the rural town on the Fourth of July, A government study says nearly half of the tap water in the U_S_ contains potentially harmful compounds known as forever chemicals., The New Mexico Supreme Court has issued guidance to a lower court on how to handle a challenge to the states new congressional maps. Average GPA: 2.8. Score for Acceptance 6 special-called meeting. Located in Frankfort, KSU is Kentuckys only public historically Black college or university. We can beg and plead for heightened cash monitoring, but theres no guarantee, he added. Kentucky State University audit findings referred to prosecutors Interim KSU President Ronald A. Johnson, left, appeared with Kentucky Auditor Mike Harmon for release of an audit critical of KSUs financial management under a previous president. No process to ensure the Board [of Regents] had the necessary knowledge and allowed sufficient time to review and examine the budget to ensure it was developed to further the Universitys goals and objectives within reasonable anticipated revenues.. year. Despite living in housing provided to him by the university, he was still paid $84,415 in retroactive housing allowance prior to his December 2018 contract revisions. You should target scoring 960 or above to be most competitive with other applicants. The audit took a look at finances over three years from 2018 to 2021. Universitys annual independent financial audit for the fiscal year 2019-20. Absolutely no jokes or comments about a persons physical appearance. If you believe the actions of a private business are newsworthy, contact us at news@state-journal.com and we will consider whether news coverage is merited. The full report, is more than 100 pages, details issues that cannot be solved, nor were they created, overnight, Harmon said. We emphasize civil at a time when Americans, in the words of the current president, need to turn down the temperature of political debates. These included a severe lack of internal controls: No budgetary policy in place for developing, changing or implementing budgets for staff or faculty. by McKenna Horsley, Kentucky Lantern An audit that uncovered millions of dollars in undocumented credit card and federal grant expenditures at Kentucky State University from 2018 to 2021 will be referred to prosecutors and other federal agencies, State Auditor Mike Harmon said Wednesday. Ronald A. Johnson, the current interim president of KSU, also spoke at Harmon's press conference, thanking the office for the report and welcoming its "constructive input" and "insightful recommendations for a sustainable Kentucky State University.". This was paid by the universitys facilities account at the behest of Allen, even though Brown was by then living off-campus in a private residence. or redistributed. 2023-03-22-Auditor-Harmon-Releases-KSU-Special-Examination - Kentucky The Kentucky State University Board of Regents received positive results from the Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to read or post comments. They spoke about a new state audit report that criticized the universitys accounting practices. This at a time when enrollment was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Secure transaction. They spoke about a new state audit report that criticized the university's accounting practices. KSU did not maintain a strong internal control system over federal grant expenditures to ensure compliance. Months later, KSU announced it needed emergency funding to stay open past April 2022, with the legislature eventually appropriating $38 million along with requiring strict oversight reforms, including a new board of trustees. It uncovers unlawful bonuses and personal expenses using university fundswhich are ultimately taxpayer fundsmismanagement, abysmal recordkeeping, and other negligent practices. Dont use an article about the Frankfort City Commission, for example, to rant about national politics. The 1998 annual audit identified 26 deficiencies in internal controls. And we meet almost monthly now to try to ensure that were moving the university into a positive direction.. An audit that uncovered millions of dollars in undocumented credit card and federal grant expenditures at Kentucky State University from 2018 to 2021 will be referred to prosecutors and other federal agencies, State Auditor Mike Harmon said Wednesday. Press Room Auditor Mike Harmon's Office Releases Special Examination of Kentucky State University Referrals being made to U.S. Attorney-Eastern District of Kentucky, Kentucky Attorney General, U.S. Department of Treasury, and U.S. Department of Education 3/22/2023 As with most postsecondary institutions, staff at KSU are subject to a non-compete or Conflict of Commitment policy. Allen told the then-chair of the board of regents that the payments would only be paid out once he moved to an off-campus residence. The chairman replied that he had been part of all board meetings but had not been to campus because of difficulty traveling during the coronavirus pandemic. Harmon noted this isn't the first special examination of KSU's finances. As a fiduciary, it is the sole responsibility of that individual to make sure that other peoples money is protected, said KSUs interim president Dr. Ronald A. Johnson. A state audit of Kentucky State Universitys finances revealed a chaotic accounting environment leading to undocumented credit card transactions, extravagant bonuses and a lack of controls that put millions in federal grant funding at risk, Auditor Mike Harmon said Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The examination revealed poor to non-existent record keeping, little to no financial oversight, high level of staff turnover and questionable expenditures, Harmon told reporters. KSU has been fighting six lawsuits this year accusing school officials, including Brown, of misconduct, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported. For the academic year 2021-22, the acceptance rate is 94.01% at University of Kentucky where a total of 21,695 students applied and 20,396 were accepted. Bonuses paid to some administration officials have also come under scrutiny, with six receiving bonuses in March 2020 and four receiving bonuses in March 2021. There was a problem saving your notification. Kentuckians angered by Forest Service plan to log mature, Log and burn? The big question may be now, what is next for Kentucky State University?" 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. No attacks on State Journal staff members or contributing writers. And as a result, several remedies are already in progress through the ongoing implementation of our KSU Intended Future Plan, which seeks to restore, realign, and reignite the promise of a sustainable future for the university through improved practices, policies and a focus on innovation.
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