April 2, 2025
TO:
Anupma Prakash, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
Julie Queen, Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services
Charlene Stern, Vice Chancellor for Rural Community & Native Education
Owen Guthrie, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs & Enrollment Management
Laura Conner, Interim Vice Chancellor for Research
Tom Hough, Executive Director, University Advancement
Nickole Conley, Chief of Staff
FROM:
Daniel M. White, Chancellor 
RE:
Unrestricted Travel Restrictions through June 30, 2025
Unrestricted Contractual Services & Commodities $100K Review Requirement
Please allow this memo to serve as an update to my March 11th budget guidance. In order to support UAF’s ability to achieve unrestricted unreserved fund balance (UFB) targets for FY25 and increase UAF’s liquidity to manage the dynamic and uncertain Federal climate, the following financial controls will be implemented, in addition to others (e.g. 60-day hiring delay, reduced unrestricted discretionary expenditures) already in place, effectively immediately:
Travel
For the period April 2, 2025, through June 30, 2025, all travel requests on unrestricted funds must be approved by the cognizant Vice Chancellor. Only essential travel will be approved. Examples of non-essential travel include, but are not limited to, travel for professional development, conferences, or other activities that could be delayed or canceled without adding substantial institutional risk.
This does not apply to travel on restricted funds or sponsored travel for university business, unless otherwise limited by the funding agency or sponsor.
I will review this again in the coming months to determine whether this end-date is sufficient to meet stated targets or whether the restriction will continue into FY26 (July 1, 2025).
Amanda Lash, UAF Travel Customer Service Office (TSCO) Director, will provide Vice Chancellors a projected spend report with all unrestricted travel that has not yet occurred. Each Vice Chancellor, in communication with the traveler and/or supervisor, may determine whether planned travel should be reevaluated.
Contractual Services & Commodities Operating Expenditures
For contractual services and commodities (supplies) and other similar operating budget categories using unrestricted funds, there is already guidance in place to delay, reduce or stop expenditures (without increasing unnecessary cost or risk), where possible to do so.
Any unrestricted procurement over $100,000 will now be subject to Vice Chancellor approval before processing through Procurement & Contract Services, Facilities Services, or similar contracting or payment offices/mechanisms.
OFA will continue to monitor monthly management reports and provide projection updates to me and VC Queen. The next report will be due April 15th (for March).
This budgetary control mechanism is intended for short-term use, and it will not replace other longer-term efficiency measures the university is and will continue to practice.
Thank you.
CC: Amanda Wall, AVC Financial & Business Services
Jason Theis, OFA Director
Amanda Lash, TSCO Director
Kara Axx, UA Chief Procurement Officer