Nicholls' participation in externally funded research programs includes both direct and pass through awards, with the majority of total dollars (including student financial assistance) originating from the U.S. Department of Education. Available for review are the following financial statements. These statements document total dollars received:

•  Nicholls State University Annual Financial Statement-Year Ended June 30, 2002 [1]
•  Nicholls State University Annual Financial Statement-Year Ended June 30, 2003 [2]
•  Nicholls State University Annual Financial Statement-Year Ended June 30, 2004 [3]
•  Nicholls State University Annual Financial Statement-Year Ended June 30, 2005 [4]

Nicholls' Legislative Audit Management Letters (2002 [5], 2004 [6], 2005 [7]) indicate financial soundness and proper internal financial controls.

Nicholls publishes comprehensive policies and procedures for both pre-award [8] and post-award [9] financial management of externally funded research and other sponsored programs. Established by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) and the Department of Payroll and Grants Accounting respectively, the pre-award and post-award guidelines provide instructions for the duration of the sponsored programs from the planning process through close-out requirements.

The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs [10] is responsible for administrative coordination of the review and approval of proposals for external funding submitted by and involving Nicholls. The Department of Payroll and Grants Accounting in the Controller's Office is responsible for the review of the budget, cost sharing items, and similar financial issues related to the grant program. The President reviews and signs all signatory documents for final institutional approval.

All grant applicants follow the procedures set forth by the Internal Approval Routing Form [11]. Once a grant is awarded and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs receives notification, the original documents are forwarded to the Department of Payroll and Grants Accounting in the Controller's Office for budget set-up and financial administration. The Payroll and Grants Coordinator continuously monitors grant operations by performing internal audit reviews, report validations, and financial counseling, using the cost principles established in Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-21 [12].

In addition to Nicholls' internal processes and controls, all federal grant programs, as well as federal financial aid programs, are audited as part of the annual A-133 OMB [13] Audit Criteria. As indicated in the Management Letter for 2002 and 2004, there were no findings.