The charter recognizes the purpose, authority, and responsibilities of the Office of Internal Audit. 

The Collin College Internal Audit Office reports functionally to the District President and administratively to the Senior Vice President of Organizational Effectiveness.

Purpose

Internal Audit is an independent appraisal activity established within Collin College to assist with evaluating and improving governance, risk management, internal controls.  Collin College administration has primary responsibility for establishing and maintaining a sufficient system of internal controls.  Internal Audit assists Collin administration in the effective discharge of its responsibilities by furnishing evaluations of departmental activities and providing recommendations for improvements in systems, procedures, and controls.

Authority

• Internal Audit is authorized to have full, free, and unrestricted access to any and all of Collin records, system, physical properties, and personnel pertinent to any function under review or audit.
• All employees are requested to assist the internal audit activity in fulfilling its roles and responsibilities, including personnel in audited units and other specialized services within or outside the organization.

To maintain independence, Internal Audit will have no direct operational responsibility or authority over any of the activities audited or tasks reviewed.  Accordingly, Internal Audit will not implement internal controls, install systems, prepare records, develop procedures, or engage in any other activities that may impair his/her judgment.  The maintenance of adequate internal and operating controls remains the primary responsibility of the management of the College.  The Internal Auditor functions in a review and advisory capacity only.

Collin College managers are responsible for keeping the Senior Internal Auditor apprised of all significant internal control issues, including, but not limited to, new system implementations, changes in policies and procedures, consultant recommendations, and any incidents or suspicions of fraud.

Responsibilities

Effective internal auditing requires cooperation among the Internal Audit Office, college administration, and the auditee. Each party's responsibilities in this regard include but are not limited to the following:

  Internal Audit Office

• Review compliance with laws, regulations, policies, and procedures;
• Evaluate the controls, policies and procedures, and systems in place to safeguard college assets;
• Verify the existence of assets;
• Evaluate the reliability and integrity of information, and the efficient and effective use of resources;
• Report results and or make recommendations to administration;
• Inform department heads of accounting and administrative control weakness or opportunities to improve operational efficiency;
• Advise administration when department managers fail to take effective steps to eliminate significant weaknesses or correct inefficiencies;
• Review specific operations at the request of the District President or Senior Vice President of Organizational Effectiveness;
• Follow-up with management on agreed recommendations for status of corrective actions.

   Administration and Auditee

• Support the Internal Audit Office and communicate this support within their units.  
• Cooperate with the audit process by providing unrestricted access to facilities, books and records, information, and personnel.
• Provide appropriate, clear and consistent direction to the college community through written policies and procedures.
• Follow-up on progress of corrective actions for audit findings within their units and report the status to the Senior Internal Auditor quarterly until cleared.
• Respond as soon as possible but no more than 14 calendar days to all audit related questions and within 14 calendar days to all audit report findings and recommendations.  Each response should contain an estimated implementation date, responsible party for each agreed recommendation, and an explanation for any corrective action that will not be implemented.

  Selecting and Scheduling Audits  

The Senior Internal Auditor develops an annual Internal Audit Plan for approval by the District President.  Projects are identified through risk assessments and recommendations by the District President/Senior Administration with consideration of staff resources.  The Senior Internal Auditor will review and adjust the plan, as necessary, in response to changes in the organization's business, risks, staff levels, operations, programs, systems, and controls.

  Reporting

All audit reports are distributed to an appropriate list of recipients.  In general, reports are distributed to the District President, the appropriate Leadership Team member responsible for the auditee department, as well as the auditee, their immediate supervisor, and other department heads affected by audit findings.  Special request reports may have a more limited distribution.

Mandate

The charter and statement of responsibilities have been reviewed and affirmed by the district president of Collin College.

November 6, 2014

 For more information, please contact:

June Orth

Senior Internal Auditor
Collin Higher Education Center
Room 449 (located in the Student & Enrollment Services Suite)
(972) 758-3832
jorth@collin.edu