Budget Planning Timeline

August

  • Early assessment of provincial government on funding possibilities.
  • Preliminary student enrolment numbers begin to come in.
  • A preliminary budget forecast is developed by Western's Office of Institutional Planning and Budgeting (IPB).
  • Provost holds Dean's Retreat where issues and priorities are discussed.

September

  • Board of Governors Retreat with high level discussions regarding any issues and the vision for the coming year.
  • Budget planning guidelines issued to Faculties and Support Units outlining parameters for the coming year.

November-December

  • Town Halls for members of Western community to learn more about internal and external funding landscape that will inform the upcoming budget planning cycle.
  • Planning meetings with Faculties and large Support Units with the Provost, Vice-Presidents and the Associate Vice-President (Planning and Budgeting). Each Faculty and Support Unit presents its plan/budget based on the planning guidelines. The plan will also include requests for funding to support new priority initiatives.

January

  • Provost reviews the Faculty and Support Unit plans with the President and Vice-Presidents and presents preliminary recommendations for all the units for discussion.
  • Based on feedback, the Provost develops final recommendations.
  • Planning meetings take place with smaller Support Units.
  • Overall University-level budget forecasts are refined.

February

  • Provost's formal letters outlining the budget recommendations are sent to Deans and Budget Unit Heads.
  • IPB refines multi-year forecasts of enrolments, revenues, and expenditures. This includes detailed line-by-line forecasts on revenue items (including various government funding envelopes and tuition revenues).
  • On the expenditure side, the projections involve a number of line items such employee salaries, utility costs, insurance, library costs, student aid, IT infrastructure, etc.

March

  • Operating and Capital Budgets, tuition and other fees are presented to the Senate Committee on University Planning (SCUP).

April

  • Operating and Capital Budgets, tuition and other fees are presented to Senate for advice to the Board.
  • The Board's P & F Committee reviews Operating and Capital Budgets, tuition and other fees.
  • Operating and Capital Budgets, tuition and other fees go to the Board for final approval.