Yearly Budget Information
Budget Definitions
Base Budget Funds: Base budget funds typically originate from tuition, fees, state appropriations and other recurring revenues. These funds are permanent, budgeted, and pay on-going personnel and operating expenses. Annually, base budget funds are allocated into their respective department and division accounts and referred to as "Educational and General (E&G)" Budgets.
Self-Supporting Funds: A self-supporting fund is a fund that receives its money from revenue generated by providing products or services to customers. The self-supporting funds are revenue-generating funds, other than Auxiliary funds (see definition below), in which the revenue generated covers the associated expenses (direct and indirect). In instances where expenses exceed revenue, the division would need to cover these costs from either another Self-Supporting fund (preferred) or from a divisional E&G fund (the latter would require approval from Finance, Budget, & Business Services and is generally discouraged).
Self-Support funds are considered to be unrestricted (see definition below), and any remaining balances are carried over at year-end. While these funds generally have no limitations placed on them by external agencies or donors, they must follow University policy for public funds. The revenue may come from university units, from faculty, staff, and students, or from the general public or external entities. Examples of operations that use self-supporting funds include the Health Center, camps, and clinics.
Auxiliary Enterprise Funds: An auxiliary enterprise is an operation that exists predominantly to furnish goods or services to students, faculty, or staff, and charges a fee directly to the users that is intended to cover the costs of providing the goods or services (although not necessarily equal to the costs of the goods or services). The public may be served incidentally by some auxiliary enterprises. The distinguishing characteristic of an auxiliary enterprise is that it is managed as an essentially self-supporting activity. PASSHE currently only recognizes the following activities as auxiliary enterprises: Residence Halls, Food Service, Student Union, and Campus Recreation Center. For accounting purposes, PASSHE does not include health centers as an auxiliary enterprise; however, this does not preclude universities from charging a fee directly to users of health centers to cover the costs of providing these services (which is why it is categorized as a Self-Support fund).
Student Fee Funds: Student fees are collected and placed in either an Auxiliary, Self-Support, or E&G fund to pay for on-going operating costs that are directly associated with a student’s education at WCU. These funds go towards the use of products or services such as educational services, technology, Sykes Student Union, Student Services (SSI), Health Center, and the Student Recreation Center.
Unrestricted Funds: These funds are for general use by the university and are not necessarily earmarked for a specific purpose.
Restricted Funds: University funds are restricted only when restricted to a specific purpose by the provider of funds; that is, they are restricted only when an outside entity, such as a government, grantor, or donor, restricts the use of the funds for a specific purpose.