Developing the Model
In May 2018, Interim Provost Carl Lejuez announced a $20 million base budget reallocation for FY2019. This announcement coincided with the start of efforts to create a new budget allocation model for the Lawrence campus and also provided an opportunity for students, faculty and staff to learn more about the budget process and as well as efforts to create a new budget allocation model that would better serve campus constituents.
Significant budget review and revision work has taken place during the 2019 fiscal year with a working group in consultation with campus leadership. The working group developed and shared guiding principles that would help shape the development of the new budget model.
Between May 2018 and December 2019, Interim Provost Lejuez used multiple campus-wide meetings and messages to discuss ongoing progress and gather feedback on initial budget model developments and progress.
The working group and campus leadership have worked to identify:
- a high-level structure of allocation,
- a formula for determining fund allocations for academic units and academic service units, and an order of operations that ensures an ability of leadership to plan,
- general criteria of incentivized activities,
- means of evaluating progress toward unit and institutional goals (incentivized activities),
- mechanisms for reducing extreme swings in fund allocation, and
- a calendar for implementing the new budget model, evaluating unit performance, and determining future allocations
The working group met roughly every week during the 2019 fiscal year. Throughout the year, deans, vice provosts and other high-level directors reporting to the provost have been regularly advised of progress in model development and have offered feedback and insight for critical decision points that further the model development.
