Budgets
Salary Budget
The Dean will issue a memorandum at the beginning of February outlining the details for preparing the budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Department chairpersons should make salary recommendations for both faculty and staff, requests for research and professional development accounts, and non-salary requests based on the details requested in the Dean’s memorandum.
Chairpersons should prepare a thorough and thoughtful set of recommendations for faculty salaries. Once a chairperson has submitted the salary recommendations, a meeting is scheduled with the Dean and the divisional Associate Dean. The meeting will afford the deans the opportunity to ask questions and give chairpersons the opportunity to contextualize some of the recommendations. Following the meetings with department chairpersons, the Dean will work through the budget and set the salaries in consultation with the Provost. The Senior Director of Finance and Administration contacts department chairpersons when the budget is finalized by the Provost and department budgets are ready for signature.
Non-Salary Budget
Non-salary budgets include all departmental operating costs including travel, postage, telecommunications, entertainment, supplies, etc. Allocations may vary based on discipline. The department should monitor the budget versus actual amounts throughout the course of the fiscal year. Given that unrestricted non-salary budgets are effectively frozen, departments and programs should look to and plan to use restricted resources for programming and operational support.
Non-Regular Faculty Budget
The third component of a departmental budget is the non-regular faculty budget. Budgets for non-regular faculty (visitors, adjuncts, TAs, postdocs, emeriti, graduate students, etc.) are distinct and are handled separately from the first two components. The major difference is that the budget for non-regular faculty is zero-based, i.e., it goes to zero at the end of each academic year. This means that the department chairperson must make a case for non-regular faculty hires every year: there are no permanent lines in departmental budgets for non-regular faculty hires. Each divisional Associate Dean is responsible for this budget. The Senior Director of Finance and Administration assists the Associate Dean in making decisions and tracking allocations.
The Senior Director of Finance and Administration sends out specific forms to departments for non-regular faculty budget requests. These forms must be completed and approved in order to hire. The College will not process appointment or reappointment forms for non-regular faculty until the chairperson or the designate has made an appropriate case for the hire. Department chairpersons or designates should let all candidates know that appointments and salaries are conditional until the forms have been approved. All adjunct appointments are subject to enrollment.
In the case of departments that have complicated non-regular faculty appointments and budgets, we will ask for a meeting with the department chairperson or the members of department staff who handle non-regular faculty appointments.
We have standardized rates for adjunct and visitor salaries. Any deviations from these amounts require justification regardless of the source of funding. The Confidential Supplement lists the standard amounts. Please consult with the appropriate divisional Associate Dean about any deviations.
If enrollment increases have led to an unanticipated need for extra adjunct appointments during the year, you should turn to the appropriate Associate Dean, who will review your course offerings and enrollments and consult with the Senior Director of Finance and Administration concerning budgetary options.