PRBC Works for Campus Fiscal Well-Being

At a time when funding for public higher education is targeted for further erosion statewide, individual campuses are facing tough decisions about their futures.

At Fullerton, the Academic Senate’s Planning, Resource and Budget Committee (PRBC) is a key forum for campus discussions to help shape budget decisions ultimately made by the university president.

Strategies to bolster the university’s fiscal health and well-being are developed and debated by the committee, whose members include representatives from the faculty and staff, vice presidents and other administrators, as well as students.

The PRBC annually reviews the university’s budget, making recommendations on priorities, proposed allocations, and mission and goals initiatives. The PRBC also analyzes new course proposals and changes in existing academic programs with respect to resource implications. The committee meets semimonthly throughout the academic year and weekly in the spring as the annual May revise to the proposed state budget approaches.

Included in the budget ultimately adopted by the Legislature is the allocation for the California State University, derived from a recommended budget submitted by CSU Trustees. Funding for each campus is based on enrollment targets.

At Fullerton, budget decisions are made following a consultative process that includes the PRBC, Deans Council and President’s Administrative Board, among others. Discussions within departments, divisions and colleges continue throughout the year, providing a foundation for decision-making.

Members of the PRBC for 2007-08 are: Chair Robert Koch, professor and chair of biological science; Louise Adler, chair and professor of educational leadership; Peggy Bockman, assistant dean for student affairs, College of Communications; Jeanine Congalton, associate professor of human communication studies; Suellen Cox, librarian, Pollak Library; Amir Dabirian, chief information technology officer; Sheryl Fontaine, professor of English, comparative literature and linguistics; Mikyong Kim-Goh chair and professor of human services; President Milton A. Gordon; Mohinder Grewal, professor of electrical engineering; Diana Guerin, professor of child and adolescent studies and chair of the Academic Senate; Bill Haddad, chair and professor of history; Willie Hagan, vice president for administration and finance/chief financial officer; Pamela Hillman, vice president for university advancement; student Say Jeon and Edward Monaco; Mike McGee, professor of art; Ephraim P. Smith, vice president for academic affairs; Ginny Pace, director of community affairs, Mihaylo College of Business and Economics; Robert L. Palmer Jr., vice president for student affairs; and David Wong, professor of economics.

The PRBC was formed in October 1998 by combining the Academic Senate’s former Long Range Planning and Priorities Committee and Budget Advisory Committee.