In the 2017 HECC audit report, auditors issued five recommendations, all of which the agency agreed with, and according to today’s follow-up report, the agency has implemented two of those recommendations and is taking action to address the other three.
“We are pleased with the progress the Higher Education Coordinating Commission has made to mitigate the risks outlined in the audit,” said Secretary of State Dennis Richardson. “But the agency has more work to do to ensure it is spending taxpayer dollars in a way that best serves the financial interests of Oregonians.”
The Oregon Audits Division manages follow-up research and analysis on each performance audit the division conducts. This process helps assess the impact of audit work, promotes accountability and transparency within state government, and ensures recommendations are implemented and related risks mitigated to the greatest extent possible.
Auditors assess evidence to determine the status of each recommendation and assign it one of three categories: Implemented/Resolved, Partially implemented, or Not implemented.
“Previously, follow-up efforts relied on agencies reporting their own progress to us,” said Audits Director Kip Memmott. “Now, we gather our own evidence and draw our own conclusions on how well agencies are implementing our recommendations. This is the first report our office has created as a result of these process improvements.”