Ashland University

“When the board of trustees is not in session, the executive committee shall have the authority to exercise all the functions of the board of trustees. As described in the board policy manual, the executive committee may not hire or remove the president, change the by-laws of this policy and procedure manual, make changes to the mission, approve major construction projects, incur debt financing, sell or acquire major assets or elect board members. Minutes of the executive committee shall be presented to the full board for their approval at the next board meeting.”

“The form 990 was prepared by the controller and their staff with the assistance of an independent certified public accounting firm. University management reviews the form 990 for completeness and accuracy. The audit and compliance sub-committee of the board of trustees reviews and accepts the form 990 prior to e-filing. The entire board of trustees are provided access to the filing copy, given the opportunity to ask management questions and review the form 990 prior to issuance. Either the executive committee or the entire board will accept the form 990.”

“All board members and officers sign a conflict of interest disclosure form annually. Staff in the president's office review the signed forms for completeness and disclosure of conflicts. Any member who has a conflict recuses himself or herself from the discussion and voting topics at board meetings. All interested persons, including board members, officers, and highly compensated individuals also complete an annual questionnaire regarding potential conflicts which might exist. The responses to this questionnaire are reviewed by the office of business affairs. The employee handbook has a conflict of interest statement that covers all employees of the university. The audit and compliance sub-committee of the board of trustees is provided a summary of any conflicts that exists.”

“The board of trustees is responsible for setting compensation for the president. The independent board reviewed and approved the level of compensation for the current president based on various factors, including review of presidential compensation packages at comparable institutions and review of the market of presidents with similar levels of expertise as the president. The presidential assessment committee of the board conducts on-going analysis of presidential compensation and makes adjustments based on performance and market data. The university uses peer data and internal equity considerations to set compensation for all other employees. The president sets compensation for vice presidents using the compensation study, other industry compensation compilations and comparing similarly situated institutions. This process is completed annually.”

“Governing documents, conflict of interest policy and financial statements are kept on-site and are made available upon request.”

“In september 2021, the office of the u.s. Department of education's office of federal student aid, conducted a focused program review for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 academic years of ashland university's participation in the experimental sites initiative pell grant and federal work study programs. The office of the u.s. Department of education's office of federal student aid issued its final program review determination in september 2022, and assessed a liability totaling $6,131,790. Ashland university filed an appeal before the u.s. Department of education office of hearing and appeals. Upon conclusion of the appeal process, the chief administrative law judge upheld the u.s. Department of education's office of federal student aid final program review determination. As a result of the final decision from the chief administrative law judge, ashland university has recorded a liability of an estimated amount of $6,364,966 including interest and penalty for the fiscal year ending may 31, 2023, related to fiscal years ending may 31, 2020 and 2021. Ashland university has appealed and filed a complaint in the united states district court for the northern district of ohio eastern district at cleveland. The university continues to vigorously defend itself against the finding and the resulting financial assessment and has engaged external legal counsel. A complete resolution of this matter may require a significant period of time.”

“Change in value of split-interest agreement -433,069.”

“The organization has an audit and compliance sub-committee that assumes responsibility for oversight of the audit and the selection of an independent accountant. The process has not changed from prior year.”