By Courtney Tanner | The Salt Lake Tribune | Photo by Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune

When asked by state auditors recently, most Utah university trustees didn’t know that their role includes overseeing their school president and monitoring institutional spending.

Only about a quarter — 26% — correctly identified that’s what the position entailed. And that misunderstanding leaves a massive hole in the necessary checks at public universities and colleges throughout the state.

It’s one of the “very concerning” findings that came out of the state’s new audit focused on the extensive and largely unquestioned expenditures of Utah State University’s previous president, said state Sen. Chris Wilson, R-Logan. The university sits in his district.

Part of the problem? The duties of trustees have long been defined and delegated by the overarching Utah Board of Higher Education, but there is nothing outlined in state law. Wilson wants that to change, so there’s no confusion.

He introduced SB240 to clearly direct trustees to provide financial oversight of their school, as well as annually evaluate their president and set policy around the president’s spending. That includes thresholds for expenses that will require pre-approval.

It’s the first major bill this legislative session to stem from the highly anticipated audit released Jan. 30.

Read more at SLTrib.com.

This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.