SUPPORT

·         Program Budget Process

The Ministry of Higher Education is the principal financial provider to the university and therefore to the department. The ministry allocates a budget for the university at the beginning every fiscal year. A Strategic and Budget Plan is prepared annually by the Dean and Department Chairs with input from the University’s Budget and Planning Committee. The plan serves as the basis for communicating to the top management of the university the status, priorities, strategies, goals, and budget process for the Faculty of Engineering. As part of this process, each of the engineering departments is benchmarked against other departments relative to such factors as enrollment, research expenditures, and degrees awarded. Based upon the efficacy of the Faculty of Engineering in using existing resources, its budget is modified each year by the Provost as part of the University budgeting process. For example, a department may receive a special excess budget for new, high priority programs or for enrollment increases; conversely there could be a decrease for declines in enrollment or perceived quality.

The University is also embarking on a 10 year plan of expansion. This includes an increase in the number of undergraduate students, the number of faculty positions, the size of research programs, and the number of graduate students. This expansion plan includes individualized plans for each of the departments and programs, the details of which are contained in the overall university document. Currently, the University considers the performance of the Faculty of Engineering to be outstanding and the AE department is one of the higher priority areas within the University.

Operating budgets for each department are adjusted annually by the Dean. These budgets include support for faculty members, teaching assistants (TA's), laboratories, travel, and general operating expenses. The number of TA's assigned to each department is annually adjusted based upon the teaching loads. Each department chair has the opportunity to make special budget requests for new and creative programs or to support outstanding efforts to improve quality. the University Management has provided over the years substantial resources to the Faculty of Engineering.