ALAN CHOATE - Daily Herald | Posted: Wednesday, August 8, 2007 11:00 pm
The president of the Utah College of Applied Technology was asked to temporarily step aside after an audit found "significant deficiencies," according to a statement released Wednesday.
Rob Brems, who was appointed UCAT president last year, was mentioned specifically in the Mountainland Applied Technology College audit findings and is now on a paid leave of absence. UCAT oversees MATC, which has three campuses in Utah County. Brems was president of MATC before becoming UCAT president.
The Utah Board of Regents will further investigate the findings and recommendations that pertain to Brems.
The audit itself, however, has not been released yet -- which means it can't be discussed publicly, said Dave Doty, assistant commissioner of higher education.
"It has not been finalized. We're not in a position to release it yet," he said, adding that the statement about Brems was issued "mainly just to provide information on the appointment status of President Brems."
For now, he said, "this is a confidential personnel matter that we just can't comment on."
UCAT vice president Jared Haines has been named acting president.
The audit found "significant deficiencies in the management of funds and policies" at MATC.
"To ensure the complete objectivity and fairness of such inquiries, I have asked the commissioner of higher education to place President Brems on a paid leave of absence until the matters pertaining to him are fully resolved," said state board of regents chairman Jed Pitcher in a statement.
Staff at the Utah Auditor's Office did not return phone calls seeking comment Wednesday.
An earlier audit of MATC's 2006 financial statements found several problems, including inadequate controls on cash disbursements and credit card spending.
That audit, released in March, found that the duties of employees handling cash and check transactions were not adequately separated -- that is, the same employee had "custody of assets, access to the accounting records, and reconciliation responsibilities."
"Not adequately separating duties," the audit noted, "can allow the misappropriation of funds to occur without detection." The audit did not say that funds were misappropriated.
The college also didn't follow its credit card policies, according to that audit:
Four purchases over $300 did not have documentation that bids were obtained, which school policy requires;
Two computer purchases were "split" to avoid exceeding the dollar limit on the card;
There were "numerous" credit card purchases of food, meals, travel and construction, all of which are specifically prohibited by college policy.
College officials responded to the audit, promising more training on and proper enforcement of credit card procedures. Policies and duties were also shifted in the cash/check office to ensure better separation of duties.
This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.