Resolution Establishing a Standing University Faculty Senate Budget Committee

WHEREAS, the Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committee on RBB has met numerous times and has issued its report to the Senate with recommendations, which include the reconstitution of a standing Senate Budget Committee; and

WHEREAS, it would be beneficial in many ways to the University of Delaware to have a high degree of transparency of the annual budgetary processes of the University as a whole and of the academic units within it; and

WHEREAS, the Faculty Senate should have a formal mechanism to give timely advice to the administration of the University about how potential budgetary decisions will influence the many academic and research endeavors of the University; and

WHEREAS, other excellent universities maintain University Budget Committees with substantial faculty representation, which advise their administrations about budgetary issues; be it therefore,

RESOLVED, that the University Faculty Senate shall establish a standing University Faculty Senate Budget Committee, with representation by faculty from each of its colleges, charged with the responsibilities of

1) becoming fully informed on the financial and planning issues of this University. Specifically, it shall examine University budgets, financial statements and other related documents used in developing budgetary plans.

2) reviewing and providing timely prospective advice about the University's annual budgets, the processes used to determine them, and their potential impact on the academic and research missions of the University to the Provost, the President, the Deans and other officers of administration with responsibility for the University's annual budgets.

3) communicating information about the University's annual budgets and their potential impact on academic programs to the University Faculty Senate and to the University Faculty as a whole.

It is not the intent of this committee’s charge to assume budgetary oversight of particular programs already assigned to other Senate committees. This committee is authorized to confer with other Senate committees and with University budget personnel as appropriate. The University Faculty Senate also authorizes the Committee to receive confidential information, and the committee must respect the confidentiality of this information. Financial and planning information placed in the public domain by others shall not be regarded as confidential by this committee.

The Committee shall consist of seven faculty members (one from each College), the majority of whom shall be tenured. The Committee on Committees and Nominations shall appoint the faculty members for this committee for terms of three years. Appointments shall be scheduled such that the faculty member’s terms will expire in a staggered manner. The Committee on Committees and Nominations shall appoint annually the chairperson from the seven faculty members. An eighth member of the committee shall be appointed annually by the Provost as his or her designee, and this member shall serve to facilitate interactions between the committee and relevant administrative offices.