DURHAM, N.C. — North Carolina Central University did not reliably follow its own rules for staff purchasing and travel cards, according to a performance audit released on Monday by the state agency led by State Auditor Dave Boliek.
The review covered an eight-month window ending Feb. 28, 2026, a span in which the university ran 6,027 card transactions worth about $2.8 million. Auditors examined a sample of 477 purchases totaling $371,645, and they cautioned that the sample was not statistical, so the problems cannot be projected onto every charge.
Within that sample, 87 purchases worth $83,856 were reviewed anywhere from 7 to 267 days late, even though policy calls for weekly review. Another 56, worth $46,644, lacked required paperwork, including eight with no receipts and 48 with no stated business purpose. Fifty-two more slipped through with no supervisor review because the card system could approve a charge automatically after paperwork was attached.
Auditors also flagged 58 purchases totaling $35,098 that the card rules prohibit outright and 16 transactions that broke five purchases into smaller pieces to stay under limits. Of 140 cardholders, seven had spending caps higher than their approved applications allowed. Two people approved for $5,000 a month had system limits of $50,000.
In a written response dated Sept. 22, Chancellor Karrie G. Dixon said the university agrees with the findings. The letter says the auto-approval setting was switched off in October 2025 and that existing cardholders had to retake training in March 2026. Remaining fixes are due by Dec. 31, with a check of every active cardholder limit due Nov. 30.
The audit is silent on whether the university will seek repayment for any of the flagged charges.
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