The newly-created Audit Committee of the Coastal Carolina University Board of Trustees will meet to discuss its powers, responsibilities and processes for reviewing and assessing institutional expenditures. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 18 at 8 a.m. at the Waccamaw Higher Education Center in Litchfield.

The committee, composed of board members Wayne George, Clark Parker and Tommy Stringer, has invited President Ronald Ingle and President-elect David DeCenzo to the meeting to present the administration's perspective on the best methods of monitoring university spending.

"Our goal is to assist the administration in being more effective and efficient with the university's resources," said Parker, who has served as a trustee since the institution became independent in 1993 and who has been selected as the chair of the committee.

Both Ingle and DeCenzo are interested in the recommendations of the Audit Committee as the transition to the new president continues. "Audits are an important way to review our policies and procedures and to make changes in those policies and procedures as needed," said DeCenzo, "Both Dr. Ingle and I are committed to implementing recommendations that the committee brings to us."

DeCenzo, currently the University's chief academic officer, says his goal as president is to elevate Coastal Carolina to the top of the list of public comprehensive universities in South Carolina and believes that a close review of fiscal policies and practices is the logical place to begin the work. "We can deliver a top quality education but our resources are not unlimited. It is therefore imperative that we budget and spend very carefully," he said, adding that formalized internal auditing at the board level should also provide him with enhanced information for establishing fiscal priorities.