GSU numbers now in hands of Dan Kyle

[Blacknbengal]

GSU numbers now in hands of Dan Kyle

Mike Hasten
Posted on August 22, 2002
BATON ROUGE - Grambling State University's future lies in the balance while legislative auditor Dan Kyle's staff works on audits of the school's finances.

Kyle told the Board of Regents on Wednesday that his staff now has the financial statements necessary to audit the university's financial books for an upcoming accreditation review, but he can't guarantee it will be complete in time.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) has set a Sept. 16 deadline for completing its accreditation review of GSU. SACS is set to vote on Grambling's future in December.

"I'm cautiously optimistic," Kyle said. "Today I have no better idea of when it's going to be finished than I did before. I cannot compromise our auditing standards, and SACS is not going to compromise its standards."

After more than a year of trying to untangle the university's records, which Kyle described as "an absolute shambles" from the administrations of former GSU presidents Howard Lundy and Steve Favors, a team of accountants and auditors submitted its findings Aug. 1.

Because the financial statements were more than two weeks later than expected, the auditor said, "it's down to the wire."

Kyle said that a preliminary review shows there's no way he can grant an "unqualified audit" - the highest rating - for the 2001 audit period, because a starting balance could not be determined. But it's possible for this year.

SACS demands an unqualified audit to continue accreditation.

GSU acting President Neari Warner said she has "a cadre of auditors on campus" working on the 2001 and 2002 audits.

When members of the Board of Regents asked whether SACS will grant an extension, Sally Clausen, president of the University of Louisiana System, said, "Nobody really knows what SACS will do."

Warren, Clausen, system board members Elsie Burkhalter and Gordon Pugh, and Kyle gave the same presentation to the regents as they gave to a judge in New Orleans on Monday and which Warner and Clausen gave to Grambling officials Tuesday. That presentation focuses on their commitment to restore the school's financial, academic and public image stability.

 

[JaguarNationAJL]

Interesting to see what is going to happen.

 

[MACKG]

CAUSE AND EFFECT

Kyle said the school was in the process of converting to a new computerized accounting system when several key people quit.

"They lost the only people who understood the new system, and they had a system running with people putting information into it who simply didn't know what they were doing," Kyle added.

In 1998, four months of information was lost that could not be retrieved -- and that continues to haunt the school's finances.

If Grambling State University loses its accreditation, it won't be because the state is shirking its responsibility to fund the school.

Grambling was the best-funded public four-year college in the state last year, with state appropriations equal to $5,027 per full-time student.

That's a 101-percent increase from the $2,505 per student Grambling received in the 1994-95 fiscal year.

By contrast, the average funding per full-time student at the other schools in the University of Louisiana System has climbed only 40 percent, increasing from $2,683 to $3,769 during the same period.

In addition to the regular state appropriations, Grambling also is receiving $14 million for extra academic programs and $21 million for construction projects as part of the settlement in the long-running federal lawsuit over the desegregation of Louisiana's public colleges.

 

[kevdawg]

Hang in there, GSU!

Seems HBCUs and SACS have issues like these from time to time. I'm sure it'll get straightened out soon enough to keep Grambling from losing accreditation. It's a shame how many administrators at most of our schools leave so much mess for the rest of us to untangle.