College & University Budgeting


Book Description

A budgeting handbook for academic administrators and faculty is presented. Economic and political influences on budgeting are considered, along with sources of funds for public and private colleges, and the chronology of the budget process. Multiyear summaries of the budget process in different types of colleges are included. Some major policy issues facing public colleges and state officials are identified, and the use of analytical tools and financial reporting to alter budget outcomes is addressed. A hypothetical college is used to introduce fund accounting, and six budgeting approaches are summarized. Additional topics include: how participants can influence the budget process, the relationship of the capital budget to the annual operating budget, sources of flexibility in the budget process, budget planning for reallocation and retrenchment, policy issues for endowment management, cost analysis procedures, the instructional workload matrix, enrollment forecasting, the nature of indirect costs associated with sponsored programs, and a range of mathematical models used in budgeting. Appendices include strategies for increasing revenue and decreasing expenditures, and documents of the American Association of University Professors and the National Association of College and University Business Officers. (SW)




How University Budgets Work


Book Description

An accessible handbook for anyone who needs to understand a university budget—perfect for the non-finance higher ed professional. To understand how universities function, it is critical to understand how their budgets work. In this useful volume, Dean O. Smith provides a concise explanation of university budgets—why they're important, how they are prepared, what information they provide, and how they are monitored. Translating technical jargon into layman's terms, How University Budgets Work emphasizes practical matters and best practices. Writing for a non-specialist audience, Smith covers major aspects of university budgets ranging from their preparation and alignment with strategic plans to their implementation at the departmental level. Offering time-tested advice from his many years in higher administration, he also touches on • expenditure monitoring • projections • allocations • revenue • incentives • financial reserves • end-of-year accounting The companion book to the more rigorous University Finances, also by Smith, How University Budgets Work is a unique introductory guide for the extended academic community. Ultimately, this logical, accessible book provides a working knowledge of how university budgets are produced and implemented, one that enables faculty members and administrators to become more effective in their roles within the university.




Budgets and Financial Management in Higher Education


Book Description

This book will help new administrators (department chairs, directors, deans) understand and become more proficient in their financial management role within the institution. Highly accessible, practitioners will be able to put the book's guidance to immediate use in their work. It is also grounded in the latest knowledge base and filled with examples from across all types of institutions, so that it makes an ideal text for a courses in graduate programs in higher education leadership and administration. Specifically, the book: • provides an understanding of the basics of budgeting and fiscal management in higher education • defines the elements of a budget, the budget cycle, and the steps for creating a budget • suggests ways of avoiding common pitfalls and problems of managing budgets • contains effective strategies for dealing with loss of resources • includes end-of-chapter reflection questions and an expanded glossary of terms Written in plain language this volume provides practical approaches to many complex problems in fiscal management. This new edition of the book contains new information in every chapter reflecting both the most recent developments in higher education and feedback from readers of the earlier edition. The information on the current higher education financial environment has been updated, and the case studies have been revised. Readers will be introduced to Bowen's theory of resources and expenses as an important way to understand budgetary decision making in colleges and universities. Special attention is paid to the use of restricted funds, the budget implications of faculty appointments and the challenges caused by personnel policies for staff. In addition, greater attention is given to development and implementation of repair and replacement programs in auxiliary enterprises. The challenges that arise when budget problems are postponed are also discussed. The volume contains a number of suggestions for practitioners with new budgeting and fiscal responsibilities.




Financial Peace


Book Description

Dave Ramsey explains those scriptural guidelines for handling money.




A Guide to College & University Budgeting


Book Description

Rev. ed. of: College & university budgeting, 2005.




Responsibility Center Budgeting


Book Description

"This book is refreshing in many ways. . . . it calls attention to a most important and timely topic . . . in a conversational and witty manner . . . Considering the subject, this is a most pleasant read." —Journal of Higher Education Notoriously unbusinesslike in their budgeting and management techniques, colleges and universities need a rational tool for sound fiscal management. This book, based on Indiana University's shift to responsibility center budgeting in 1987, treats both the conceptual and the philosophical bases for the system together with ground-level experience. The bottom line: a decentralized, incentive-based approach to budgeting empowers deans and other center managers to accomplish their missions in a more efficient manner.







University Finances


Book Description

An essential and comprehensive guide to university finances. In University Finances, higher education expert Dean O. Smith • demystifies basic accounting procedures, budgets, debt financing, and financial statements • explores more unusual financial topics, such as methods for calculating fringe benefit rates, bond refunding costs, and indirect cost allocations • shows that the use of university wealth is highly restricted by donors, bondholders, government regulators, and others • answers nuanced questions, like "How are USDA formula funds calculated?" and "Why does the university pursue more and more research funding when it loses money on every grant?" • illustrates financial calculations using realistic examples Some of these explanations are unavailable in print or online to anyone but a handful of professional accountants. Rigorous, detailed, and wide-ranging, University Finances is a unique and powerful resource.




The European Higher Education Area


Book Description

Bridging the gap between higher education research and policy making was always a challenge, but the recent calls for more evidence-based policies have opened a window of unprecedented opportunity for researchers to bring more contributions to shaping the future of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). Encouraged by the success of the 2011 first edition, Romania and Armenia have organised a 2nd edition of the Future of Higher Education – Bologna Process Researchers’ Conference (FOHE-BPRC) in November 2014, with the support of the Italian Presidency of the European Union and as part of the official EHEA agenda. Reuniting over 170 researchers from more than 30 countries, the event was a forum to debate the trends and challenges faced by higher education today and look at the future of European cooperation in higher education. The research volumes offer unique insights regarding the state of affairs of European higher education and research, as well as forward-looking policy proposals. More than 50 articles focus on essential themes in higher education: Internationalization of higher education; Financing and governance; Excellence and the diversification of missions; Teaching, learning and student engagement; Equity and the social dimension of higher education; Education, research and innovation; Quality assurance, The impacts of the Bologna Process on the EHEA and beyond and Evidence-based policies in higher education. "The Bologna process was launched at a time of great optimism about the future of the European project – to which, of course, the reform of higher education across the continent has made a major contribution. Today, for the present, that optimism has faded as economic troubles have accumulated in the Euro-zone, political tensions have been increased on issues such as immigration and armed conflict has broken out in Ukraine. There is clearly a risk that, against this troubled background, the Bologna process itself may falter. There are already signs that it has been downgraded in some countries with evidence of political withdrawal. All the more reason for the voice of higher education researchers to be heard. Since the first conference they have established themselves as powerful stakeholders in the development of the EHEA, who are helping to maintain the momentum of the Bologna process. Their pivotal role has been strengthened by the second Bucharest conference." Peter Scott, Institute of Education, London (General Rapporteur of the FOHE-BPRC first edition)




Higher Education, Fiscal Administration, and Budgeting


Book Description

This book takes an applied approach to budgeting and fiscal administration in higher education. It presents new and aspiring leaders in higher education and student affairs with the fundamental knowledge and skills to supervise, analyze, and implement budgets that make the best and most effective use of limited resources. By exploring the foundational elements of fiscal administration and outlining the process step-by-step, this text carefully takes leaders through real-world examples and includes myriad opportunities for application. Indeed, a major goal of this text is to provide readers with a set of technical skills that can be applied across a range of contexts. Our expectation is that current and future higher education and student affairs leaders will find this text invaluable in their day-to-day work and that the material presented here will help them engage in fruitful decisions around the allocation of scare resources.