Gov. Lamont calls for audit of state colleges and universities system

Gov. Ned Lamont announced Friday that he is calling for an independent audit of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system in an effort to increase public transparency and accountability of the higher education system’s financial management practices.

The governor sent a letter to Comptroller Sean Scanlon requesting that his office conduct the review.

“Recent reports of controversial spending decisions have raised serious concerns about the transparency and accountability of CSCU’s financial management,” Lamont said. “As CSCU has recently implemented measures such as tuition increases and program reductions to address significant budget shortfalls, it is imperative that the public have complete transparency into how public funds are being utilized.”

Three state colleges in Fairfield County – Housatonic and Norwalk community colleges and Western Connecticut – are among the schools that will be affected by the audit.

In particular, the governor is calling for the audit to include but not be limited to:

• An itemized report of purchases made using procurement cards (P-Cards), identifying vendors and purposes.
• A review of all expenditures for meals and entertainment including costs for dining with stakeholders/vendors, conferences and related events.
• Information on the use of state-owned vehicles by CSCU personnel, including logs of usage, fuel costs and mileage reimbursement.
• Any information regarding tax reporting involving CSCU leadership.
• Audit the financial practices of the entire CSCU system, including discretionary spending, travel and procurement activities.
• Assess whether public funds have been managed in accordance with state financial policies and in alignment with the educational mission of the CSCU system.