B-2. Budget Development Process
The IU Southeast operating budget is prepared prior to the start of each fiscal year, which begins July 1 and ends the following June 30. The operating budgets depend on the level of state appropriation, student fees, and other income. These three items represent the total funds available for operations at this campus. As the chief executive officer, the chancellor has the responsibility of allocating the funds available to various academic and support units on the campus.
The Chancellor’s Cabinet (chancellor and vice chancellors) and the Campus Budgetary Advisory Committee (CBAC) will separately develop a set of campus budget priorities each year. All major constituent groups on the campus will be allowed and encouraged to participate through their representatives on CBAC. Guidelines for budget proposals and a deadline for submission will be published by Accounting Services each spring.
The account manager for each department will develop a budget proposal which includes a narrative justification that supports the connection to the current campus strategic plan and is in alignment with campus and university priorities. Requests for changes in funding must be supported by clear objectives to be accomplished and the method for assessing achievement of those objectives. Account managers will be encouraged to reallocate funds from low to high priority activities under their direction, instead of merely requesting additional funding.
Accounting Services will provide current request for funding forms as well as budget request guidance each year at budget development time. It is the responsibility of each account manager to accumulate data to provide sufficient detail to justify proposed expenditures indicated in the budget request. The budget request should serve as a plan of operation for the unit and be consistent with the objectives that have been approved for that unit.
The Chancellor’s Cabinet will meet with each account manager who requests new funding or a major reallocation of existing funding. These meetings provide the opportunity for the account manager to fully explain their budget request and for members of the Chancellor’s Cabinet to ask clarifying questions.
The chancellor and vice chancellors will evaluate and prioritize new budget requests for their respective units reporting directly to him or her. The Chancellor’s Cabinet will develop an overall priority ranking of the requests for the campus, including mandated funding requirements and other key priorities.
The chancellor will ultimately set the budget for the campus based on constituent input, the current campus strategic plan, priorities of the campus and the university, and the available funding.