This page provides information, resources, and tools to help CoE staff understand the CoE and UM budget processes. We will continue to update the page, so be sure to check back from time to time to see what’s new.
College of Engineering Budget and Planning Process
CoE follows a multi-step process to develop department/unit budgets and objectives for each fiscal year, as summarized in the planning timeline below. In addition to the initial FY budgeting process, departments/units receive quarterly budget updates. A detailed calendar is available here.
Annual Planning Timeline for Department/Unit Budgets
| Month(s) | Action(s) |
| February | Creation of Preliminary Budget Allocations for the new Fiscal Year |
| March / April | Departments/Units Receive budget planning packets from RPM on a rolling basis Prepare for planning meetings with the Dean |
| March – May | Each department/unit meets with the Dean to discuss financial and programmatic directions for the coming year |
| June | Budget Allocations Finalized |
| July | Departments/Units are advised of the Dean’s decisions regarding:
|
Preparing for Meetings with the Dean
In the spring of each year, the chair and administrator from each department/unit receive an informational packet to assist them in preparing for their upcoming budget/planning meeting with the Dean. The packet includes the following:
- Templates for reporting on current fiscal year objectives and providing new objectives for the coming year.
- A set of planning questions to guide the budget/planning meeting discussions.
- A set of indicators to provide the department with an overview of its activity and resources using a variety of measures.
- Instructions for requesting new funds for base, capital, and strategic purposes.
- A template for reporting on the instructional activity and research offset undertaken by department faculty during the current academic year.
- Instructions for requesting new/replacement faculty positions (if applicable)
- The starting point for the new fiscal year budget.
About CoE Department/Unit Operating Budgets
The College provides each department with 95% of the academic year salary for each faculty member; 100% for holders of endowed chairs; 100% for new assistant professors for their first two years; and 100% for new professors and associate professors for their first year. The incentive to each department is to encourage faculty to offset their academic year salary by greater than 5% by funding their appointments with sponsored research. The offset funds are then retained by the department for discretionary use.
Operating allocations for staff salaries and non-salary expenses are generally a simple carry forward from the previous budget year with an increase for salary merit programs.
For detailed explanations of the College’s budget rules for allocations, visit this page.
The College provides variable funding to each department for:
- Supplemental Instruction (formula-based allocation)
- Departmental Equipment (formula-based allocation)
- Graduate Fellowships
- Faculty Start-Up
- Research Incentive Programs (formula-based allocation)
- Cost Sharing
- Faculty Awards (formula-based allocation)