Massachusetts College of Art and Design

This is a state performance audit of Massachusetts College of Art and Design covering selected activities from July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2015.

“This report details the audit objectives, scope, methodology, finding, and recommendations for the audit period, July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2015.”

The State Auditor reviewed MassArt to check its fixed asset inventory, required loss reporting, administrative spending, and campus crime reporting.

“In this performance audit, we examined certain MassArt activities related to the inventory of fixed assets, the reporting requirements of Chapter 647 of the Acts of 1989, certain administrative expenditures, and the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act.”

Poor inventory controls make it easier for public property to be lost, stolen, or misused without anyone noticing.

“As a result of these issues, there is a higher-than-acceptable risk of undetected theft or misuse of fixed assets.”

For ordinary citizens, the key issue is accountability: MassArt is a public college, and the audit says it needs better tracking of assets bought or held by the institution.

“MassArt is a member of the Massachusetts public higher-education system, which consists of 15 community colleges, 9 state universities, and the University of Massachusetts.”

Auditors found one main problem: MassArt’s inventory records were incomplete or inaccurate, with some assets missing, in the wrong place, or not properly reconciled when marked for disposal.

“Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) could not provide documentation of annual inventories of fixed assets during our audit period; its inventory of fixed assets was inaccurate; and its surplus lists were inconsistent.”

The auditor recommended that MassArt strengthen its policies, require better department-level inventory documentation, follow up when departments do not respond, define relocation rules, and reconcile disposal records.

“MassArt should update its policies and procedures to include the following:”

This was not a finding that every area failed: auditors concluded MassArt complied with loss-reporting rules, administrative spending expectations, and Clery Act campus crime reporting, but failed on fixed asset inventory.

“Below is a list of our audit objectives, indicating each question we intended our audit to answer; the conclusion we reached regarding each objective; and, if applicable, where each objective is discussed in the audit findings.”

A fixed asset is a higher-value item the college owns and should track, such as equipment; the audit focused on whether those items were listed, tagged, located, and properly removed when disposed of.

“MassArt’s ICP requires an annual inventory of all non-information technology (IT) items with costs greater than or equal to $1,000 and IT items with costs greater than or equal to $500.”