Budget Planning Meetings

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Purpose

Budget planning meetings are an annual forum for structured dialogue between campus units and central leadership. These meetings support thoughtful evaluation of unit priorities, financial challenges, and longer-term strategies, and help ensure alignment with institutional goals and fiscal expectations.

Overview of the Process

Each year, Budget & Fiscal Planning (BFP) coordinates a standardized budget planning and review process to support consistent, comparable discussion across units.

As part of this process:

  • BFP prepares a unit-specific review template
  • Units review and respond to the materials
  • Central and divisional leadership engage in focused discussions informed by shared data

Review Template Components

BFP populates an Excel-based review template with unit-level financial and staffing information. The template typically includes:

  • Overview: High-level financial context and summary information
  • Unit Questions: Prompts designed to guide strategic reflection and discussion
  • Budget Data – General Fund (Funds 10 & 11): Current and projected budget information
  • Budget Data – All Funds: A consolidated view of the unit’s broader financial activity
  • FTE (Employee) Information: Staffing levels and trends
  • Fund 72 & 78 Balance Information (5-Year History): Reserve trends to support discussion of sustainability and planned use

Unit Responsibilities

Units are expected to:

  1. Review the template data for accuracy and completeness
  2. Add comments and context where appropriate
  3. Respond to the unit questions thoughtfully
  4. Return the completed materials to BFP by the requested deadline

This preparation ensures meetings are focused on analysis and decision-making, rather than data reconciliation.

Example Unit Discussion Questions

While questions may vary by year, examples include:

  • What are 2–3 key priorities for your unit in the coming fiscal year, and how are you identifying funding within your existing resources?
  • What financial or operational challenges do you anticipate over the next 3–5 years?
  • Did your prior-year ending reserve balance align with your spending plan? If not, what factors contributed to the variance, and how should the plan be updated?
  • If campus experienced funding constraints, what strategies would guide potential budget reductions, and what services or impacts should leadership understand?

Central Review and Leadership Engagement

Following unit submission:

  • BFP prepares a final packet, including an executive summary for each unit
  • Divisional leadership meets with their financial teams to:
    • Review financial position and trends
    • Discuss priorities, risks, and tradeoffs
    • Align on expectations for the coming year

ÌýÌýWhy this matters: Budget planning meetings:

  • Promote transparency and shared understanding
  • Support proactive identification of risks and opportunities
  • Encourage alignment between unit plans and campus priorities
  • Strengthen stewardship through informed, collaborative decision-making