Marshall University Budget

Last week the Marshall University budget proposal passed, resulting in a tuition increase, as well as an increase of costs for room and board. I intended to write this over the weekend because of an error in the budget.



On the sheet for all accounts, the operating expenses do not properly add up. The list reads as follows:



Instruction - 65,248
Research -20,405
Public service - 19,677
Academic support - 23,282
Student services - 10,667
Operation and maintenance of plant - 10,659
General institutional support - 20,400
Student financial aid - 17,622
Auxillary enterprises - 30,875
Depreciation - 4,598
Other - 0
Total operating expenses: 223,432




Of course, everything appears to be fine with the amount of expenses and total, until someone actually tries to add up the numbers. Anyone with common sense or a calculator, can see that the amount does not total 223,432. Keep in mind that actually means $223,432,000. If you add all the expenses, the total amount shown on the budget proposal is actually off by $1,000.



I understand that the numbers are clearly estimates, but when the total is supposed to be all the estimated amounts added, the number should equal just that - the total of all the expense amounts LISTED not the numbers prior to estimations. Yes, $1,000 is quite small when you're talking about $200+ million but if the finance department can mess something up as simple as adding 10 numbers together, it makes me wonder if anything else is off.



After going through more amounts listed in the budget, the consolidated budget amount forFY08-09 totaled $229,101,000. In actually, it was also $1,000 off. The exact same goes for the consolidated budget column for FY09-10. The normal budget for just Marshall (not all accounts) is also $1,000 off and should be $163,464,000. The total expenditures for Marshall only (not all accounts) is ALSO $1,000 off.


Maybe I just don't understand something but I was always taught that when lists are provided, they should properly add up, even if they are estimates, the given estimates should at least match the total amount. I just had to share that tid-bit with everyone.