The process we will use at Missouri State University for the fiscal year 2012 budget (July 1, 2011, through June 30, 2012) will be the same process we follow in subsequent years. This process is one that will involve a large number of individuals on campus. The objective of this process is to ensure that everyone, or at least as many people as possible, and certainly those that will be directly affected by the upcoming budget, are fully informed and have an opportunity to provide input into financial decisions.
In this same spirit, the chancellor of the West Plains campus will develop and follow a collegial process for addressing the budget on that campus.
Effective immediately I am requesting that:
- Each college dean, in consultation with their department heads and collegiate Faculty Senate representatives, appoint a representative group of faculty to examine the collegiate budget
At a minimum, I am asking that each collegiate budget committee include tenured and non-tenured faculty, department chair or chairs and a college representative who is serving on the Faculty Senate. If a college has an employee who is responsible for developing or managing that budget, it is expected that this person will staff the committee as an ex-officio member. The deans will chair their respective college committees. The purpose of the collegiate budget committee is to develop recommendations born of collaborative assessments of the goals of the departments as part of a college, as part of a larger university — working together to promote student learning and the public interest. These recommendations should be based on the level of funding assigned to Missouri State University. The deans are responsible for leading that process in a manner that serves the students and faculty of the college as well as the larger organization and student body. - The provost appoint an Academic Affairs Budget Committee
At a minimum this committee will be comprised of the academic deans and the dean of the library, two faculty from each collegiate budget committee, and the library, the Faculty Senate chair, the Faculty Senate budget committee chair or another member of the Faculty Senate selected by the Senate and two faculty representatives from the West Plains Campus. The committee will select a full-time faculty member as chair. The purpose of the Academic Affairs Budget Committee will be to receive the proposed budgets of the collegiate budget committees, the provost’s academic areas, and those portions of student affairs that report through the provost, and to evaluate the various budget scenarios from a university-wide perspective. It is expected that there will be dialogue between the collegiate budget committees and the Academic Affairs Budget Committee. This collegial give and take should enable more informed budget decisions. It is expected that this committee will recommend appropriate budget actions for academic affairs for the provost and the Executive Budget Committee. - The vice president for administrative and information services will establish, in consultation with members of the Administrative Council, an Administrative Budget Committee
The Administrative Budget Committee will be chaired by the vice president for administrative and information services and be comprised of representatives from each of the areas represented on the Administrative Council. In addition, the chair of the Staff Senate or designee, a representative from the Faculty Senate, and a representative from the SGA will be members of the Administrative Budget Committee. The purpose of this committee will be to examine all of the administrative areas on campus and recommend appropriate budget actions to the Executive Budget Committee based on the level of funding assigned to Missouri State University. - The membership of the Executive Budget Committee be changed
The newly configured Executive Budget Committee will include a representative from every collegiate budget committee, the Faculty Senate chair, Staff Senate chair, the president of the SGA, the chair of the Academic Affairs Budget Committee, the chair of the Administrative Budget Committee, the CFO, the provost, a representative of the academic deans, the chancellor of the West Plains campus and up to two additional representatives from the Administrative Council. The president will appoint the chair of the Executive Budget Committee. The purpose of the Executive Budget Committee will be:- To receive input from the academic and administrative budget committees and the West Plains campus, as well as intercollegiate athletics, and those vice presidents with auxiliary and/or designated accounts
- To determine the budget level assigned to the various colleges and administrative units, including intercollegiate athletics and auxiliary units. Based on this, the Executive Budget Committee will make recommendations to the president, who will, in turn, recommend to the Board of Governors appropriate budget actions.
I asked the chief financial officer (CFO) to begin preparing the necessary documents to inform and educate all of the aforementioned committees on the entire university budget. The CFO will make any and all budget and financial documents available to each committee. The CFO and other financial personnel will be available to the various committees during this process.
It is anticipated that each committee will post minutes of each meeting on the Financial Outlook website. Budget information from the state will be made available to the committees and the campus community as it becomes available.