Terms of Reference

The Budget Committee shall be a subcommittee of the University Planning Committee with membership drawn from the University Planning Committee as follows: the President, the Provost, the Vice-President (Operations and Finance), three faculty members (one of whom shall serve as Chair), one member of the non-teaching staff, one graduate student, one undergraduate student. The following individuals shall serve as Consultants to the Budget Committee: the Deputy Provost; the Associate Vice-President & Chief Financial Officer; the Associate Vice-President Finance & Planning (Academic); the Controller, Financial Affairs; the Budget Director, Budgeting Services.

(i) The Chair of the Budget Committee shall be elected annually by the University Planning Committee from among the faculty members on the University Planning Committee following nomination by the Chair of the University Planning Committee and a call for further nominations. The other two faculty members on the Budget Committee shall be selected subsequently by and from the six faculty members on the University Planning Committee for service commencing July 1 or immediately following a vacancy. The Chair may vote on all questions.

(ii) Two-thirds of the membership shall constitute a quorum.  If more than two members are absent when a vote is taken on the final budget, the vote must be confirmed electronically.

The Budget Committee shall:

(i) review the budget framework prepared by the University administration in consultation with the Office of Institutional Research and Analysis, including any changes to the McMaster Budget Model; this framework (including the models and projections upon which it is based) will be provided to the Joint Administration / Faculty Association Committee to Consider University Financial Matters and to Discuss and Negotiate Matters Related to Terms and Conditions of Employment of Faculty (the Joint Committee) as will updates to the framework should these arise;

(ii) receive and respond to budget submissions from all Faculties, areas, and units;

(iii) make budget recommendations available to the University Planning Committee during development of the recommendations, for comment on whether those recommendations are congruent with the University Plan; deliver the final budget to the University Planning Committee in a timely fashion to ensure that it is in a position to make comments in advance of the budget being transmitted to other deliberative bodies;

(iv) make budget recommendations available to the University Senate for comment before they are transmitted by the President to the Planning and Resources Committee of the Board of Governors;

(v) deliver budget recommendations to the President of the University for transmittal to the Planning and Resources Committee of the Board of Governors. Any comments of the University Planning Committee and Senate shall be included in the material for the Board of Governors, along with the President’s own comments; and

(vi) hold all meetings of the Committee in Closed Session.

Revised: December 13, 2023