Making a Support Request
During the annual consolidated budget process, the Dean's Office will review both new commitment requests and existing commitments. Any unanticipated needs that arise will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. 

Types of Support and Terms & Conditions

To ensure effective management of financial commitments from the Dean’s Office (DO) and to optimize cash flow, DO will implement standardized practices that enhance clarity and efficiency in our processes. 

Commitment Purpose  Description  Terms & Conditions (funding process) Duration of Support 
Capital  Funding for large-scale capital projects 
  • Terms set forth by Capital Planning/Facilities Management (CPFM).  
  • If CPFM does not provide end date, then DO and department will determine appropriate end date. 
  • Carry forward allowed from year to year 
  • Remaining balances after project completion revert to DO 
Operational support  Support to departments and ORUs to cover operating needs or structural deficits 
  • Department provides best estimate of support need. 
  • DO sets start/end dates and annual support cap.  
  • DO will reimburse actual expenses on an annual basis, up to capped amount. 
  • No carry forward  
Programs  Funds to supplement department programmatic activities 
  • Department provides schedule for expected spending.  
  • DO sets start/end dates and annual spending cap based on department input.  
  • DO will reimburse actual expenses on quarterly basis, up to annual spending cap. 
  • Carry forward may be allowed from year to year 
  • Extensions to end date may be permitted upon request 
Program overruns  Funds used to address unplanned or unanticipated deficits. 
  • Department will provide details regarding the causes and provide estimate of deficit.  
  • Countermeasures must be approved by DO. 
  • DO sets start/end dates and annual spending cap based on department input. 
  • DO will reimburse actual losses on an annual basis, up to cap. 
  • No carry forward 
Chair/Director packages  Funds committed to a chair or director as part of their recruitment; typically this includes support for future recruitments, programs, and/or personal support
  • DO sets start/end dates and annual spending cap based on department input.  
  • Department provides schedule for expected spending (including non-binding end date). 
  • DO will reimburse actual expenses on quarterly basis, up to annual spending cap. 
  • Commitment will be reviewed three years after the chair/director starts, and at the time of their stewardship review 
  • Carry forward permitted 
Recruitment  Funds to supplement department efforts to recruit new faculty 
  • Department provides schedule for expected spending, including non-binding end date  
  • DO sets annual spending cap based on department input 
  • DO will reimburse actual expenses on quarterly basis, up to annual spending cap 

For unfilled recruitments:  

  • If position is not filled (based on date that offer letter is signed) within two years of commitment approval date, then commitment is cancelled (along with the associated space commitment) 
  • Department may submit a new request 

For completed recruitments:  

  • Carry forward beyond the non-binding end date are allowed upon request (if not specifically called out in the offer letter) 
Retention  Funds to supplement department efforts to retain existing faculty 
  • Department provides schedule for expected spending (including non-binding end date)  
  • DO sets annual spending cap based on department input  
  • DO will reimburse actual expenses on quarterly basis, up to annual spending cap 

For completed retentions:  

  • Carry forward beyond the non-binding end date are allowed upon request (if not specifically called out in the retention letter). 

 
Reimbursement Guidelines

  • Dean’s support payments are typically processed quarterly as reimbursements for actual expenses incurred. These payments are contingent upon the department providing documentation that justifies the need for accessing the funds, such as general ledger details of the actual expenses. Departments also have the option to select a less frequent reimbursement cycle if preferred. 

  • Reimbursement requests should be submitted by the second week or by the 15th day following the close of each quarter, i.e., requests for Q1 are due by October 15, Q2 by January 15, and Q3 by April 15. The schedule for Q4 is announced during the School of Medicine Dean's Office year-end presentation. The presentation copy will be saved in Fiscal Close. 

    • Departments are not required to submit reimbursement requests for support that involve only salary and benefits. The School of Medicine Dean’s Office will handle the reimbursement process based on the DPE report. 

  • Program support related to faculty start-up, retention, and recruitment should be tracked through each individual faculty member's start-up project. Therefore, if Dean’s support is being used to fund these initiatives, please ensure that the faculty’s start-up project is specified in the chart-string, rather than using the department's general project (e.g., project 1111111), and utilize fund numbers 5014 or 5018. This approach will not only facilitate clear tracking of commitment dollars allocated to faculty, but also establish an audit trail to ensure that funds are utilized in alignment with donor intent, particularly when commitments are funded through Dean’s Office gift or endowment projects. 

  • If applicable, operating support will be processed at the end of the fiscal year and will be contingent upon the actual operating deficit, not exceeding the approved amount. 
Extension Guidelines

As the end date of the Dean's Office commitment approaches, the department should monitor available funds and submit a no-cost extension if applicable. This request can be made through: 

Program Support Request module in PLUS during the annual consolidated budget process