April 7, 2009

Letter Report on Department of Energy Funding of Tribal Colleges and Universities

The Department of Energy is required to submit annual reports describing the financial support it provides to minority serving institutions in each of three categories: Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). The reports are compiled for the Department by the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity, based on input from departmental elements. In the case of TCUs, the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity submits the report to the Office of the White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities at the Department of Education. The Office of Inspector General received an allegation that the FY 2007 TCU report contained a “gross unexplained error,” and the complainant believed that the data was intentionally falsified. Specifically, the report showed an increase in TCU financial support from $176,550 in FY 2006 to $5,203,886 in FY 2007 that the complainant did not believe was supportable. As a result, we initiated an inspection to examine the facts surrounding the allegation.

Topic: Management and Administration