Faculty members received a general overview of budget information in order to prepare for jobs as financial managers on Thursday.

Representatives from the budget office, the office of training and development, and the office of planning and institutional research presented at the workshop meant to introduce faculty to the different areas of making and maintaining a budget.

The presentation was a part of the “Responsibility for Account Manager Series.”

Heidi Hawkins, a budget analyst in the budget office, said what she went over was fundamental to the job of a financial manager.

A financial manager is someone who takes control over a fund for a particular group, department or organization.

Julie Benedict, a training and development specialist for Eastern in the human resources department, said this was a new lesson or a review.

“It gave a lot of background information, kind of general, for new employees we gave a lot of information to kind of catch them up,” Benedict said. “It also has a lot of detailed information that the experienced managers could also utilize.”

Benedict said it helps prepare the managers’ information about the different areas of the budget and the different types of funds.

Hawkins said there are different types of ledgers, or accounts. Some of the ledgers each have different origins and purposes.

In each ledger, there are different budgets where money can be moved either temporarily or permanently.

Hawkins said, financial managers cannot use funds from one ledger to the other, unless they transfer money through the budget or account office.

Hawkins said when financial managers need to ask questions if they do not know where they can transfer money.

“As a financial officer, you need to know who to contact for questions so mistakes aren’t made,” Hawkins said.

The different ledgers include one from state and income funds, one from student fees, revenue bonds, gifts and grants, and equipment and faculties.

Each of these ledgers gives money to certain funds that go for certain purposes around the campus.

“This goes to the bond funded facilities like the union, housing, the library and the student rec center,” Hawkins said.

Hawkins said there are many resources that financial managers look at for their information.

One resource is the planning and institution research office.

Amy Edwards, the assistant director of planning and institution research, said they are in charge of finding many facts and figures that are used in reports around campus.

“If we don’t have anything on it, we can help you get with who does,” Hawkins said.

“We started this to help our financial managers to be more equipped, or at least know where to find the answer,” Benedict said.

Samantha McDaniel can be reached at 581-2812

or slmcdaniel@eiu.edu.