Compliance Certification Report
| 3.10.4 | The institution exercises appropriate control over all its financial and physical resources. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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[Compliance] |
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Narrative: |
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| The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) is in compliance with Principle 3.10.4 because it exercises appropriate control over all of its financial and physical resources through the Office of the Vice President for Finance and Administration. This office has primary responsibility for control over the University's financial resources and is responsible for establishing and communicating policies and procedures to ensure proper and efficient use of University resources, for receiving and depositing funds, for developing and monitoring the University's operating budget, and for maintaining the University's financial records system. UAH is part of The University of Alabama (UA) System, which also includes the University of Alabama (UA) and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). All three campuses follow common reporting and budget guidelines established by the Board of Trustees of The UA System, and are subject to the same audit standards. Both UA and UAH also have the same SCT Plus Financial Records System (FRS). The University follows guidelines established in the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama Board Manual, Board Rule Series 400, Financial Affairs. Finance and Administration units develop and publish various financial and administrative policies, procedures, and other information for use by fiscal and administrative staff throughout the University. Available on the UAH website, for example, are Travel Guidelines and Business Services Procedures. Other policies and procedures are disseminated to the University community via hard copies, including: Year-end Closing Schedules and Procedures, Business Services Manual of Policies and Procedures, FRS Users' Guide for Budgets, and Budget Development Training. The University uses the SCT Plus FRS for accountability and monitoring of its purchasing, accounts payable, fixed-asset accounting, accounts receivable and financial accounting records. Payroll accounting is maintained on the SCT Plus Human Resource System (HRS), and student accounting is a part of the SCT Student Information System (SIS). The Office of University Advancement maintains the gift-accounting system on Millennium provided by Best Software, Inc. The University will convert to the Banner Financial System as of October 1, 2005. Each FRS account is assigned a financially responsible person, who must authorize expenses. All University units report ultimately either to the President or one of the Vice Presidents, who monitor the accounts within their office. The University's Office of Facilities and Operations is responsible for all capital and major facilities maintenance project accounts. The Office of Accounting and Finance monitors appropriations, capital and major facilities projects, designated accounts, gift accounts, and cash balances. The University's Office of Contracts and Grants Accounting monitors sponsored program accounts. The Office of Budgets and Financial Planning monitors all general revenue accounts and general unrestricted accounts. Responsible departmental personnel have online access to the financial records system, allowing them to check their department's financial position daily via FRS screens 019 and 023. In addition, the University provides month-end reports electronically following each month-end closing. The University records all assets costing $2,000 or more in the Fixed Asset System. The University's Office of Inventory Control is responsible for completing information in the Fixed Assets System about assets purchased, assets donated to UAH, and for the disposal of surplus property. The Office of Inventory Control also conducts a campus-wide physical inventory, in which all departmental inventories are examined every two years. The Office of Accounting and Finance monitors the Fixed Asset System to ensure that all pending assets are recorded, and that depreciation is recorded properly. |
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