Budget Process and Timeline

The Citadel Budget Guidance Memo

The following budget guidance shall be in effect for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) until the updated memo is published for FY25.

Please distribute to all Budget Authority Heads and Resource Advisors (see list at end of document) in your organization and have them disseminate to all departments under their control.  For purposes of this document, “department” can refer to an academic department (such as Chemistry) or an administrative department (such as Title IX). 

  1. The annual budget request process serves as the opportunity to request budget changes for the Education and General (E&G) Fund. This includes requests for additional funds and for reprogramming of funds (e.g., movement from travel to operating). See item # 11 for tentative milestones for formulation of next year’s (FY25) budget.
    • Departments should communicate budget requests to their Budget Authority Resource Advisor (see item # 12).
    • Resource Advisors will use the Banner Budget Development Tool to officially request budgets.
    • Budgets will be reviewed by Vice Presidents.
    • The Budget Office and the Vice President for Finance and Business will vet and approve any requested budget adjustments as well as present changes to the Fiscal Review Board.
    • No budgets are final until approved by the Board of Visitors.
    • Budgets are subject to change based on senior management decisions.
  2. Non-Sufficient Funds (NSF) Queue
    • The NSF queue will be activated in September 2023.
    • NSF only monitors non-labor account budgets such as operating and travel.
    • Operating budgets (which include accounts like Supplies & Services and Travel) are only set at the “Account Pool”. Account Pools are account numbers with only four numbers (e.g. 7100, 7500, 7600).
    • Please ensure Account Pool budgets are sufficient before submitting requisitions and direct pays; this will ensure efficient processing.
    • If needed, please use Banner Self Service to make a temporary budget transfer to and from eligible Account Pools.
    • Eligible Account Pools include 7100, 7500, 7300 and 7600.
  3. Transfers from Travel (7300) to Other Account Pools
    • These transfers midyear are generally not permitted; such requests should be set during the budget development process.
    • Budget Authorities should not count on using unspent travel funds for other operating expenses.
  1. Transfers from Labor Accounts to Operating Accounts (or vice versa)
    • These transfers are generally not permitted; operating budgets have been set based on prior execution or recently approved additional budget for the new fiscal year.
    • Budget Authorities should not count on using unspent labor funds for other operating expenses.
  1. The Budget Office will hold Budget Authority Reviews three times a year, in July, November and April.
    • Budget Authorities (through their Resource Advisors) are responsible for monitoring budget activity using either Banner or the Budget Execution Module and are responsible for over commitments.
    • Resource Advisors should report any concerns to the Budget Office and their supervisors.
    • Budget Authorities are responsible for ensuring that temporary labor expenses stay within budget. This includes all temporary pays, salaried temps, hourly temps, student temps, graduate assistants, phone stipends and car stipends.
    • Resource Advisors should visit https://mighty.citadel.edu/root/budget-temp-positions regularly to monitor temporary labor expenses. The report on this site, maintained by the Budget Office and updated twice a month, tracks each department’s temporary labor spending and highlights in red any overspending.  If overspending occurs, it is the Resource Advisor’s responsibility to get in touch with the Budget Office to resolve. 
    • Resource Advisors should work closely with timekeepers to ensure employees are not clocking too many hours.
  2. Some transactions inherently bypass the Banner budget checking process and are not subject to the NSF queue (see item # 2).
    • This includes electronic uploads of charges to indexes for services performed by Facilities & Engineering (e.g., non-scheduled/non-routine office painting) and equipment ordered by Information Technology Services at a unit’s request (e.g., a laptop computer).
    • Units are responsible for ensuring that there is sufficient budget in place prior to planning with Facilities & Engineering and Information Technology Services.
    • Acceptance of a work order or equipment request is not sufficient for budget checking.
    • Purchase Card (P-Card) transaction also bypass NSF checking. Prior to making a purchase using your assigned P-Card, you must ensure that your intended source of funding has a sufficient budget to support the purchase. Any questions related to the P-Card should be directed to Procurement Services (procurement@citadel.edu).
    • Budget Authorities are responsible for over commitments.
  3. Unfunded Requirements (UFRs) are contractual obligations or unplanned emergency expenses within a unit that have no source of funding.
    • UFRs are the exception and not the norm. UFRs will be reviewed by the Fiscal Review Board on an as-needed basis and placed upon the Fiscal Review Board agenda through request to the Provost.
  4. When evaluating your budget please keep in mind that budgets are set with the intent that they will be fully executed.
    • Fiscal stewardship is always encouraged. Under-execution of a budget will not automatically result in a budget cut for the next fiscal year.
    • The next fiscal year budget will be determined based on this year’s projected execution.
  5. Budgets for the following will be loaded as per the dates below:
    • Scholarship Book Indexes: July 31, 2023
    • TCF Grants & Academic Endowment Indexes: August 31, 2023
    • TCF Allocations: September 30, 2023
    • Cash Carry Forwards: September 30, 2023
    • Planned Transfers and Other Grad Fees: October 15, 2023
    • TCF Grants Rollover Adjustments: November 15, 2023

A note about TCF Grant Index budgets:

Most TCF Grant Index budgets are set by the TCF Board and are expected to be used each year (i.e., not meant to be rolled over or overspent). 

  1. The Budget Office will provide guidance on any special execution polices as approved by leadership during the fiscal year.
  2. Tentative timeline for FY25 (1 July 2024 – 30 June 2025) E&G Budget Formulation:
    • Annual General Budget Training: February 2024
    • Banner Budget Development Training/Refresher: March 2024
    • Banner Budget Development system opens: March 2024
    • Final Budget Preparation: May 2024
    • Final Budget BOV Approval: June 2024
  3. There are nineteen (19) Budget Authorities; the organization of each is outlined below.
Budget Authority (BA)VP-Level HeadBA HeadResource Advisor
Associate Provost for Academic AffairsSally SeldenKevin BowerJane Clegg
Associate Provost for Enrollment ManagementSally SeldenTBDJane Clegg
Commandant of CadetsThomas GordonThomas GordonPaul O’Leary
Dean of BusinessSally SeldenMichael WeeksMelissa Griffin
Dean of EducationSally SeldenTBDLauraie Zealy
Dean of EngineeringSally SeldenAndrew WilliamsBrandon Gellard
Dean of Humanities and Social SciencesSally SeldenBrian Madison JonesJessica Galvin
Dean of Science and MathematicsSally SeldenDarin ZimmermanVanessa McFadden
Director of AthleticsMichael CapaccioMichael CapaccioGeoff Von Dollen
Director of LibrarySally SeldenAaron WimerTerri Johnson
Krause Center for Leadership and EthicsSally SeldenThomas ClarkGinger O’Neil
PresidentWilliam LindWilliam LindJane Clegg
Provost and Dean of the CollegeSally SeldenSally SeldenJane Clegg
SVP for Operations and AdministrationCardon CrawfordCardon CrawfordLori Hedstrom
VP for Communications and MarketingJonathan HoffmanJonathan HoffmanJane Clegg
VP for Facilities and EngineeringJeffrey LambersonJeffrey LambersonCarla McIntyre
VP for Finance and BusinessPreethi SaintPreethi SaintSusan Schady
VP for Institutional AdvancementCardon CrawfordTom McAlisterAllison Bringardner
Central AdministrationFRBFRBFRB