February 20, 2009

 

Deans and Department Chairs,

 

You may recall that we moved to an allocation model this year whereby your departments received a 2008-09 allocation equivalent to the revenue sharing return for summer 2007. The revenue sharing funds for summer 2008 have now been finalized, and we will make the appropriate positive or negative adjustments to your allocations in the coming weeks to reflect the actual revenue return.

When implementing the allocation process for this year, we tried to ensure that department staff members were aware that summer revenue returns can fluctuate from year to year. Enrollments in specific courses can vary and instructional expenses can go up. Departments with summer travel study programs are well aware that the currency exchange rate and downturns in enrollment can have noticeable effects on profitability. Similarly, the modest annual increase in per unit fees in recent years carries with it an obligation to increase the campus contribution to student financial aid. So, approximately one-third of any fee increase is made available to UCLA students as financial aid.

The amount of overhead assessed to departments this year is approximately the same ($28 per student credit hour) as it was in 2007, and the campuswide total for revenue sharing increased by approximately 8% over that of the previous year.

You may view your department’s balance sheet at our password protected departmental planning website. Your department MSO has established a password for your department if you would like to take a look at the spreadsheet yourself. The spreadsheet summarizes your revenue, instructional expenses, overhead assessment and the net return. The net return is compared to the allocation you received at the beginning of this fiscal year.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about your department’s revenue return for 2008, or if you have any concerns about summer 2009 planning and budgeting.

Regards,

David Unruh

Assistant Provost

Academic Program Development