How Are Decisions Made In EHHD?

Program and Curriculum decisions   

New academic programs must first be placed on the MSU Academic Plan by the Dean.  The proposal process begins by completing a “Request to Plan” form, which must be approved by the Board of Regents.  Once approved, appropriate faculty develop the program proposal and budget, with the assistance of the University Budget Office, and submit for review using the Course Inventory Management (CIM) system; see https://www.montana.edu/provost/curriculum-development/.  Proposals are reviewed by departmental committees, Department Heads, the college curriculum chair, and the Dean; followed by the MSU Curriculum and Programs Committee (or the Graduate Council and Graduate Dean), Faculty Senate, the Academic Deans Council, Provost, President, and President’s Executive Council.  New course proposals follow the same general review process, but typically at a much faster pace.   

Human Resource Decisions

Depending on the availability of funds at the end of each academic year, the provost will call for tenure track faculty line proposals.  Faculty in academic programs can submit a request to their department head for a new or replacement faculty line when new approved degree programming or growth in student enrollment warrant a new position.  The EHHD Leadership Team discusses proposals for new faculty lines and the Dean prioritizes and submits to the Provost. 

Faculty hiring decisions begin with an appropriate faculty search committee which conducts the search according to MSU Human Resource policy.  Following on-campus interviews, the search committee provides the Department Head with a list of strengths and weaknesses for each acceptable candidate.  After conferring with the Dean and the Provost, the Department Head offers the position to the most desirable and qualified candidate.  Negotiations regarding tenure credit, workload assignment, salary, moving expenses, and start-up needs are between the candidate and the Department Head.   Staff hiring is accomplished in a similar manner, with a job posting, a search committee, interviews, and a recommendation to the hiring authority.  Overall, hiring decisions rest with the hiring authority, who is usually the Department Head, Dean, program director, or principal investigator. 

More comprehensive information about faculty and staff compensation adjustments can be found elsewhere (see: http://www.montana.edu/ehhd/facultyhandbook/EHHD-Faculty-Handbook_Faculty_Rscs_Personnel/FacultyHandbook_EHHDSalaryOptions.html).  Staff compensation adjustments are initiated by the supervisor, depend on available funding and human resource policy parameters, and are approved by Department Head and Dean.  Annual faculty merit raises are prioritized by Department Heads, providing evidence from annual review materials, and then submitted by the Dean to the Provost.   

Retention, Tenure and Promotion decisions are made over the course of eight independent reviews, starting with the departmental RTP committee, followed in order by the Department Head, College RTP committee, Dean, University RTP committee, Provost, President, and Board of Regents.  Standards and criteria for retention, tenure, and promotion are in the MSU Faculty Handbook (see: https://www.montana.edu/policy/faculty_handbook/), and Departmental/College Role and Scope Documents (see: https://www.montana.edu/provost/faculty/role-scope.html).  

Fiscal Decisions

Fiscal decisions often depend on the source of funds-- because certain fund categories can be spent on certain things (see the summary chart below). For example, the College of EHHD and subsequently ED and HHD departments receive a state allocation at the beginning of each fiscal year.  State funds primarily pay for the salaries of our faculty and staff, and cover operations for the college and departments.  State funds would not typically be used to cover research, excepting the portion of faculty salaries/time dedicated to this activity by their appointment.  State funds would also not be used to cover supplies and equipment maintenance for courses as course fees should be appropriately utilized for that. State funds must be spent entirely within the current fiscal year.  Excess state funds can only be for specific facilities or other projects approved by the Provost, or be moved to Board of Regents funds (not encouraged, because these funds are not accessible unless there is a budget shortfall in a subsequent fiscal year).  Each year, the Dean is asked by the Provost and President to reduce the EHHD state budget allocation by 2%, while also requesting additional OTO (one-time only) and permanent (base) funds to support new academic programs, additional course sections, or other staffing needs.  New tenure track faculty lines, also supported by state funds, are requested through a different process at the end of each academic year (see Human Resource Decisions” above).  Department heads and the EHHD leadership team participate in prioritizing both allocation reductions and budget requests. 

Designated funds are derived from revenue outside the state fiscal allocation.  Designated funds are usually spent on a specific project for a specific purpose.  If a program generates revenue, such as course fees, program fees, or fees for service—then there is a designated account that can be used to support program activities, equipment, and maintenance.  Designated funds do not need to be spent by end of the fiscal year—the balance is automatically carried forward to the next fiscal year.  Depending on the purpose of the designated account, authority to spend rests with the Dean, the appropriate Department Head, or the faculty/staff ‘owner’ of the account (for example, this would be the leader of the program or instructor of the course that is generating non-state revenue).      

As one type of designated funds, a percentage of the Indirect Costs (IDCs) or Facilities and Administration (F&A) costs from grant funded projects are returned to the college from the Office for the Vice President for Research, Economic Development, and Graduate Education on a quarterly basis.  In EHHD, F&A returns are spent supporting new research projects through the award of internal seed grants, as well as new faculty start-up costs if needed for laboratory equipment etc.  Faculty submit internal grant proposals directly to the Dean, in response to a specific RFP.  Proposal are reviewed by the Associate Dean for Research and the Projects Development and Grants Specialist along with other appropriate members of the leadership team.  Proposals submitted by new faculty receive the highest priority, followed by those that intend to seed external grant proposals or those for which external funds are difficult to obtain. 

EFAC and CFAC are another example of designated funds and are awarded to the college after proposals are submitted by faculty members and prioritized by departmental committees.  The source of these funds is student fees, and they are used for teaching equipment and computers/software supporting academic programs and coursework.    

EHHD has a multitude of Foundation funds.  Foundation funds are spent on precisely what the donor (or foundation) intend, and it is the Dean’s responsibility to ensure that is the case.  Foundation funds are automatically carried forward from one fiscal year to the next in separate accounts depending on the purpose.  The MSU Alumni Foundation requires a maintenance fee from each cash account on an annual basis.  Donated cash should therefore be spent as the donor intended in a timely fashion.  Endowed funds generate cash (interest) to spend on an annual basis in perpetuity.  Endowments are ideal for supporting scholarships and programs long-term.  General EHHD scholarship funds are used to support students in crisis as well as to create new permanent endowed scholarships.  Dean’s Excellence funds are spent at the discretion of the Dean, and are typically used to support college retreats, professional development activities, faculty awards, and student research travel scholarships.                         

Grant funds are the result of faculty scholarship and program innovation and entrepreneurship, and are derived from a variety of sources—federal, state, corporate, foundations etc.  Grant funds always have a specific purpose, and rules for spending depend on the funder and MSU policy.  While grant funds do not “belong” to the Principal Investigator, PIs have the authority to spend according to the proposed activities.  Grant funds are carried forward to the next fiscal year, depending upon the length of the proposed project, and continuous reporting to the funder. 

Fiscal Primer