ASHEVILLE – A state audit found that UNC Asheville did not consistently administer its procurement and travel-card programs, identifying missing documentation and purchases that violated university rules.
The Office of the State Auditor examined card activity from July 1, 2025, through Feb. 28, 2026. During that period, the university processed 8,914 transactions totaling about $2.04 million.
The report said 300 employees held procurement or travel cards, representing 42% of the university’s average full-time workforce during fiscal 2025. Procurement cards accounted for about $1.37 million in spending, while travel cards accounted for $668,791.
Auditors reviewed 1,026 transactions totaling $681,461. They found 24 transactions totaling $24,922 with missing, incomplete or inaccurate supporting records. Most involved travel expenses without required preapproval, while three Airbnb transactions lacked documentation showing cost savings compared with standard lodging.
A separate review identified 18 transactions totaling $23,044 that violated purchasing requirements. Those included nine Verizon service payments totaling $10,602, four alcohol purchases totaling $4,450, three legal-fee payments totaling $5,299, and two purchases totaling $2,693 for six iPhones and an iPad.
The audit attributed the exceptions to inadequate monitoring, inconsistent enforcement and insufficient training for cardholders, reviewers and approvers. It said the deficiencies increased the risk that unauthorized or prohibited purchases could go undetected.
Auditors recommended stronger monitoring, recurring training, closer approval checks and procedures to identify, investigate and address noncompliant transactions. The university agreed with the audit results, according to the state report.
UNC Asheville’s Policy 425 assigns responsibility for administering and monitoring the procurement-card program and requires regular training for cardholders. The policy says cards are restricted to authorized holders and are intended to support approved university purchases.
The audit used a nonstatistical sampling approach, so its tested results cannot be projected to every university card transaction. The report also said the review was not designed to identify every possible control weakness or compliance problem.
Sources
- North Carolina Office of the State Auditor, performance audit PER-2026-6055
- Avery Journal/Center Square independent report
- UNC Asheville Procurement Card Policy 425
Photo Credit: File photograph of the UNC Asheville campus in 2007 by Marcy Reiford via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped and resized.
Editor’s Note: This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.