You will be seeing some new faces around the Comptroller’s Office in the coming weeks.

Chella Yeakel retired May 31 from the Payroll Office after 17 years of service. Steve Clogston retired from the Accounting Office after 17 years of service, also on May 31. The Comptroller’s Office thanks them both for their hard work over the years and expresses its best wishes for retirement.

In addition to the retirements, the Comptroller’s Office hired Christy West to assist with the LEAPForward Initiative and the student information system implementation. She began May 30 and is working in the Student Accounts Building. Please stop in and say hello!

Auditors back on campus

Illinois State has engaged BKD LLP for the 2014 financial and compliance audits. An entrance conference was held April 25, and BKD officially began its processes on campus May 5.

BKD staff will become familiar faces at Uptown Crossing through mid-November. They will review accounting processes, financial records, research and grant compliance, and University policies and procedures, with a final report available in late February or early March 2015.

Procurement processes reviewed

As part of Finance and Planning’s strategic plan, the division contracted with Huron Consulting LLC, an independent third party, to review the procurement process for the University. The goal is to streamline the procurement process while maintaining a high level of compliance.

Huron’s final report and recommendations were presented to the Vice President for Finance and Planning leadership team April 1. The report provided opportunities for campuswide improvement as well as acknowledgement that the University is doing a very good job managing this process in a state with highly complex rules and regulations. The leadership team is evaluating the recommendations to determine how each aligns with the strategic direction of the University, the impact they would have, and the resources required for the change.

Final decisions on implementation of these recommendations will be made later this year.