Many schools make commitments with their chairs or department/division directors which are incorporated in the operating budget. If the commitment cannot be honored in that particular fiscal year, but must be carried over to a subsequent year, the school has the responsibility to incorporate the commitments in the new budget or to inform the department head that the commitment cannot be honored as originally planned due to financial or other issues/priorities.
Commitments (contractual or otherwise) are not “deals,” but formal obligations of the school that need to be honored or rescinded as the situation warrants. The Office of Budget and Planning and the Provost will reinforce this policy during the individual budget hearings for each school.
This policy will also be incorporated in the annual budget manual, which is updated and online for each budget year.
Responsible Office
Budget and Planning
www.usc.edu/dept/obp/
(213) 740-2561
Issued by
Chrysostomos L. Nikias, Provost and Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs
Dennis F. Dougherty, Senior Vice President, Finance
University of Southern California