One day after an audit raised concerns about spending by top executives, officials with the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) vowed to impose more financial control.
“I understand people’s frustration, I understand people’s disappointment and we have to take that very seriously,” CSCU Chancellor Terrence Cheng said after a Board of Regents meeting Thursday at CT State Community College Manchester.
Cheng was the focus of an audit released Wednesday by Comptroller Sean Scanlon that reviewed how he and other administrators used their state-issued credit cards, or P-cards.
The audit found Cheng often exceeded limits for meals, occasionally purchased alcohol and hired a driving service three times despite the state providing transportation for him.
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The audit also found questionable spending by some presidents at the system's four state universities and 12 community colleges.
Cheng said he is looking to implement Scanlon’s 10 recommendations. Those involve clear, consistent polices and creating more financial oversight.
Board of Regents Chairman Martin Guay also said the system needs to impose changes to restore public trust.
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“This is very fixable and it will be fixed,” Guay said.
Guay agreed on the need for more oversight, especially after regents cut eliminating internal auditing operations in 2017 as a way to save money.
Guay noted Cheng is no longer using his P-Card and the CSCU system is re-evaluating when a school’s nonprofit foundation should pay for an administrator’s meal or other costs.
Cheng said he’s still reviewing Wednesday’s audit, but hopes to start working on system-wide P-Card policy and other measures. He wants to implement changes over the next 100 days.
But questions remain about whether Cheng will be the one to make those changes.
Republican lawmakers called for Cheng’s termination Wednesday. Guay said he isn’t ready to make that determination.
He wants to talk with Scanlon to learn more about his findings, as well as with CSCU’s financial leaders and attorney.
“We don’t know enough to make that kind of a decision so we’re not making that right now,” he said.
Gov. Ned Lamont expressed his support for Cheng while speaking with reporters at an unrelated event in Hartford.
Students, meanwhile, expressed frustration. The audit’s findings detailed spending over a three-year period that coincided with tuition increases and unpopular cost saving moves.
This includes a consolidation of community colleges that has drawn criticism from students and faculty.
“We do expect a level of credibility and accountability from our leaders,” CT State Community College Manchester student Darren Mack said.
Guay said he understands the audit undermines the CSCU system’s efforts to control costs.
“You make progress and something like this happen and you get – it becomes problematic with trust,” he said.
