This article suggests that all too often college and university financial reports are meaningless. They indicate the current funds "surplus" or "deficit" that has been the typical university response when asked how the university did that year. In place of this, the university financial support should look at the total picture of the university,…

This data processing application handbook is designed to be used in conjunction with a previous work published by the U. S. Office of Education entitled, Financial Accounting: Classifications and Standard Terminology for Local and State School Systems (see ED 081 103). It provides school systems with the capability of implementing a user designed…

A computer system at George Washington University prevents unauthorized long distance telephone calls, resulting in a net savings of about 30 percent. (Author/MLF)

Describes the history of the Association of School Business Officials' Certificate of Conformance program for school district annual financial reports, discusses the benefits of receiving the award, offers guidelines for applying for the award, and points out common errors made in submitting entries. (Author/JG)

This book is a tool for Illinois school business officials, superintendents, and other administrators with budgeting responsibilities. It is also a resource for school board members. The foreword describes the financial responsibilities of the school board along with the caveat that financial management is staff work, not board work. Detailed…

Five aids to ease the burden to handling government-sponsored funds. (Editor/PG)

Discusses a new set of indirect cost accounting procedures which must be followed by school districts wishing to recover any indirect costs of administering federal grants and contracts. Also discusses the amount of indirect costs that may be recovered, computing indirect costs, classifying project costs, and restricted grants. (Author/DN)

First of a series of articles on techniques submitted by school business officials. (MLF)

Describes the use of the charge-back system to foster better financial decision making, organizational efficiency, and waste prevention. Discusses an example of the charge-back system in reducing copying costs, including charging criteria. (GR)

Describes how Drexel University has adopted provisions of a tough new financial reporting law aimed at corporations, with skeptics wondering if such steps are too excessive for colleges. (EV)

Personnel responsible for telecommunications systems need a way to ensure pursuit of the right technology at the right time does not lead them away from considerations of the right price. A three-step method of historical and monthly reviews offers a straightforward means of regaining control of expenditures and tracking costs. (MSE)

Describes how a school cafeteria employee stole money from a cash register, how it was discovered, and the measures taken to prevent future theft. (MLF)

It is argued that colleges and universities can use direct allocation costing to provide quantitative information needed for decision making. This method of analysis requires institutions to modify traditional ideas of costing, looking to the private sector for examples of accurate costing techniques. (MSE)

A Texas school district initiated a budget development process using peer review committees representing each of the seven major units of the district. The process aims to rank budget requests based on district goals and to improve communication among district units. (MLF)

Two accounting strategies for classifying college or university endowment losses are compared: reduction of permanently restricted net assets and reduction of unrestricted net assets. The approaches differ in their effects on classification of net assets only when capital losses on endowment investments bring the fund below the level required in…