This article presents results from the 2012 National Survey of Access and Finance Issues conducted by the National Council of State Directors of Community Colleges (NCSDCC), an affiliated council of the American Association of Community Colleges, and includes a comparison of survey results from previous years dating back to 2003, with the…

The fiscal climate of restraint in the Canadian province of Ontario has led to increased calls for a more diversified higher education system. Significant diversity in the university sector in Ontario has not been achieved that underscores the importance of understanding government policy and its related influences on institutional diversity. This…

How formulas for physical plant management have helped Florida improve equity among its seven state institutions. (Editor)

Governing boards and administrations wrestle with complex endowment policy decisions that will determine current institutional quality and future institutional viability. This chapter presents data from the 2006 NACUBO Endowment Study (published in 2007), divided into the following issues of endowment management: historical returns; endowment…

Recent federal audits of research project overhead charges at 13 universities uncovered over $13 million in inappropriate items. Proposals for reform include a federal upper limit on overhead rates and a fixed institutional overhead rate charged to any sponsor. Concern continues over repayment to the government of previous wrongful collections by…

The National Association of College and University Business Officers has taken major strides toward meeting the responsibility for establishing accounting and public reporting standards within the field of higher education. The need for improvement in the reporting procedures has been generally agreed on. It is imperative that revision of the…

Indirect costs of sponsored research projects and educational programs are as necessary as are the direct costs. This report demonstrates that they are real costs and that sponsors such as the Federal Government receive more than equitable treatment in the computation and application of indirect costs. The areas discussed include: the computation…

Recommendations for appropriations to each public college and university in Alabama are presented by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education in its 1984-1985 unified budget report. After explaining the basis of the recommendations, attention is directed to operating needs for 1984-1985, higher education appropriations for 1983-1984, and funding…

Investment and endowment policies for educational institutions are shown to be greatly influenced by the size of the endowment and of the school budget. Administration of pooled funds is discussed with particular reference to procedures at Smith College. Establishment of an independent investment committee, separate from the finance committee, is…

Zero-base budgeting as it is used at Allegany College is described. Zero-based budgeting is defined as a budgeting and planning approach that requires the examination of every item in a budget request as if the request were being proposed for the first time. Budgets (decision packages) are first made up for decision units (i.e., a course for the…

Using national data from various sources, this study investigates the influence of financial aspects of state higher education policy on college completion. It found that college completion is positively associated with total state grants as a percentage of appropriations of state tax funds for operating expenses of higher education and state…

Information was sought from all states and the District of Columbia regarding the experience of unanticipated revenue shortfalls resulting in executive or legislative actions to modify postsecondary education appropriations and/or budgets for 1981-1982, 1982-1983; and the actions being taken in the postsecondary education community in response to…

The basics of academic economics are examined in this faculty guide. The modern management movement has reached American higher education and has created new expectations concerning the faculty's role. An earlier preoccupation with management methods has been replaced by concentration on evaluation. Faculty should share in the preparation of their…

Results are presented that were obtained from application of the defined methodology to the 1972-73 operating budget of McMaster University. Programs were defined as instructional (degree) programs, research programs, and professional activities/public service programs. The calculation of program costs requires that crossovers be made from the…

The feasibility of awarding a single annual appropriation for the operating budget to the University of Alaska was investigated in 1982. Study methods included a literature review and a survey of practitioners concerning the advantages and disadvantages of a single appropriation versus several appropriations. In addition to surveying directors of…