The following information will help guide the Position Managment budgeting process and includes information on how to make a one-time request for general funds related to a vacancy pullback. For additional information regarding Position Management, please visit the Position Management website.
Overview
For fiscal year 2027, the Position Management process will involve a one-time, in-year pullback of general fund budgets associated with fully-fringed positions to a central index. The following information will help guide the flow of funds.
General Fund Position Vacancies and Hires
- If a position is vacant as of July 1, the Budget & Planning Office will pull these funds as a one-time adjustment after the initial budget load. Additional transactions throughout the fiscal year will distribute any funds for backfilling the vacated position (from any approved requests, based upon classification).
- All vacant, generally funded position S&W + Fringe (salary) savings from fully-fringed positions in the current fiscal year will revert to a central fund managed by the University Budget & Planning Office. The department that recognizes the vacancy will be left with funding to cover all incurred salary along with payouts of vacation time. The Budget & Planning Office will perform two budget adjustments; one to transfer the remaining unencumbered salary savings into a centrally managed index and one to return any funds needed for vacation payouts after the vacation payout is made.
- Once a determination is made that there is a need to repost the position, the department impacted can request a portion of the remaining unencumbered wages. These funds can be used towards backfilling duties required to be performed until the vacant position is filled. Detailed justification regarding the planned use of the funds will be required.
- If a new hire is made prior to the close of the current fiscal year, the Budget & Planning Office will return any remaining funds needed for the newly encumbered salary.
Funding of One-time Costs Associated with Recruiting/Termination
The associated college, department, or division that is recruiting/terminating is responsible for covering any one-time expenses from its existing operating resources (with the exception for vacation payouts). These units should look to existing discretionary funds that often come from a Dean or Vice President’s discretionary funds. In rare cases, central administration may fund specific strategic initiatives, such as high-level executive recruitment (E.g., University President or Vice Presidents) where the hire serves a broader institutional goal.
Potential Funding Sources
- Departmental Operating Budgets: Costs can be charged from the "supplies and services" budget of the specific department.
- Michigan Tech Fund, Designated, or Auxiliary Funds: Departments often use these funds if restrictions allow.
- Discretionary Funds: Payments may come from a Dean or Vice president’s discretionary resources.
- Sponsored Research Funds: Relocation costs can sometimes be charged to a grant or contract, but only if the sponsor grants prior written approval and the cost directly benefits the program.
- Central Administration: In rare "supplemental" cases for hard-to-fill or executive roles, central funds may supplement standard departmental funding.
One-Time Funding Request for Vacated Position Pullback
For fiscal year 2027, the Position Management process will involve a one-time, in-year pullback of general fund budgets associated with fully-fringed positions to a central index. The following information will help guide you through making a request for a portion of those funds to help offset any operational costs that may need to occur due to the position vacancy.
Where to Make the Request
The University has acquired Kuali, an electronic workflow product, to assist in facilitating approvals. The workflow for the process will function as follows:
- Form Submission
- Department Director/College Dean/VP
- Provost (if applicable)
- Budget & Planning Office
- CFO/VP Administration
- President
- Notification of Completion
What You Will Need for the Request
The Kuali form has very few fields for you to complete. You will need the following information to complete the request:
- Department Organization Number
- Department Title
- Position Number of Vacancy
- Vacant Position Title
- Prior Incumbent's Name
- Prior incumbent's Salary
- Amount Requested
- Justification of Need
The justification of need section is where the bulk of the request information is entered. Please provide as much detail as possible regarding the types of expenses the request is intended to help cover, the business continuity reasons for the additional funding, the impact on the unit if funding is not delivered, and alternate funding source options that were considered before making the request.
How to Make the Request
- Log into the Kuali Dashboard utilizing you ISO Username and Password (same as your email).
- On your dashboard, the left-side menu will have the option to select "Budget & Planning Office".
- Once selected, you can select "BPO Vacated Position Funds Request".
- Within this menu, select the "+ New" button in the top-right corner to create a new request form. Request forms will have a unique ticket number generated when you create a new request.
- Within the request form, you will need to complete the eight information fields mentioned above in the "What You Will Need for the Request" subsection. When finished, select the Department Dean Approver that applies to you.
- Along the right-side menu, you have three options; you can discard your request, save your request and return to complete it later, or submit your request to start the approval process.
After submission, the submitter will be notified by email if the form is returned for additional information or the form has been completed (both sucessfully or unsucessfully).
If you have any questions regarding this request process, please reach out to the Budget & Planning Office and someone will help you with your questions.