The Budget Advisory Committee

 

 

The principal function of the Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) is to provide advice to the President in terms of preparing the College budget for the upcoming fiscal year. While technically the BAC makes no final decisions, its advice is heard. In this role, the committee members are free to discuss a wide variety of options and to investigate issues brought to it by any member of the College community. They receive annual reports from administrative department heads, the AAUP, and the compensation/personel policy committee of administrative council (CPPAC). They are also required to solicit the views of their constituents on budgetary matters.

The official functions of the BAC are spelled out in College legislation:

Articles of Government, Book I, Article V, 1996
Section 7. Advisory Committee on Budgetary Affairs*

A. Membership: Faculty 5, Administration 2, Administrative Council 2, Students 4.

B. Qualifications: Faculty shall include at least one nontenured member.

C. Selection:

1. Faculty: Appointed by the Agenda Committee.
2. Administration: President, or President's designee, ex officio; Vice President for Finance and Administration; consultants as needed by Committee.
3. Administrative Council: Two members of Administrative Council (one nonvoting) to be selected by Administrative Council.
4. Students: President of College Government, or her designee, ex officio (nonvoting); College Government Bursar, ex officio (nonvoting); two students to be selected by Senate for two year overlapping terms

D. Term: Faculty three years; students one year for nonvoting, two years for voting.

E. Chair: Tenured faculty member, elected by Committee.

F. Function:

1. Acts as Advisory Committee to the President in the planning for and preparation of the College budget.

2. The Committee shall make an annual total review of the budget, having access to all relevant information, and shall have the power to review any portion of the budget which it wishes to bring into question. In making reviews, the Committee may undertake appropriate evaluations or surveys and may request of the President that additional surveys and evaluations be undertaken when appropriate. It shall advise on any budgetary matter brought to its attention by any segment of the College community. The Committee shall be free to make formal recommendations on particular budgetary matters, shall report such formal recommendations to Academic Council, and shall report to Council on the progress of those recommendations.

3. Advise the President concerning faculty and student views on budgetary matters, including both income and expenditures, and shall recommend general budget policies.

4. The Committee shall consult with the President and other appropriate administrative officers at the earliest stage, and at appropriate succeeding stages, of the budgetary process on a calendar to be developed by the Committee and the Administration. It shall identify areas for particular study in upcoming budgets.

5. The faculty and student members of the Committee shall consult with faculty and student groups in meetings at regular intervals to gather opinions on budgetary matters. At those times, the Committee shall report fully on its deliberations, minimizing confidentiality so far as is consistent with respect for personal privacy .

6. The Committee shall consult with those segments of the College community not directly represented on the Committee concerning those aspects of its deliberations which affect them, except as such consultation shall not interfere with collective bargaining.

G. Authority: The Board of Trustees has full authority over the budget. The President is the Agent of the Trustees and has responsibility for budget planning and execution. The Committee is advisory to the President.

H. Operations: Adopts own rules of procedure. Administrative work of the Committee shall be handled by the Budget Office.

I. Reporting: The Committee shall report to Academic Council at regular intervals, and at least once immediately prior to the submission of the budget to the Board of Trustees. The Committee shall be free to submit majority and minority reports to Academic Council.

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