North Dakota State University President Dean L. Bresciani is redefining the mission of the university’s internal audit office to place additional emphasis on a campus culture of ethical behavior and good stewardship.
In addition to assisting administration through appraisals, analysis and counsel related to risk, control and governance issues, the Office of Ethics, Compliance and Audit now has an additional mandate to more actively promote proper stewardship of public and private funds. Attention will be placed on training employees to be aware of policies and procedures. The office will be a resource for employees, and will more actively seek out compliance concerns. Business processes will be reviewed and updated to further ensure compliance with laws, rules and regulations at the federal, state, local and university level. As now required by the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education, university internal auditors report to their respective presidents and the State Board’s Budget, Audit and Finance Committee.
“At NDSU, all employees, students and affiliated entities are responsible for ethical behavior, and making decisions as good stewards for the state of North Dakota,” Bresciani said. “This reorganization helps us improve the system by which honest people do their jobs. The university has changed rapidly in the past several years, and we can see that processes need to be updated to meet the demands of the university as it operates today.”
Eric J. Miller, who came to NDSU as internal auditor in June 2009, will oversee the Office of Ethics, Compliance and Audit. He has more than 15 years of experience in internal auditing and corporate governance. Miller has worked with a variety of organizations including multi-billion dollar corporations, publically-owned utilities, school districts, and state and local governments. He is originally from Pelican Rapids, Minn., and a Concordia College graduate.
Fact Sheet
- The office was previously known as Audit and Advisory Services. It will now be called the Office of Ethics, Compliance and Audit. This is effective immediately.
- Audit and Advisory Services monitored and assessed NDSU’s operational and financial activities and processes to ensure compliance with contractual, federal and state obligations. This included workplace safety and hiring practices, as well as providing independent and objective assessments of the accuracy and accountability of NDSU’s financial systems.
- The Office of Ethics, Compliance and Audit will continue with those responsibilities (listed in the above bullet) and will now expand to include: 1. Provide periodic assessments of NDSU’s ethical culture; 2. Promote the highest ethical environment and standards of behavior as administered through NDSU’s Code of Conduct by serving as a fair and trusted resource, and provide assessments, training and other support activities by championing NDSU’s values and standards.
- With this new mandate, the Office of Ethics, Compliance and Audit will take a more proactive role in championing due care in all activities supporting the mission of NDSU.