Process for Off-Campus Interims Budget Expenditures

PROCESS FOR OFF-CAMPUS INTERIMS BUDGET EXPENDITURES

At the request of the Provost Office and the Financial Services Office, a new process of approving off-campus interim budget expenditures will go into effect for the 2016/17 academic year (effective August 1, 2016). The reason for this new process is multi-faceted and includes:

• Centralizingand streamlining the process for signing off on budget expenditures for instructors and for financial services.
• Encouraging a closer relationship between interim instructors and the off-campus programs office related to budgets but also to the overall operations of interims.
• Reducing the load on Department Chairs and the Provost Office in the sign-off process.

The new process includes the following steps:

• Budgets submitted to the interim committee will be copied and stored in a notebook in the Off-Programs Office. Any major revisions to your budget will need to be shared with the Off-Campus Programs Office as soon as possible, this includes changes in the overall number of students traveling for your interim.
• All wires, PNC credit card transactions, invoices, and cash advances will need to pass through the OCP office for budget officer approval.
• Any document needing budget officer approval can be brought to the OCP office and the OCP program will sign and deliver to Financial Services for payment within 24 hours.
• Any changes in the overall costs of the interim for students must be communicated to Julia Smilde. If the billing amount for students changes at all please let Julia and Rana Huisman know as quickly as possible.

Policies for Off-Campus Programs Interim Expenditures:

• Forms for honorariums, wire transfer, and credit card vouchers can be found on the FSO website. Cash advance forms must be picked up in person in the FSO office.
• All forms must be signed by two people (purchaser and the budget officer) and have appropriate documentation.
• All check and wire requests will be processed within two days after the request is received in FSO.
• Wire transfers can be made in USD and most foreign currencies. Some fees may apply.
• Guidelines for advance purchases for off-campus interims (e.g. airfare, lodging, event tickets):

• Whenever possible wait until you have enough students to assure the interim will proceed as planned.
• When advances or expenditures are needed before students have applied, consider having a back-up plan for covering the expenditure if the interim is cancelled due to low enrollment.
• If you know that you want to make advance purchases in the summer prior to your interim, you should consider having a spring application deadline, requiring students to sign a terms and condition sheet recognizing they are responsible for any costs incurred on their behalf to assure you have adequate student interest.

These changes will go into effect August 15, 2016.