Strategic Investment Process

Each year, the University of Oregon allocates a very small portion of the Education and General (E&G) Fund budget for strategic and/or critical investment. Vice presidents, deans and vice provosts across the university are invited to submit investment proposals. The president appoints a Budget Advisory Group (BAG) made up of faculty, students, and staff, including many members of the University Senate, to provide advice and counsel on recommended investments.

The purpose of the Budget Advisory Group is to provide advice and counsel to the president regarding strategic investments for the upcoming fiscal year.

Process

1. Call for proposals is sent to all UO vice presidents, deans and vice provosts. 
2. The deans and vice presidents manage their own internal process for selecting proposals for submission. 
3. President appoints BAG members. 
4. Proposals are submitted to the Office of the Vice President for Finance and Administration (vpfa@uoregon.edu) by Friday, March 1, 2024. All proposals should include a memo that provides:

• a summary of the proposal, 
• details of the proposal, 
• expected positive impact of the proposal and 
• required funding.

5. Proposals are reviewed by the BAG and recommendations are submitted to the president, who consults with senior leadership regarding funding decisions. The proposals will be evaluated based on evaluation criteria.
6. Funding is announced in mid-late June for the following academic year. ​

Notes:

  • If a proposal involves an investment in information technology, please work with Abhijit Pandit, CIO, to ensure that the cost estimates included in the proposal are comprehensive.
  • Proposals for new Tenure Track Faculty lines should be directed to the Institutional Hiring Process (IHP) and should not be submitted through this process.
  • If you are submitting more than one proposal from your portfolio, please prioritize your proposals.

Funding

FY 2025 Funding: The Budget Advisory Groups reviewed 42 proposals from across the university requesting $8.6 million in recurring funds. To see the projects that received strategic funding, see the announcement on OregonNews.

FY 2024 Funding: The Budget Advisory Group reviewed 26 proposals, which totaled more than $6.5 million in recurring funds and $1.1 million in one-time-only funds. To see the projects that received strategic funding, see the announcement on OregonNews.

FY 2023 Funding: The Budget Advisory Group reviewed and discussed 27 proposals from 22 UO units for the 2022-23 academic year. The university has awarded $2 million in recurring funding, as well as some one-time funding for specific projects. To see the projects that received strategic funding, see the announcement on OregonNews.

FY 2020 Funding: The Budget Advisory Group reviewed 28 proposals from 24 different units, which totaled more than $4.15 million in recurring funds and $1.89 million in one-time-only funds. To see the projects that received strategic funding, see the announcement on OregonNews.

FY 2019 Funding: The Budget Advisory Group reviewed 16 proposals, which totaled more than $3.8 million in recurring funds and $1.0 million in one-time-only funds. For a full listing of the positions and initiatives that received funding, see the announcement on OregonNews.

Members

The Budget Advisory Group typically has 20 to 23 members including faculty, staff, and students from across the institution, and includes representation from the Senate Budget Committee.