Board approves 2000-01 reallocation fund allocations

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BY Trudi Down

June 12, 2000

The Board of Governors has approved the distribution of $5.8 million in reallocation funding for the fiscal year 2000-01. The Board approved the recommendations, made by the Budget Committee, at its meeting on Thursday, June 15.

Of this total, 47 per cent will be distributed to instruction and academic activities, 35 per cent to student services, libraries and scholarships, and 18 per cent to administrative functions. Reallocation funds are used to support projects of high priority and those that exemplify the objectives of the University.

According to Harvey Weingarten, provost and vice-president academic, reallocation funding is a high priority for the Budget Committee. “The University must have money set aside to fund innovate programs and new initiatives.”

The Board approved a Budget Committee recommendation that a one per cent across-the-board increase be applied to each of the budgets submitted by University departments. The remainder will be allocated to 56 one-time and continuing reallocation requests selected by the Budget Committee. (One-time refers to a specified period, usually one to two years.)

The projects selected to receive reallocation funds include:

7 Bachelor of Health Science program – $255,000 (continuing)

7 Multimedia extension – $340,000 (one-time)

7 Undergraduate laboratory – $190,000 (continuing)

7 University libraries – $385,000 (one-time)

7 Social Sciences Inquiry program – $100,000 (continuing)

7 Entrance scholarships – $1,000,000 (one-time)

This year, the Budget Committee received reallocation requests totallling $11.2 million. These requests are presented along with department budgets. The committee selected projects based on a number of criteria including the new McMaster University Academic Plan.

“They were all good requests,” Weingarten said. Many of the projects did have goals and objectives that related to the Academic Plan, some more closely than others. But the University cannot commit to spending more than it has, he added.