October 18, 1982
CHANCELLORS
Dear Colleagues:
In recent years, the Legislature has established various special funds intended for projects which replenish renewable resources, enhance energy efficiency and improve conservation efforts. These funds are provided to State agencies for projects which advance specified purposes set out in the legislation which created each fund.
Legislation enacted over the past several years includes creation of several restricted funds such as the Environmental License Plate Fund, the Renewable Resources Investment Fund, the Forest Resources Improvement Fund, Water Project Funds, and the Energy and Resources Fund. In each case, legislation requires that appropriations from these funds be contained in the agency budgets within the Budget Act. In some cases, the legislation which establishes these funds also requires a process for review and approval that is slightly different from the regular budget process. Because of these requirements, a policy is hereby established for the submission of University proposals to be supported from these special State funds.
Proposals offered by individual campuses which are to be funded by any special funds appropriated to the University other than by a State agreement or contract with other State agencies, are to be submitted to Systemwide Administration no later than July in order to be included in The Regents' Budget. Program proposals which a campus or principal investigator would normally submit to a State agency for the purpose of entering into a State agreement or a State contract are excluded from this policy. Only those proposals which would require an appropriation directly to the University through the annual Budget Act are to be submitted as part of the University's regular budget process for inclusion in The Regents' Budget.
Funding for proposals from these special funds has, in the past, been regarded by the Legislature as an augmentation to the University's overall budget. For this reason, it is important that University requests for these funds be coordinated centrally and proposed as part of the regular budget and the total Regents' budget request. The annual University budget process ensures a proper balance of the priorities within the University as well as an accurate reflection of the University's total budget, which is particularly important during the current fiscal problems the State is experiencing.
Sincerely,
David S. Saxon
President
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