RECAST | Program Budget Requests for 20/21

From: McAvity, David <mcavityd@evergreen.edu>
Date: May 21, 2020, 10:15 PM -0700

Dear Colleagues,

I hope you are able to take a break this weekend as we move into the final lap of this very unusual quarter.

Among the flurry of things we asked of you last week was a request that undergraduate faculty teaching in programs on the Olympia campus submit program budget requests by May 15.

Thank you to those who have done that. As it turns out, there are a fair number those that have not been turned in yet. Hmm, I wonder why ?.

Now that those plans are more settled, I’d like to ask you to go to my.evergreen.edu and click on Academic Resources to make your program budget request. I plan to allocate funds the week of June 1, so please have your program budget requests for all quarters of 20/21 submitted by Friday May 29 at the latest. I will allocate a default budget of $100 if I do not receive a request. If you are content with that, you don’t need to submit anything. 

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Field Trips: For fall quarter at least, it is very unlikely that we will be able to use College vans for field trips, given physical distancing requirements. It is also unlikely that we will be able to do overnight field trips because of lodging restrictions. Please don’t make any overnight field trip commitments before getting approval through the Academic Budget Office. We hope it will be possible to do some limited outdoor day trips, using local transportation or rented buses instead of vans, but that is also not certain at this time.

Visiting Speakers: In keeping with the Governor’s financial freeze (Directive 20-05), we are limiting personal services contracts. Small honoraria of $50-$100 are still possible. Starting in fall quarter, we will not process honoraria larger than $100 without prior approval through the Academic Budget Office. In most cases higher honoraria will not be necessary given that travel is restricted at this time. Because we are in a period of fiscal restraint, I ask that you limit the amount of your request for visiting speakers next year.

Budgeting for Winter and Spring: It is likely we will still have some constraints on in-person instruction, on field trips, and visiting speakers for the full academic year, although I hope there will be some expanded opportunities. Please keep that in mind when requesting your funds.

Study Abroad: It is doubtful that study abroad trips will be possible in winter and spring quarters next year, since international travel may be restricting and will likely involved periods of quarantine in many destinations. If you have a study abroad trip approved for 20/21, we will convene a meeting early in fall quarter to discuss those plans and make a decision about whether or not they should go forward based on the conditions at that time. You may still submit a budget request for your travel expenses, and establish your student fee and list of special expenses, so that we can be prepared in case conditions turn for the better. If you have changed your plans and wish to cancel your study abroad trip now, make sure you inform the deans area so we can update the catalog.

Let me know if you have any questions,

Best,

David

David McAvity |   Vice Provost and  Academic Dean

3801 Library Building  | Tel: 360.867.5490