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RESPONSE TO PRESIDENT’S RESPONSE TO ACADEMIC SENATE

RECOMMENDATION AS-2177-045/EP

ESTABLISHMENT OF A UNIVERSITY BUDGET COMMITTEE AS A NEW ACADEMIC SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE

CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA

ACADEMIC SENATE

ELECTIONS & PROCEDURES COMMITTEE

REPORT TO

RESPONSE TO PRESIDENT’S RESPONSE TO ACADEMIC SENATE

RECOMMENDATION AS-2177-045/EP

ESTABLISHMENT OF A UNIVERSITY BUDGET COMMITTEE AS A NEW ACADEMIC SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE

Elections & Procedures Committee:Date:

Executive Committee

Received and Forwarded:Date:5/708

Academic SenateDate:5/14/08

First Reading

10/1/08

Second Reading

Background

The Academic Senate sent forth to the president on 5/27/05 a recommendation for a University Budget Committee (AS-2177-045/EP). The recommendation remained in the president’s office without response until January 2008, when the Executive Committee requested resolution to the referral. On 1/31/08 the president presented a response to the executive committee that rejected the idea of a University Budget Committee and suggested instead that two faculty senators be named as members of hisResource Management Advisory Council (RMAC), which had been formed in fiscal year 2006/07.

According to the Academic Senate Bylaws, Article VI, section 1G, if the President modifies or rejects one or more recommendations of a Senate referral, the Executive Committee may refer the report to the originating committee for further consideration.

The committee shall consider the responses and make a report to the Senate as soon as possible. This report may recommend the original recommendations, may recommend the acceptance of the President's responses, or may make new recommendations.

Interviews with recommended resources

Interviews were conducted with Martin Sancho-Madriz, Ann Morgan, Dan Hostetler, and Hassan Halati. The original referral included extensive research of budget committees on other CSU campuses, and this data was considered in the E&P committee’s deliberations.

Supporting Arguments

  • There is a need for a Senate budget committee that can consider referrals and will report directly to the Academic Senate.
  • The President’s RMAC council contains only two faculty members and is not representative of the faculty as whole.

Concerns

  • The business of analyzing budgets is complex and laborious, and it may be difficult to find qualified people to serve on the committee.
  • A Senate budget committee may find it difficult to understand the workings of other divisions of the university.

Discussion

The committee agreed that there is a need for a Senate Budget standing Committee, as representation on RMAC is not sufficient for addressing all budget issues of concern to the faculty. The creation of a Senate Budget Committee would create a standing body that is available to address budget concerns referred to the Senate and to report findings to the Senate as a whole. The committee would work closely with the president’s office and other divisions of the university to develop easy access to documents and budget information. Therefore we offer the following recommendation:

Recommendation:

1.The Academic Senate Bylaws shall be revised to include the Senate Budget Committee as a new standing committee of the Academic Senate. A new article, Article V Senate Budget Committee, shall be inserted after Article IV Standing Committees. All following Articles shall be renumbered accordingly. [Attachment A]

2. The Chair of the Senate Budget Committee shall receive assigned time.

3. The Senate Budget Committee shall work with the President to develop an open and transparent campus budget process.

4. The Senate Budget Committee shall work with the President to develop detailed budget and financial reports that will include information such as salaries, release time, operating expenses, University Educational Trust, lottery funds, and any other information deemed necessary for the process to be considered open and transparent. The divisional reports shall also document all sources and uses of funds in addition to the annual increases and decreases.

5. The Senate Budget Committee shall work closely with the President’s RMAC committee, and the Senate Budget Committee Chair will serve as a faculty representative on RMAC.

6.The President’s Office shall assist the Committee in obtaining the information it needs to do its work.

Attachment A – Text to be added to Bylaws Establishing the Committee

Article V Senate Budget Committee

Section 1 The Budget Committee shall be a standing committee of the Academic

Senate.

(A) The Senate Budget Committee shall be responsible to the Academic Senate.

(B) The provisions in the Bylaws governing meetings, referrals, investigations, and reporting shall apply to the Budget Committee.

Section 2 Membership and Terms of Service

(A)The membership of the Senate Budget Committee shall be:

(1) One faculty member from each Academic Senate constituency (college/school), appointed by the Executive Committee.

(2) The staff representative to the Academic Senate or a staff member selected by the same process used to select the staff representative (Appendix 17, Section 6).

(3) A student representative appointed by ASI.

(B)Faculty members shall serve three year staggered terms.

(C) The chair of the committee will be appointed by the Senate Executive Committee and will serve as a representative to RMAC or its equivalent body

Section 3 Senate Budget Committee Responsibilities

(A) The Committee shall be the deliberative body of the faculty on general fund budget and resource use as they affect the University including, but not limited to, the instructional budget, the academic support budget, the student support budget, the institutional support budget, the allocation of facilities and positions, as well as the allocation of new funds and special funds such as lottery funds.

(B) The Committee shall be consulted and assist in the formulation of the policies, priorities, and guidelines by which University resources are requested and allocated.

(C) The Committee shall ensure that budget and financial reports are provided to the Academic Senate and made available to the campus community on an annual basis. The reports shall include, but are not limited to, salaries, release time, operating expenses, University Educational Trust, and lottery funds. The divisional reports shall also document all sources and uses of funds in addition to the annual increases and decreases.

(D) The Committee shall bring reports and recommendations to the Academic Senate, as do all other standing committees.

(E) The Committee chair shall make regular reports to the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate and to the faculty as a whole.