College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
CALS Startup Commitments for New Faculty
Last Updated 11/15/2007

POLICY:

All commitments to new faculty must be specified in the offer letter. Startup monies committed by CALS are intended to provide equipment and supplies necessary to get an office and/or laboratory functioning and to provide operational and travel dollars for a minimal period of time. All startup funds must be claimed from CALS (transferred into the department account from which they will be expended, as described more completely below) and be fully expended in FRS, within two years of the hiring date or they are forfeited.

Unit heads must schedule a meeting with the Executive Council, prior to any negotiation with a candidate, to discuss proposed commitments of College resources for salary and start-up equipment and supplies. Proposed startup needs which total more than $5000 must be itemized for review by the Executive Council. Except in extraordinary situations, funding for technician support can no longer provided from College resources and is the responsibility of the hiring unit.

Funding for ongoing support of operations, travel, and/or personnel costs is expected to be provided from department resources--budgeted appropriations and/or non-budgeted monies available to the department or to an individual faculty member.

IMPLEMENTATION:

As with all commitments of college funds, monies are provided when the expenditure is imminent. We realize it would be easier for everyone if we could just put all a person’s startup funds in one account and let them spend it as needed, but we don’t have the luxury of operating that way. We simply don’t have enough money to honor all our commitments at one time and from a single funding source. Startup funds are usually pieced together from a variety of sources, so often must be expended in a variety of different accounts. The College finances are extremely complex—our budgeted funds alone come from four distinct allocations from the legislature that must all be accounted for separately. So when money is needed for an expenditure, we will determine the most appropriate funding available at that time, and communicate that to the department business staff. We know it is not the most efficient way to do business, but we simply do not have the resources to do anything else.

Therefore, it is important that departments not assume that CALS will provide startup funds in any particular account, and proceed to expend on that account without budget. Year-end deficits created by such action will not be funded in the following fiscal year; and account deficits remaining at the end of the two year period for expenditure of startup will not be covered by CALS, regardless of the amount of unexpended startup. It is the responsibility of the department business office to request the transfer of startup funds from CALS Administrative Services before expenditure transactions are processed, so that expenditures can be made on the appropriate account, and so that funding is available in the account to cover startup expenditures.

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Go to the CALS Home Page: http://ag.arizona.edu or

Go to the CALS Administrative Services Home Page: http://ag.arizona.edu/aas/home/