Chapter 5: Financial Resources, Physical Facilities, and Support Services

Criterion II The institution has effectively organized the human, financial, and physical resources necessary to accomplish its purposes. Chapter 5: Financial Resources, Physical Facilities, and Support Services Introduction Table 5.1: State of Indiana Legislative Budget Review and Appropriations Process The effective use and management of financial resources, physical facilities, and support Board of Trustees services at Ball State University enables the institution to accomplish its purposes. The Institution Request university’s budget planning and allocation processes, management of fiscal resources, and State Budget Commission for Work Force use of physical facilities and other services successfully support teaching and learning. Agency and Governor Higher Education Development Board Ball State also has addressed the concern raised by the 1993 reaccreditation team that General “the library budget has not kept pace with the increased set of operations and acquisitions, Assembly leading to reductions in services to faculty and students in order to maintain collection development.” House Ways Senate Finance Committee and Means Committee Budget Conference Organization of Financial Resources Committee to Support Teaching and Learning State Budget Agency Legislative Request Process State Appropriations Indiana does not use a general funding formula, as is the case in some states. The Indiana system is one of institutional cooperation: the state universities cooperate in their efforts to Financial Reporting and Control gain approval of their programs and endorsement of their appropriations requests from the Ball State’s financial statements are prepared on an accrual basis with the following Indiana Commission for Higher Education (ICHE); the Work Force Development Board exceptions: interest on student loans is recorded only when received; bond interest GIR 24: It makes available upon (WFDB), formerly the Vocational Technical Board; the State Budget Agency and the expense is recorded when paid; and gifts and grants are reported when received. These request information that accurately governor; and the Indiana General Assembly. exceptions are common practice in colleges and universities. The university’s annual describes its financial condition. Table 5.1 on the next page outlines the legislative budget review and appropriations financial report is available to the public. GIR 19: It has an external financial process for Indiana. The institution budget request is developed within the planning Internal financial reports are prepared monthly and are available to appropriate audit by a certified public accountant or budgetary heads via the Web. These reports compare expenditures and encumbrances to process described in Chapter 11 of this report. An important and recently implemented a public audit agency at least every component of this planning process is the consideration of recommendations from the budgeted amounts for each budgetary unit. The Office of the Director of University two years. Financial and Budgetary Affairs Committee of the University Senate. Budgets monitors expenditures and initiates action when appropriate. After approval by Ball State’s Board of Trustees, the institutional budget goes to the The Indiana State Boards of Accounts audits Ball State’s financial statements each State Budget Agency, the governor, and ICHE. Portions of the budget request related to year, and internal audits are performed regularly. The State Board of Accounts also vocational and technical programs also are sent to the WFDB. All of these bodies make issues an annual report to comply with the requirements of the Office of Management recommendations to the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance and Budget’s Circular A–133 relating to federal awards. The federal audit report Committee of the Indiana General Assembly. The Budget Conference Committee contains a section titled “Audit Results and Comments.” Here the State Board of reconciles differences between the budget appropriations developed by the House Ways Accounts makes recommendations concerning areas covered by the audit. and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee. This budget appropriation When the audit process is complete, the auditors address a report to Ball State’s then goes to the floors of the House of Representatives and the Senate of the Indiana Board of Trustees. The State Board of Accounts conducts an exit conference regarding General Assembly for approval. the general audit with the university’s financial officers and a separate exit conference for the federal audit with the vice president for business affairs and treasurer, associate vice president of finance and assistant treasurer, director of contracts and grants, director of 5:2 5:3 scholarships and financial aid, and director of auditing. The results of these conferences Analysis of Revenue and the information reported in the “Audit Results and Comments” section of the federal Ball State has four primary sources of revenue: state appropriations, student tuition and awards report are used to improve the institution’s accounting and financial control fees, grants and contracts, and auxiliary enterprises. Investment income, miscellaneous systems. The two most recent audits are available as Exhibit 7 in the resource room. student fees, and sales/services revenue supplement these major sources. Table 5.2 below summarizes the current fund revenue by source from the past three fiscal years ended Internal Budgeting Processes June 30 of 2001, 2002, and 2003. Internal budgeting processes have become more inclusive in recent years, primarily as a result of the campuswide participation in developing Ball State’s current strategic plan. Table 5.2: Sources of Current Fund Revenue by Type, Past Three Years In general, unit budgets are based upon anticipated enrollment, anticipated state appropriations, and anticipated levels of external funding. In keeping with the goal of making budget planning and management more open and inclusive, a new budget hearing 400,000,000 16,350,742 350,000,000 20,367,791 process was instituted in 2003 in which the provost and vice president for academic affairs 49,657,413 14,033,501 45,244,977 300,000,000 and the director of university budgets met with each collegiate dean to review the college’s 39,258,555 60,563,639 48,881,513 needs and establish a budget for the next fiscal year. The deans used cost-per-credit-hour 250,000,000 42,203,028 analysis and other historical expenditure data to arrive at their proposed budgets for the 200,000,000 128,704,489 Dollars 130,716,535 upcoming year. In addition, the vice presidents, associate provosts, and assistant provost 126,638,430 150,000,000 participated in budget hearings at the senior administrative level. Ball State’s commitment to budgetary processes that support its goals and objectives 100,000,000 107,303,543 85,670,736 95,735,813 is reflected in the institution’s response to recent fiscal challenges. The general economic 50,000,000 downturn led to significant revenue shortfalls for the state of Indiana in recent years, - 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 resulting in lower-than-anticipated state support for higher education. This situation has Fiscal Year required the university to rely less on state appropriations and to find alternative sources Student tuition and fees State appropriations Grants and contracts Auxiliary enterprises Other of revenue to adequately fund its strategic goals and objectives. One dramatic example is a new $1,000 fee increase for all new students beginning in Because of its lower-than-anticipated revenues, the state withheld payment of the fall 2003. Revenue from this fee, approved by the Board of Trustees in September 2002, June 2002 installment of its 2001–02 appropriation to the university, a reduction of will provide funding for objectives of the university’s strategic plan. Specifically, the $10.6 million in expected cash receipts for the year. The amount was received in university has mapped out a plan to allocate these resources to support additional student November 2002, and the state withheld the November 2002 monthly payment. The financial aid, maintaining and enhancing the excellence of the freshman experience, revenue was recognized as of June 30, 2002, due to the legislature’s intent to pay that GIR 21: Its financial practices, records, attracting and retaining high-quality faculty, expanding graduate student support by installment in the future. Because of budget constraints, the state did not reauthorize and reports demonstrate fiscal viability. involving graduate assistants in freshman courses, strengthening applied research, and payment of a $4.5 million university technology grant, which led Ball State to initiate additional library collections funding. Another example of the university’s commitment a student technology fee effective in the spring semester of 2002. The university to funding strategic initiatives was the introduction of a temporary student technology technology grant was not reauthorized prior to June 30, 2003. fee effective in the spring semester of 2002. This fee, initiated when the state did not The university implemented a $1,000 student fee for all new full-time students reauthorize past grant funds earmarked for technology support, directly supports student beginning in the fall semester of 2003. The revenue from the new student fee is to access to technology and other critical aspects of the strategic plan. provide funding for Ball State’s strategic plan

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