Today is the last day to view the revised University Mission Statement before the Council on University Planning and Budgets mission statement subcommittee gives approval of the second-draft changes.

The reviewing process to update the mission statement began last fall, said Mary Ann Hanner, dean of sciences and chair of the mission statement subcommittee.

Members of the reaccredidation team of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools suggested updating the statement when they visited Eastern last spring.

Since then, university administrations have held conversations with several campus groups include Faculty Senate and the Council on Academic Affairs.

“The revised statement is now available for further comment from the campus community,” Hanner said.

The statement, available for viewing on the CUPB Web site, is now being revised for the second time from suggestions that have been made by on- and off- campus constituencies of the university, Hanner said.

The second draft of the statement is also available in the University Newsletter.

The CUPB statement subcommittee will meet this week to evaluate the additional changes and prepare the final draft for presentation at the next CUPB meeting on April 28.

“They’re the ones who take all that information and distil it,” said Blair Lord, Eastern provost and vice president for academic affairs, of the statement subcommittee.

The updated statement will also be forwarded to Eastern President Lou Hencken who will present it to the Board of Trustees, Lord said.

Assege HaileMariam, psychology professor and chair of Faculty Senate, said the Mission Statement should tell the community what Eastern stands for.

“I believe it is a positive change,” HaileMariam said. “In a concise manner, it captures the educational mission of EIU.”

She does not see the change largely affecting campus.

Chelsea Fredrick, student vice president for academic affairs, said the mission statement is more for media purposes and to clarify for the general public what Eastern is like. She said the revisions have helped to more accurately represent Eastern in the statement.

“Now it really focuses on what EIU wants to be, what we are and what we do for the students,” she said.