The mission of Internal Audit Services is to assist The Board of Regents and University management in the discharge of their oversight, management, and operating responsibilities through independent audits and consultations designed to evaluate and promote the system of internal controls, including effective and efficient operations.

The authority to perform audits is delegated to the Director, Internal Audit Services. This authority provides the Director, or the Director's designated representatives, full access to any and all University records necessary to conduct the purpose of an audit.

In performing the audit function, internal audit has no direct responsibility for, nor authority over, any of the activities reviewed. Therefore, the internal audit review and appraisal process does not in any way relieve other persons in the organization of the responsibilities assigned to them.

To permit the rendering of impartial and unbiased judgment essential to the proper conduct of audits, internal auditors will be independent of the activities they audit.

Independence is essential to the effectiveness of the internal audit office. This independence is based primarily upon organizational status and objectivity:

Internal Audit Services has direct access to both the Chancellor and to the Senior Vice President(SVP), Chief Compliance & Audit Officer (CCAO). Internal Audit may take directly to the Chancellor, the SVP, CCAO, the President, or The Regents matters that they believe to be of sufficient magnitude and importance.

Internal Audit Services reports directly to the Chancellor and SVP, CCAO, and administratively to the Chief Financial Officer/Vice Chancellor (CFO/VC), Division of Finance and Administration (DFA).

Internal Audit Services is authorized to have full, free, and unrestricted access to information including records, computer files, property, and personnel of the University in accordance with the authority granted by The Regents Internal Audit Services Mission Statement and InternalAudit Charter and applicable federal and states statues.

Except where limited by law or University policy, the work of Internal Audit Services is unrestricted. Internal Audit Services is free to review and evaluate all policies, procedures, and practices of any University activity, program, or function.

The responsibility of internal audit is to serve the University in a manner that is consistent with the standards established by the University of California internal audit community. At a minimum, it shall comply with relevant professional standards such as the Institute of Internal Auditors’ mandatory guidance, including the Definition of Internal Auditing, the Code of Ethics, and the International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing.

G. Committee on Internal Audit

The Chancellor established the Committee on Internal Audit as a mechanism for involving UCI management in the audit process. The responsibilities of the Committee include reviewing and approving the annual audit plan for the campus and Medical Center, evaluating the adequacy of internal audit resources, and reviewing audit reports and the status of departmental action in response to audit recommendations. The Committee is chaired by the CFO/VC, DFA. The Committee membership is by invitation of the Committee and shall include senior administrative officers representing different segments of the campus and UCI Health community. The Committee is governed by its own charter, approved by the Chancellor.

H. Audit Coordination