State audit officials visited Navarro College in June and performed an enrollment audit to help ensure the college is properly reporting enrollment numbers, which are directly tied to the amount of funding the college receives from the state. With an allowable error rate set by the state of 2 percent, Navarro College fell way below that with an error rate of only 0.24 percent. An error rate that exceeds the state’s allowable percentage can produce hefty fines for the institution. Navarro College completed the audit with no fines.

“This is quite extraordinary,” Lloyd Huffman, Navarro College Board of Trustees chairman, said. “When you look at the explosive growth the college has seen in the past 11 years, this low error rate is remarkable. It’s through the diligence of our staff that this is possible,” Huffman said.

It’s been 12 years since Navarro College underwent its last enrollment audit. According to Dewayne Gragg, vice president of enrollment management for Navarro College and audit reporting official for NC, the state selects colleges and universities for an enrollment audit based on several factors including how long the college’s computerized reporting system has been in place, the longevity of the reporting official, time past since the institution’s last audit, timely submission of official reports, and the college’s enrollment growth.

During the audit, which takes several weeks to complete, state officials pull random samples of enrollment data and analyze it to help determine the integrity of the data – i.e., was the data the college reported to the state correct? Such items as student course contact hours, security controls and tuition payment deadlines are included in the audit.

“With enrollment numbers ever increasing and four campuses to serve, it takes the full cooperation of the staff and their dedication to ‘doing the job right’ to realize these stellar audit results,” commented Navarro College District President, Richard Sanchez. “Staff work to make sure that every piece of enrollment data is accurately reported and accounted for. It’s a daily process that is of the utmost importance in keeping us in line with state requirements,” he added.

Since 1998, Navarro College has seen an enrollment increase of 166 percent. This fall’s enrollment count is 9,200 students. This represents an enrollment increase in just one year of 10.5 percent. Navarro College saw its highest increase in Internet course enrollment – with more than 2,900 students taking online classes

“As computers are relied on more and more to collect and house all types of data, including enrollment data, I think it’s essential to point out that our staff are responsible for inputting that data and ensuring its correctness. A data entry error can produce problems during an audit.

It’s clear with this low 0.24 error rate that our staff are quite meticulous in making sure that these types of errors are kept at an absolute minimum,” Sanchez said.

According to Huffman, Navarro College heavily relies on the funding provided by the state to support its operating costs. And with more and more students turning to the affordability a two-year college like Navarro brings, it becomes even more important to make sure the college is receiving all the funding possible and avoiding costly penalties.

“The Board of Trustees would like to commend the staff for their attention to detail in completing the audit with such a favorable outcome,” Huffman said.