Long range planning is nearly impossible with state funds. The timing of the budget can be erratic. State funds are not very flexible. State funds disappear if not spent. Fringe benefits are treated inconsistently.
Collective bargaining is complex and expensive.
Major capital projects are not managed by the Campus. The Task Force recommends that a useful budget handbook be developed over the next few years. This process will be arduous and cannot be completed until the PeopleSoft financial and personnel systems are installed in the next two years. There are many hundreds of instructions that need to be understood by all parties in order to create a systematic budget process. Until the budget handbook can be developed, there is need for additional training of the budget staffs throughout UMass Boston.