Overview

Mission Statement:

The Budget Office strives to provide prompt courteous, and accurate service to the university administration and faculty with budgetary responsibility. In addition, we work in concert with the Tennessee Board of Regents and Tennessee Higher Education Commission by supplying them with budgetary information.

The Budget Office provides budgetary support service and assists university personnel by consulting on financial and administrative issues. The primary responsibilities of the Budget Office include:

	Coordinating the annual preparation of the July Original Budget and October Revised Budget for the Tennessee Board of Regents.
	Coordinating the annual preparation of the appropriations request submitted to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) for calculation of the funding formula.
	Managing budget revision requests from university departments.
	Setting up new positions and maintaining the account distribution for positions on the Human Resource System.
	Distribution of monthly salary budget reports.
	Assisting departments with budget questions or reconciliation problems.

Budget Office Functions:

Budget Preparation

THEC Appropriations Request

Proposed Fee Changes

Processing Budget Revision Forms

Budget Preparation.

The Budget Office prepares the budget document according to instructions from the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) using information supplied by each division vice president and the president. The document includes summary budget schedules by functional areas and types of expenditures, but the bulk of the document lists each account number and the budget for each control object code in the unrestricted current fund. The document is presented to the Board for approval at the June meeting.

The TBR gives an opportunity for major budget revisions in October of each year. This revision generally reflects an adjusted appropriation based on actual fall enrollment, carryovers of previous special appropriations approved by THEC and TBR and rebudgeting of the previous year's ending fund balance. The October revised budget is prepared according to TBR instructions. The required schedules and analysis forms are compiled and delivered to the TBR and presented to the Board at the December meeting.

The Budget Office makes the necessary entries to MTSU's administrative computer software programs so that each person with budgetary responsibility receives a detailed listing of an approved budget in early July. Each department receives a detailed accounting report following the end of each month, which shows the budget and actual expenditures. Departments also have access to budget balances any time via the on-line screens in the administrative computer software packages (HRS and FRS). Significant and unexplained budget variances are brought to the attention of the departments by the Budget Office so that corrective action can be taken. Each department may request changes to its departmental budget to adjust for unexpected challenges and opportunities. These requests are approved by each level of administrative authority and are entered into the administrative software systems by the Budget Office. Confirmation of the entry is returned to the department via campus mail or e-mail.

THEC Appropriations Request.

The Budget Office prepares the annual appropriations request submitted to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) in August of each year. Preparing the request involves developing schedules and gathering information from various departments, including Student Aid, Physical Plant, Academic Affairs, and Affirmative Action. This request, along with the cost study supplied by the office of Institutional Research, provides the data that are entered into the state of Tennessee's higher education funding formula. This formula generates the amount of appropriation THEC recommends to the governor for Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). After the request is submitted, the Budget Office responds to questions from THEC in support of the request.

Once the recommended appropriation amount can be reasonably estimated, the Vice President of Finance and Administration works with the Budget Office to prepare revenue projections for the next fiscal year. The projections are presented to the president and vice presidents in January for planning of expenditures for the next fiscal year beginning July 1. Each division of the university determines its priorities based on mission statements, goals, and objectives. Even though new funding may be limited or absent, it is expected that budgetary priority is given to projects that further the university's mission most directly.

Proposed Fee Changes.

The Budget Office compiles annually a listing of all current fees and proposed fees for the next fiscal year for tuition, housing, activity, graduation and miscellaneous fees. This compilation is submitted to the Tennessee Board of Regents for approval annually. A listing of the currently approved fees can be found at the bursar's office.

Processing Budget Revision Forms.

Budget revision forms are to be completed by the department or budgetary head to temporarily change this year's budget to reflect current needs or to request a permanent change to the base budget. After the forms have been completed and approved by the appropriate individuals, then the forms are forwarded to the Budget Office.

The Budget Office reviews the request for compliance to budgeting policy and procedures (MTSU POLICY NO. IV:04:03) and if approved will enter the revision into the administrative computing system. Revisions are sequentially number, dated and copies are returned to the appropriate Vice President, Dean and department or budgetary head.