Purpose, Authority and Membership. The University Budget Committee is responsible for oversight of the annual budget preparation process. Its work focuses upon formation of balanced and achievable University operating (Funds 11, 12, 15, and 20) and capital budget proposals, which are then presented for endorsement by the President followed by submission to the Board of Trustees for its approval.  In addition, the University Budget Committee provides oversight and recommendations in regard to the University’s budget policies for sponsored activity, investment pool payout activity, designated funds, and capital campaign funds.  

The Committee is accountable to the University President through the Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer & Treasurer, who serves as Committee Chair.  Members are the University vice presidents plus faculty and mission representatives.  The Committee is supported principally by the Associate Vice President for Financial Planning, Institutional Research and Assessment, with assistance from budget professionals in the University Budget Office and the Provost’s Office.

Committee members for the FY 2026 planning year:

Support Staff:

  • J. Steven Brown, Ph.D.
  • Brian Johnston, Ph.D.
  • Rita Kovach
  • Joe Miranda

Schedule and Process. A detailed planning calendar is developed by the University Budget Office to guide the work of the Committee. Weekly meetings for the University Budget Committee typically begin in October and conclude in February.  Recommendations for revenue drivers (tuition, required fees, and room & board rates) and capital priorities must be finalized and submitted to the President by early November to facilitate timely Trustees approval in December followed by stakeholder communication and operating execution.  Formation and endorsement of the FY 2026 Operating Budget is timed to be submitted to the Trustees in March, and the new budget is executed as of May 1st.

Operating Revenue. Revenue expectations and goals are annually discussed in the context of the resource allocations necessary to support them. The planning horizon for revenue is five years, and presentations in each of the following major revenue areas of the University are accompanied by a five-year plan to drive revenue growth. Supporting data and planning documents are prepared by each of the following areas with assistance from the University Budget Office:

  • Undergraduate, Graduate and Online Enrollment Enrollment: Enrollment Management
  • Operating Net Margin Contribution for the Columbus School of Law: Academic Affairs
  • Operating Net Margin Contribution for Auxiliary Operations: Student Affairs
  • Summer Enrollment: Academic Affairs
  • Contribution Revenue: University Advancement

The Committee is responsible for approving each of these various submissions and ensuring that they provide a realistic projection of the University’s revenues for the planning years under consideration.

Mandatory Expenditures. The President* and each vice president prepares his/her operating budget requirements for the planning year, including a detailed plan and rationale for any new mandatory expenditures.  The Committee reviews and prioritizes the requests. 

New Investments, Rightsizing, and Priority Balancing. In the final half of the FY 2026 planning year, the
Budget Committee discusses investments in new revenue generation, rightsizing University departments and priority balancing. These discussions are structured by the Chair with intent that the resulting recommendations are affordable and promote a path of sustainable growth.

Capital Budget. The President* and each vice president works with the Associate Vice President of Facilities Planning and Management/University Architect and the Chief Information Officer to identify their immediate and long-term capital needs and priorities. Those two leaders prepare a comprehensive and prioritized proposal of capital investment covering five prospective planning years.  The Committee is responsible for identifying the capital projects/equipment that will be recommended for execution in the first year. It may further recommend multiple-year projects as warranted. Where possible, Capital requests should specify funding source.

The following factors are foremost among those that will be considered by the Committee to prioritize requests:

  • Correspondence to the Campus Master Plan
  • Correspondence to the University Strategic Plan
  • Fire, life safety, and other code compliance
  • Accessibility
  • Accreditation impact
  • Deferred maintenance resolution
  • Overcome technological obsolescence
  • Support programmatic adaptation
  • Energy efficiency / sustainability

The Committee’s recommendations of Capital priorities must be finalized and submitted to the President by the middle of November to facilitate timely approvals, stakeholder communication and execution.

 (*The President’s Office operating budget, proposed presidential initiatives and capital requests are prepared by the Chief of Staff on behalf of the President.)

 Additional Resources:

University Budget Policy 
Capital Budget Policy
University Budget Office