Under University policy, Senior Officer Approval (SOA) is required for non-grant funded purchases of $500 or more and non-critical expenditures of any dollar amount. Please complete this form in order to initiate the workflow to request approval.

Please take note of some key points:

• All expenditures must be approved by the department head prior to the submission of the form.
• Requesters are expected to fill out this form BEFORE making any purchase.
• The new form is to be used Division-wide and will establish an appropriate approval trail for any audits that may take place.
• After a request is approved, a formal pdf of the approval will be sent to the requestor from the Dean’s Office to include with the financial submission.

As of February 2021, dean’s permission will no longer be required for the use of startup and research funds for valid research-related purposes. Examples of allowable expenses include research equipment, computers, books, subscriptions to data services, professional society dues, and the hiring of technical staff, postdoctoral fellows, and student researchers.

Spending must still be in accordance with approved budgets (and offer letter terms) and should be critical to furthering research. We ask everyone to remain mindful that the expectation is expenditures will be for mission-critical items. Non mission-critical items like food, gifts, etc. should continue to be avoided.

For questions about this process, please contact Christine Huntley.