Overview
- The State Auditor's December report detailed major weaknesses across finances, procurement, asset management, financial reporting, and IT access at Texas Southern University.
- Auditors could not locate 83% of sampled assets totaling $3.2 million, and the university has not performed the required annual physical inventory since 2019.
- Procurement testing flagged 8,144 misdated invoices, 743 payments to vendors on expired contracts, and data mismatches in 97% of a 60‑vendor sample.
- Financial statements were late and error‑filled, including an $86.5 million misstatement of 2023 debt principal and poorly restricted access to financial systems.
- Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and House leadership halted non‑essential contracts as TSU adopts policy reviews, mandatory training, an Audit Response Committee, and an enterprise risk manager, with a Texas Rangers inquiry continuing.